Abstract

FRANCISCO, Isabel Furtado; HUMBOLDT, Sofia von  and  LEAL, Isabel. Psychological well-being and meaning of life of the elderly population: a comparative study. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.2, pp.426-433.  Epub Sep 30, 2022. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/22psd230210.

Meaning of life and psychological well-being play a key role in adapting to the challenges of age. However, there is little evidence about the differences in these concepts according to sociodemographic variables. Thus, this study aimed to identify differences in meaning of life and psychological well-being according to sociodemographic variables. The sample included 36 elderly, between 65 and 106 years old. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS) and a structured interview about the meaning of life were applied. The meaning of life varies depending on the sex, age, children, socio-economic level and level of contact of interpersonal relationships of friendship; and psychological well-being differs according to the variables: marital status, existence of siblings, family support, participation in activities, socio-economic level, level of contact of interpersonal family and friendship relationships. This study elucidates the relevance of the frequent and very frequent level of contact of interpersonal relationships of friendship given, there is no evidence in the literature about it and, however, it is significant for the existence of meaning of life, being still associated with higher scores on the general scale of psychological well-being and in the subscales environmental domain and positive relations with others.

Keywords : Meaning of Life; Psychological Well-being; Psychological Well-being Scale (PWBS); Elderly.

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