Possible selves and depressive symptoms in later life
| Autor: | Cory Bolkan, Karen Hooker, Deborah Padgett Coehlo |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Aged
80 and over Male medicine.medical_specialty Aging Health (social science) Social Psychology Depression Health Status Middle Aged Residence Characteristics Risk Factors medicine Humans Female Geriatrics and Gerontology Psychology Psychiatry Association (psychology) Attitude to Health Geriatric Assessment Depressive symptoms Depression (differential diagnoses) Clinical psychology Aged |
| Zdroj: | Research on aging. 37(1) |
| ISSN: | 1552-7573 |
| Popis: | The pursuit of personal goals has been linked to general psychological well-being; however, less is known about the association with depression in later adulthood when individuals are contending with age-related changes in health and social relationships. We explored the connection between both health- and social related goals (as measured by possible selves) and depressive symptoms in a sample of 85 community-dwelling older adults who ranged in age from 60 to 92 ( M = 74, standard deviation = 7.5). Participants took part in face-to-face, semistructured interviews in which they responded to measures of possible selves (future images of oneself), health, and depressive symptoms. We found that the presence of health-related, but not social-related, possible selves was significantly associated with fewer reported depressive symptoms. Additionally, the presence of health-related fears was specifically linked to fewer reported depressive symptoms. These findings suggested that the promotion of and investment in health-related personal goals may be useful in off-setting depressive symptoms in older adults, as well as indicated a potential benefit of a disease prevention focus regarding health in later life. Finally, the results may have implications for potential clinical interventions in addressing late-life depression. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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