Psychophysical Health and Generativity of Older Adults

Abstract

The trend of global population aging has led to an increase in the number of studies addressing the determinants of successful aging. Here, we argue that successful aging depends on psychophysical health and the successful overcoming of the generative stage. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between mentioned variables and selected sociodemographic characteristics of older adults. The study involved 101 respondents (M=71.7; SD=3.06), mostly residing in urban living conditions and having a lower level of education. The surveys were conducted using SC-Q, RAND-36, and the Adapted Loyola Generation Scale. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the model consisting of physical and psychosocial health dimensions statistically significantly predicts generativity (F(8,89)=2.17; p<.05). These eight predictors explain 16.3% of the variance in generativity (R2=.163). The t-test for independent samples revealed significant differences between respondents from the city and respondents from the village for the following variables: physical functioning (t=2.23; p<.05), vitality (t=2.16; p<.05), emotional well-being t=2.60; p≤.01), physical pain (t=3.10; p<.01), general health (t=2.65; p≤.01), and generativity (t=3.23; p<.01), while no significant difference was found for other variables. Examining the differences in the physical and psychosocial health variables and generativity showed statistically significant differences between respondents without children and respondents with two children in the level of physical functioning. We also examined differences in variables concerning the order of birth and determined that there are statistically significant differences only in the level of achieved generativity concerning birth order (F(4,95)=3.17; p<.05). Life in rural areas is associated with the unavailability of healthcare, while lower education is associated with lack of adequate coping strategies. Adding to the peculiarities of this cohort, we get a clear picture of the need to ensure a better quality of life for this growing population.

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