O BEM-ESTAR SUBJECTIVO E O AJUSTAMENTO AO PROCESSO DE ENVELHECIMENTO NO IDOSO

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Publications

Bem-estar subjetivo em idosas com e sem cancro da mama em remissão

Publication . Carneiro, Francis Anne Teplitzky; von Humboldt, Sofia; Leal, Isabel Pereira

O aumento exponencial da população idosa e da sua esperança média de vida em consonância com o aumento da incidência do cancro da mama nesta faixa etária constituem uma problemática a nível mundi al. Objetivos: Averiguar se os dois grupos amostrais de idosas, com e sem cancro da mama em remissão, apresentam diferenças significativas nos totais de Bem - Estar Subjetivo (BES) e das suas dimensões afetiva e cognitiva. Método: A amostra é composta por 38 7 idosas, não institucionalizadas, com idades compreendidas entre os 75 e os 100 anos ( M = 85,27; DP = 6,59; intervalo 75 - 100) e que foram distribuídas em dois grupos: com cancro da mama em remissão e sem cancro da mama. Foram aplicados o questionário demo gráfico foi aplicado, a Escala de Satisfação com a Vida (ESV) e a Escala de Afeto Positivo e de Afeto Negativo (PANAS). Resultados: O grupo com cancro da mama em remissão apresentou resultados médios da escala e subescalas de BES superiores aos resultados médios do grupo sem cancro da mama, principalmente na subescala dos Afeto Positivo (AP). Estas diferenças foram estatisticamente significativas. Conclusão: Apesar do diagnóstico do cancro da mama representar uma ameaça importante ao BES das idosas, estas p articipantes apresentaram um total significativamente mais elevado o que as restantes.

2014Journal article

Open access

In the eyes of older adults: Self-reported age and adjustment in african and european older adults

Publication . von Humboldt, Sofia; Leal, I.; Pimenta, Filipa; Niculescu, Georgeta

To explore older adults’ perceptions of subjective age and adjustment to ageing and to analyse the correlational structure of the pre-categories in our study: subjective age, indicators of adjustment to ageing and of personal age perception. An exploratory, descriptive mixedmethods design was utilised. A purposive sampling method was used to select 154 older adults aged between 75 and 99 years from three different nationalities. Semi-structured interviews were performed, addressing two core areas: subjective age and adjustment to ageing. Data was subjected to content analysis. Representation of the correlational structure of the precategories in our study (subjective age and indicators of adjustment to ageing) were analysed by a Multiple Correspondence Analysis. Standardised instruments measured regular cognitive abilities. Five categories derived from interviews for subjective age: ‘adapted’, ‘disconnected’, ‘old’, ‘youthful’ and ‘tolerant’. A total of seven categories emerged as indicators of adjustment to ageing: ‘social networking’, ‘health’, ‘time perspective’, ‘spirituality’, ‘financial autonomy’, ‘professional activities’ and ‘fulfilment and leisure’. These results supported a model for each pre-category. Subjective age was explained by a two-factor model: ‘age-conscientious’ and ‘youthful’. A three-dimensional model formed by ‘reconciled’, ‘satisficers’ and ‘maximisers’ was indicated as a best-fit solution for adjustment to ageing. A three-dimensional overall model for PAP was formed by ‘age-cognisant’, ‘fulfilled’ and ‘satisficers’. The findings highlighted the underdeveloped potential of subjective age, adjustment to ageing and a personal age perception overall model for this population. Enhancing subjective age and adjustment to ageing might be an important target to improve older adults’ interventions’ outcomes.

2013Journal article

Open access

Analyzing adjustment to aging and subjective age from angolan and portuguese community-dwelling older adults' perspectives

Publication . von Humboldt, Sofia; Leal, I.; Pimenta, Filipa

Background: The aging experience influences the ways an aging individual self-adjusts to challenges in late adulthood in various cultural settings. This study aims at examining the indicators of adjustment to aging (AtA) and subjective age (SA), and at investigating the latent constructs that can work as major determinants in AtA and SA in an older Portuguese and Angolan community-dwelling population. Methods: Questionnaires were completed, specifically assessing participants’ sociodemographic and health-related information. Semi-interviews with 102 older adults aged between 75 and 99 years (mean ¼ 80.5, standard deviation ¼ 5.76) were conducted, focusing on AtA and SA. Data were subjected to content analysis. The correlational structure and latent constructs of indicators of AtA and SA were analyzed by a multiple correspondence analysis. Results: Outcomes from content analysis designated seven categories for AtA, which are “accomplishment and future projects,” “occupation and leisure,” “health and well-being,” “valorization of time and age,” “social support,” “stability and safety,” and “existential meaning and sense of limit”; and five emergent categories for SA, which are “in harmony,” “fearless,” “with concern,” “youthful,” and “satisfactory.” Social support was the most reported indicator of AtA (25.4%) and in harmony (22.3%) was indicated as the most frequent SA response. Adjustment and age was explained by a three-factor overall modeldintegrated, congruent, and concerned for Angolan participants; fulfilled, reconciliated, and driven were indicated as a best-fit model for the Portuguese elderly population. Conclusion: The findings presented in this paper emphasize the deepening of the concept of AtA in this population and its association with SA in an overall model.

2013Journal article

Restricted access

Assessing adjustment to aging : A validation study for the Adjustment to Aging Scale (AtAS)

Publication . von Humboldt, Sofia; Leal, I.; Pimenta, Filipa; Maroco, João

Adjustment to aging (AtA) is a multifactor adjustment process with implications on aging well among older adults. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale to assess the factors that older adults recognized as indicators of their AtA, with a cross-national comparative perspective towards aging well. Convenience sampling was used to gather questionnaire data, including demographics and the proposed scale. Complete data was available for 1,291 older community-dwelling adults, aged between 75 and 102 years (M = 83.9; SD = 6.68), who represented four different nationalities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed for dimension reduction and exploration of the factorial structure. Data gathered with the 22-items AtA five-factor scale showed overall good psychometric properties (in terms of distributional properties, statistical significant factor weights, factorial, convergent, discriminant criterion and externalrelated validities, as well as reliability). Five factors were selected for the Adjustment to Aging Scale: (a) sense of purpose and ambitions (b) zest and spirituality; (c) body and health; (d) aging in place and stability; and (e) social support. We present a 22-item scale with five factors for AtA estimation in a cross-national elderly population which produced valid and reliable data for elder persons from four different nationalities. Results showed that this scale is an adequate cross-cultural instrument for research, clinical practice and program development in the health care context. These may benefit from clearly understanding AtA as an important component for reducing health disparities and for aging well, across nationalities.

2014Journal article

Restricted access

Sense of coherence, sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors in older adults' subjective well-being

Publication . von Humboldt, Sofia; Leal, I.; Pimenta, Filipa

Objectives: This research explores a structural model of predictors of subjective well-being (SWB) in a community-dwelling older population. Methods: A community sample of 1258 older adults was assessed regarding SWB, sense of coherence and sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related characteristics. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate a structural model of the self-reported SWB, comprising sense of coherence, sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, marital status, household, professional status, educational level, social support, living setting, and self-reported spirituality), as well as lifestyle and health-related characteristics (leisure, physical activity, recent disease, perceived health, and medication). Results: Self-reported spirituality (b ¼ 0.395; p < 0.001), sense of coherence (b ¼ 0.128; p < 0.001), social support (b ¼ 0.089; p ¼ 0.008), living setting (b ¼ 0.083; p < 0.001), household (b ¼ 0.072; p < 0.001), perceived health (b ¼ 0.049; p ¼ 0.007) and medication (b ¼ 0.015; p ¼ 0.033) predicted SWB. The variables accounted for 82.9% of the variability of SWB. Conclusion: Self-reported spirituality is the strongest predictor of SWB. Other predictors are sense of coherence, social support, living setting, household, perceived health, and medication. Results emphasize that health care approaches may benefit from clearly understanding SWB and its predictors, as essential for promoting older adults' health and well-being.

2015Journal article

Restricted access