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Gender and psychological well-being in older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2020

M. Pilar Matud Open the ORCID record for M. Pilar Matud [Opens in a new window] ,
Juan Manuel Bethencourt ,
Ignacio Ibáñez  and
Demelza Fortes
M. Pilar Matud*
Affiliation:
Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
Juan Manuel Bethencourt
Affiliation:
Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
Ignacio Ibáñez
Affiliation:
Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
Demelza Fortes
Affiliation:
Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: M. Pilar Matud, Universidad de La Laguna, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Apartado 456. 38200 La Laguna, Spain. Phone: 3422317487; Fax: 3422317461. Email: pmatud@ull.edu.es.
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Abstract

Objectives:

Gender is an important social determinant of health, but gender has played only a marginal role in the geriatric and gerontology research and practice. The aim of this study was to examine the relevance of gender to the psychological well-being of older adults.

Design:

A cross-sectional study was conducted.

Setting:

The study was carried out in Spain.

Participants:

A total of 1,201 people aged between 65 and 94.

Measurements:

The participants completed sociodemographic data and four questionnaires: The Bem sex role inventory, the Ryff’s psychological well-being scale, the York self-esteem inventory, and the Social support scale.

Results:

Men scored higher than women in self-acceptance, autonomy, purpose in life, and environmental mastery. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that, although the most important predictors of psychological well-being in both women and men were self-esteem and social support, both masculine/instrumental and feminine/expressive traits were associated with higher psychological well-being, although the effect size was higher for the masculine/instrumental trait. Furthermore, education was associated with psychological well-being in the case of females.

Conclusions:

Gender plays an important role in the psychological well-being of older adults. The results of this research are relevant for healthcare providers and policy-makers interested in promoting successful aging and increasing the well-being of older people.

Keywords

gender differencessocial supporthealth aging
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 32 , Special Issue 11: Issue Theme: Risk versus Protective Factors for Decline versus Well-Being , November 2020 , pp. 1293 - 1302
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2020

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Footnotes

*

Juan Manuel Bethencourt’s name has been corrected. An erratum detailing this change has also been published (doi:10.1017/S1041610221002647).

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