HC8. Succesful aging Flashcards
Why should we care about aging
The population of older people is growing each year and aging is the strongest risk factor for multimorbidity
- dementia prevalence increases exponetially with age
The well-being paradox
Overall wellbeign declines from adolescence to mid-age then inceases again
- older adult have a little bit more fun
- old age is linked to drastic decreaso of negative emotions
Inter-individual differences in emotional experience
- study
Experienced sampling design for 5 daily assesments for one week
- 5 years and 10 years
- positive emotional experience is greater in older than in younger people
- there are huge inter-individual differences in emotional experience
Life satisfaction
- decreases from age 9 to 16
- slight increase untill age 70
- decrease again until age 96
Positive and negative affect
Positive: decline from age 9 until age 94
Negative:
- small ups and downs between 9 and 22
- after 22 decline untill 60
- increase between 60 and 87
Biomedical model of succesful aging
Usual ageing: normal age-related diceline in physical, social and cognitive functioning
Succesful aging
-> critique: subjective component is missing, stifma/discrimination and Western Culture based
Successful aging
Functional loss is minimized - absence of disease and risk factors for disease, maintenance of physical and cognitive functioning, active engagement with life
Psychosocial models of successful aging
- life satisfaction
- social functioning
- psychological resouces
Life satisfaction
- mood and overall wellbeing
- happiness
- realtionship between desired and achieved foals
- self-concept
- resilience
Social functioning
- high levels of ability in social role functioning
- positive interactions or relationships with others
- social integration
- reciprocal participation in society
Psychological resources
- positive otlook and self-worth
- self efficacy or sense of control over life
- autonomy
- independece
- effective coping and adaptive strategies in the face of changing circumstance
Social impact and relevance on these fronts:
- mental, psychological, physical and social health
- life satisfaction
- having a sense of purpose
- financial security
- learning new things
- accomplishments
- physical appearance
- productivity
- contribution to life
- sense of humor
- spirituality
Theoretical perspective of aging
Physical functioning, social functioning and psychocognitive functioing impact optimal overall functioning. This together with well-being determine successful aging
- 10%
Layperson’s perspective of succesful aging
Physical and cognitive functioning impact social contact and both work together with adaption. Social contacts and adaption influence well-being and succesfull aging as one
- almost all
Global well-being
Multi-component subjective well-being on emotional, psychological, social and spiritual areas of life
Savoring
Ability to mentally revive joyful memories and experiences, generating mental well-being and extending it to future events
Creative and executive efficiency
Ability to cope with difficulties and challanges by mobilizing competencies in individual and social problemsolving
Self-regualtion
Ability to regulate and control temperament, emotions, and negative states while persisting in achieving a goal
Resilience
Psychological capacity to mobilize resources and maintain positive mental health when facing unexpected, stressful situations
Defining succesful aging is a challenge
- authorities
- criteria of assessment
- societal, historical and environmental contexts
- personal prerequisites, preferences, and resources
–> measuring success agains ones standard probably does not help us to understand the heterogeneity of the aging pprocess
Goals and goal structures
- goals organize human life development
- lifespan changes/losses lead to emergence, maintenance, transformation, disengagement in specific goals
- aging involves reductions in scope of goals
Meaning in life
- coherence
- purpose
- significance
Coherence
- cogntive component
Sense of comprehensibility and one’s life making sense
- overall I understand the world around me
- I comprehend what my life is about
- I easily make sense of my life
Purpose
- motivational component
Sense of core goals, aims, and direction in life
- I am highly committed to certain core goals in my life
- I have a set of core goals that give my life a sense of direction
- My daily activities are consistent with a broader life purpose
Significance
- evaluative component
Sense of life’s inherent value and having a life worth living
- my life is dull of value
- my personale existence is significant
- every day, I experience the sense that life is worth livign
What gives purpose in life
- prosocial
- family
- economic
- recognition
- creative
- personal growth
- hedonisitc
- religious or spiritual
Sense of purpose
Most research focuses exclusively on the sense of purpose
- the content of the purpose is irrelevant as long as people feel it is personally meaningful
People who report a higher sense of purpose also report better:
- subjective well-being
- self-esteem
- healt behaviors
- physical health
- cogntive fucntioning
- cognitive fitness
- longevity
Sense of purpose across adult age
- Cross-sectional meta-analysis: small age-related decline beginning in midlife - more pronounced following retirement age
- 10-year longitudinal assessment: small decline in the sense of purpose between assessments, particularly among the oldest age group
- Within-person decline in the sense of purpose among older men across a 3-year span but little mean-level change over time
