Abstract

HUMBOLDT, Sofia von; COSTA, Andrea; ILYAS, Namrah  and  LEAL, Isabel. Perspectives on mental health: aging and civic participation in old adulthood. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2024, vol.25, n.1, pp.1-12.  Epub Mar 31, 2024. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/24psd250101.

Ageism can influence the civic participation of older adults with an effect on mental health. The research question of this study was: How do ageism and civic participation affect the mental health of older adults? and it had three objectives: To investigate the effect of ageism on the civic activities of older people; To analyze the influence of ageism on mental health; and To explore the impact of civic participation on the mental health of older adults. This cross-national qualitative study, with snowball convenience sampling, included 391 older people. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis. For the first objective, the results indicated four themes: Social rejection (86%); Reduced ability (84%); Expectations of failure (83%); and, Inability to contribute (77%). Regarding the second objective, the results indicated six categories: Disappointment (89%); Anger (81%); Incompetence (77%); Irrelevance (71%); Anxiety (68%); and Emotional tension (63%). For the third objective, five themes emerged: Developing a sense of purpose (81%); Feeling socially integrated (80%); and, Learning skills (71%); Practicing a sense of agency (67%); Expressing oneself emotionally (54%). The results indicate a relationship between ageism, mental health and civic participation and highlight civic participation as relevant to the mental health of older adults.

Keywords : Ageing; Ageism; Older adults; Civic participation; Mental health.

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