Abstract

FRANCISCO, Isabel Furtado; HUMBOLDT, Sofia von  and  LEAL, Isabel. Impact of meaning of life and spirituality on psychological well-being of the elderly. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.2, pp.473-480.  Epub Sep 30, 2022. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/22psd230216.

The literature has demonstrated the existence of a positive association between meaning of life, spirituality and psychological well-being. However, there is little evidence about the contribution of meaning of life and spirituality to the psychological well-being of the elderly population. Thus, the present study aimed to ascertain whether the meaning of life and spirituality are significant predictors of the psychological well-being of the elderly population. The sample consisted of 36 participants from an IPSS from southern Portugal, aged between 65 and 106 years and who did not present any type of dementia. Psychological Well-being (PWBS), Spirituality Scale (SS), a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a structured interview about the meaning of life were applied. The results support the idea that spirituality is a significant predictor of psychological well-being, explaining 51.7% of its total variability. On the other hand, the meaning of life did not reveal itself as a predictor of psychological well-being. The findings of the present study allow us to elucidate the importance of spirituality for the psychological well-being of the Portuguese elderly population and the predominant role of spirituality in its prediction.

Keywords : Psychological Well-being; Spirituality; Meaning of Life; Elderly.

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