Subjective Vitality, Meaning in Life and Religiosity in Older People: A Correlational Study

Abstract

This paper aimed to identify the relations among the religiosity, meaning in life, ontological perception of time, and subjective vitality in older people. The study included a sample of 100 older adults that participated of elderly groups with a mean age 67.2 years (SD = 5.6), who answered the Religious Attitudes Scale (RAS-20), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Ontological Perception of Time Scale (OPTS), Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS), and demography questions. The results showed a positive correlation of the subjective vitality with the scores on the presence for meaning, past, present, and future. The searching of meaning was a positive correlation of the scores of behavior and religious feeling. Moreover, the presence of meaning was correlated with the scores of the knowledge religious, behavior, present and future. These fi ndings were discussed based on the conception of Logotherapy and Analysis Existential.

Is life satisfaction associated with the purpose in life of elderly hydrogymnastics practitioners?

“…There are increasing investigations that address issues related to the psychological health of the elderly who either practice or not physical exercises 3,[8][9][10] . According to Cole 11 , these aspects include the improvement of health and wellbeing, associated with positive psychological components, including life satisfaction.…”

“…This aspect deals with the individuals' perceptions about their values, desires and motivations 15 . Studies indicate that people who positively perceive their purpose in life give meaning to their existence, direct their actions in a propositional way, they are happier and perceive themselves as autonomous people 8,9,14 . The opposite occurs when purpose in life is negatively perceived, so that individuals may exhibit a sense of existential emptiness, sadness, boredom, and hopelessness 15 .…”

The meaning of religion/religiosity for the elderly

“…This study shows that the elderly have more than sense of feeling when interpreting religion, and their behavior depends on religious teachings. Thus, religiosity can be thought as a source of meaning for humans, since it seeks to answer existential concerns related to the finitude of life (13) .…”

“…Religiosity, having a religion, help the elderly to go through adverse situations, an it is something always mentioned in the daily life of these people (20) . Religiosity can help in confronting existential issues, whether in search of a life meaning -because of a greater conscience of death -or to increase the feeling of sense, since religion may influence the perception of a sense (13) .…”

Purpose in Life and Physical Activities in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: a Cross-Sectional Study

“…11 On the other hand, there is growing research on issues related to the psychological health of older adults as a function of their engagement in physical activity. [19][20][21][22] Being less aware of one's purpose in life may partially explain why some individuals do not regularly engage in healthy behaviors, including physical activity. 17 Indeed, the majority of investigations involving older adults usually focus on several health outcomes but not physical activity, which, in turn, leads to a gap in the literature regarding the impact of subjective and psychological variables that could help mitigate alterations associated with the aging process.…”