Being happy in old age: reasons, methods and challenges (original) (raw)
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Happiness and Its Related Factors among the Elderly in Hamadan (Iran): A Cross Sectional Study
Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology
Background: Happiness is one of the indicators of mental health that originates from the cognitive and emotional assessment of individuals from their lives. Happiness is believed to evolve from the comparison of the current circumstances related to achievement. However, gerontological literature has been limited to happiness in the elderly. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine happiness status and examine the relationship between happiness and some variables among Iranian elderly. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 411 elderly people (60-75 years old) in Hamadan, west of Iran, in 2016, by using multistage random sampling method. Two instruments were used in this study including a demographic questionnaire and Oxford happiness questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation, independent t-test, and One-way ANOVA. Results: The mean score of happiness was 41.17 (± 15.2), which was evaluated at a moderate level. There was no significant difference between male and female elderly in happiness status. All 5 dimensions of happiness had a positive significant correlation with each other (P < 0.01). Results from T-Test and ANOVA indicated that there was a significant relationship between happiness and some socio-demographic characteristics such as age (P = 0.002), educational level (P = 0.001), and income status (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Life satisfaction, financial status, and educational level contributed to the positive feeling in the perception of happiness in the elderly. Thus, adopting programs to increase happiness in the elderly could be useful as one of the strategies to improve all dimensions of health such as physical, mental, and social aspects.
Subjective Happiness among the Elderly across Various Groups 1
Adjustment in old age is difficult because of the limited capacity of the old, their diminishing energy and declining mental abilities. The degree of success depends upon the individual's adaptability. The needs and problems of the elderly vary significantly according to their age , health, home, social, marital emotional and financial aspect. The present study is an attempt to study the patterns of adjustment among elderly. The sample comprised of 200 elderly people (100 male, 100 female) of Lucknow city in the age group of 60 years and above. Multistage random sampling technique was employed for sample selection. Interview schedule was framed to collect the required information given by the respondent. From the findings of the study its can be seen that subjective happiness among urban elderly is higher in male and female in comparison to elderly staying in rural area. The subjective happiness of male elderly staying in nuclear families is higher in comparison to elderly staying in joint families. Nonworking females generally were happy in comparison to working elderly.
Correlates of Happiness Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review
International Journal of Current Research and Review, 2021
Introduction: The Aging Population is increasing rapidly and it is becoming an issue of global concern. It is increasing not only at the personal, experiential level but also at the global level because of the demographic and socio-cultural trends. Aim and Objective: Papers meeting eligibility criteria and have similar aspects were selected through a sequential process of screening the title, abstract and full text. There was a dearth and requirement of Indian and other Asian studies. Different factors about happiness were seen as responsible for older adults. Acquiring good health, socioeconomic status, social support, physical fitness, cognitive health, culture, quality of life, self-esteem, life satisfaction & various positive interventions are concluded as the different factors of happiness among older adults. Many other factors are also responsible for the happiness of older adults as well. Happiness is considered a key mark for every individual. Conclusion: The Happier individual tends to live longer lives, enjoy better physical health, and possess greater psychological resilience. It is necessary to analyze and identify the major correlates of happiness focusing better and the positive aspects of older adults.
Factors associated with happiness in the elderly persons living in the community
Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 2017
The aim of the present study was to evaluate factors associated with happiness in a sample of Brazilian older adults. A study was conducted with 263 elderly people in the area of coverage of a family health unit located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The Subjective Happiness Scale was used to measure happiness, the final score of which determined one of three outcomes: not happy, intermediate, and happy. Disability, sociodemographic characteristics, and psychological, cognitive, and physical factors were considered for the multinomial logistic regression analysis. Statistically significant differences were found among the three groups regarding satisfaction with life, disability, social phobia, anxiety, depression, and frailty (p≤0.05). In the multinomial regression analysis, being "not happy" was significantly associated with satisfaction with life (RRR: 0.53), depression (RRR: 1.46), social phobia (RRR: 1.24), and age (RRR: 1.06). The present findings indicate that p...
Trends in Sciences
Well-being and happiness are the ultimate goals of older people. Having a good quality of life is very important for this age group, in which well-being can be predicted through life experiences. Research on the older adult group demonstrates that well-being is positively associated with happiness. In turn, happiness is linked with better coping, lower morbidity and lower mortality. Therefore, studying to understand this phenomenon, according to the experiences and perceptions of older adults, is the key to preparing for an aging society. The objective of this integrative review for nurses was to synthesize information from academic literature to provide insight into the experience and perception of well-being and happiness in older adults. The authors searched 5 databases - CINAHL, PUBMED, CLINICAL KEY, SCOPUS and SAGE journals - using the following key search terms: “(experience or perception or perspectives), AND (happiness or well-being), AND (older adults or elderly or late ad...
2009
Subject Code Description Nr of Studies on this Subject A4 AGE 1 A4. 1 Age career 1 A4. 1.2 Ageing 1 A4. 1.3 Stage of life 12 A4. 1.3. 1. timeliness of life-stage transition 2 A4. 2 Current age (in years) 320 A4. 2.1 Young versus old 9 A4. 2.2 Age-difference among youngsters 16 A4. 2.3 Age-differences among elders 29 A4. 3 Time trend of happiness in age categories 0 A4. 4 Attitudes to one's age 0 A4. 4.1 Attitudes to own age 0 A4. 4.1. 1. subjective age (how old one feels) 2 A4. 4.1. 2. age identification 0 A4. 4.1. 3. satisfaction with age 2 A4. 4.1.
Factors Associated with Happiness among Malaysian Elderly
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Happiness is an essential component to experience healthy ageing. Hence, understanding the factors that contribute to happiness is important. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with happiness among the elderly population in Malaysia. In this study, 1204 respondents were recruited from urban and rural areas in Selangor. A face-to-face interview was conducted using the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study questionnaire. The inclusion criteria include Malaysians who are 60-years old and above and can converse in the Malaysian language. Those who encounter less than seven scores for the Abbreviated Mental Test were excluded from the study. Among the 1204 respondents, 953 (79.2%) were happy. Sociodemographic characteristics showed that being a men, age of 60 to 74 years, and living in urban areas were significantly associated with happiness. A logistic regression model showed that locality (aOR 1.61), income category (Bottom 40% aOR 0.49;...
Dr. Victoria Valenzuela and Mr. Joseph H. Batac, FRIPA Bulacan State University & MDM La Consolacion University, Philippines, 2020
Everyone is searching for ways to be happy. Happiness is the greater desire of all elderly and senior citizens. The word happiness derives from the word for luck, as in "happenstance" with two different meanings: hedonic and eudaemonic. Hedonic happiness refers to maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain that tends to be characterized as momentary or superficial while eudaemonic happiness is more of psychological well-being in line with fulfilling life. The purpose of the study is to measure the relationship of the 7F factors of happiness and happiness of the senior citizens.The study is based on the primary data collected with the help of the standardized questionnaire from Oxford University to measure the happiness of senior citizens and self-developed questionnaire to assess the 7F factors of happiness of senior citizens namely: food, fitness, feelings, family, faculty, friend, and faith. It was found from the study that all factors namely: friend, faculty, food, and family are positively and significantly related to happiness of senior citizens. Study also highlights the fact that the highest contributing factor in happiness among senior citizens is friend followed by faculty, while the least contributing factor in happiness among senior citizens is the family factor.
Happiness across Age Groups: Findings Based on Three Measures
https://www.ijhsr.org/IJHSR\_Vol.8\_Issue.10\_Oct2018/IJHSR\_Abstract.03.html, 2018
Happiness is considered to be an important component of well-being. The paradox of how happiness varies across age has attracted much attention from researchers in recent years. In the present study, levels of happiness across three age groups were examined on a sample of 180: late adolescents (n=60), young adults (n=60) and elderly (n=60). Three happiness measures-Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Single Item Happiness Scale and Subjective Happiness Scale were employed. Perceived Stress Scale and Positive Relationship with others Scale was used to measure stress and social relationship respectively. Data were collected using convenience sampling. Findings showed that happiness significantly differed across the three age groups. In all the three measures, elderly reported higher happiness than young adults and late adolescents, but no significant differences were found between late adolescents and young adults. The research findings also revealed that happiness differ across age groups even after controlling stress and social relationships. Correlation analysis revealed negative, significant association between happiness and stress, and positive, significant association between happiness and social relationship. Further results showed that happiness was positively associated with age, residence, education, occupation and income, but negatively associated with gender, religion and marital status.