Psychological well-being, depressive symptoms and character strengths among the community elderly
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-8623.2022.1.36703Keywords:
positive aging, character strengths, aged, well-being, depressionAbstract
In a world with an increasing number of elderly people, aging well is becoming increasingly important, and character strengths can contribute to this. In order to analyze strengths among the elderly, associating them with depressive symptoms and psychological well-being, 188 elderly people answered the reduced and Portuguese versions of Values-in-Action Inventory of Strengths, Geriatric Depression Scale and Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale. Love, Hope, Curiosity, Forgiveness, and Vitality strengths were associated with both higher levels of psychological well-being and lower depressive symptoms. Significant correlations were found between six strengths and depressive symptoms – weak negatives – and between 11 of them and psychological well-being – weak positives. The results of this study expand, albeit to a limited extent, knowledge about elderly people’s strengths, especially as they relate to two constructs that influence old age. In addition, they provide a basis for the development of future interventions.
Downloads
References
Almeida, O. P., & Almeida, S. A. (1999a). Confiabilidade da versão brasileira da escala de depressão em geriatria (GDS) versão reduzida. Arquivos de Neuropsiquiatria, 57(2-B), 421-426. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X1999000300013
Almeida, O. P., & Almeida, S. A. (1999b). Short versions of the geriatric depression scale: a study of their validity for the diagnosis of a major depressive episode according to ICD‐10 and DSM‐IV. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14(10), 858-865. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1166(199910)14:10<858::AID-GPS35>3.0.CO;2-8
American Psychiatric Association (2014). Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais (5a ed.). Artmed.
Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa (ABEP). (2012). Critério de classificação econômica Brasil. http://www.abep.org
Azañedo, C. M., Fernández-Abascal, E. G., & Barraca, J. (2017). The short form of the VIA Inventory of Strengths. Psicothema, 29(2), 254-260. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2016.225
Bannink, F. P. (2012). Practicing Positive CBT: from reducing distress to building success. Black-Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118328941
Beck, J. S. (1995). Cognitive therapy: basics and beyond. Guilford Press.
Beltrão, A. G. (2012). Perdonare: Internalização das motivações para o perdão e seus efeitos sobre os significados de vida [Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade de Lisboa]. https://repositorio.ul.pt/handle/10451/8183
Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G. J., Riper, H., Smit, F., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive Psychology Interventions: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 119. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-119
Brucki, S. M. D., Nitrini, R., Caramelli, P., Bertolucci, P. H. F., & Okamoto, I. H. (2003). Suggestions for utilization of the mini-mental state examination in Brazil. Arquivos de Neuropsiquiatria, 61(3B), 777-781. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2003000500014
Buschor, C., Proyer, R. T., & Ruch, W. (2013). Self-and peer-rated character strengths: How do they relate to satisfaction with life and orientations to happiness? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(2), 116-127. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2012.758305
Ferreira, H. G., & Batistoni, S. S. T. (2016). Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental para Idosos com Depressão. In E. R. Freitas, A. J. G. Barbosa & C. B. Neufeld (Orgs.), Terapias Cognitivo-Comportamentais com Idosos (pp. 261-285). Sinopsys.
Freitas, E. R., Barbosa, A. J. G., & Neufeld, C. B. (2016). Forças do caráter de idosos: uma revisão sistemática de pesquisas empíricas. Psicologia em Pesquisa, 10(2), 3-11. doi 10.24879/201600100020054
Freitas, E. R., Barbosa, A. J. G., Reis, G. A., & Gomes, L. B. (2016). Bem-Estar Psicológico na Clínica com Idosos. In E. R. Freitas, A. J. G. Barbosa & C. B. Neufeld (Orgs.), Terapias Cognitivo-Comportamentais com Idosos (pp. 119-135). Sinopsys.
Gullich, I., Duro, S. M. S., & Cesar, J. A. (2016). Depressão entre idosos: um estudo de base populacional no Sul do Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, 19(4), 691-701. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5497201600040001
Hausler, M., Strecker, C., Huber, A., Brenner, M., Höge, T., & Höfer, S. (2017). Distinguishing relational aspects of character strengths with subjective and psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(1159), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01159
Hill, R. D. (2011). A Positive Aging Framework for Guiding Geropsychology Interventions. Behavior Therapy, 42(1), 66-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2010.04.006
Hill, R. D., & Smith, D. J. (2015). Positive aging: At the Crossroads of Positive Psychology and Geriatric Medicine. APA Handbook of Clinical Geropsychology, 1, 301-329. https://doi.org/10.1037/14458-013
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE (2018, 26 de abril). Número de idosos cresce 18% em 5 anos e ultrapassa 30 milhões em 2017. https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/
Lawton, M. P. (1975). The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale. Journal of Gerontology, 30, 85-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/30.1.85
Linley, A. P., Maltby, J., Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., Peterson, C., ... Seligman, M. E. (2007). Character strengths in the United Kingdom: The VIA inventory of strengths. Personality and Individual Differences, 43(2), 341-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.12.004
Lisboa, V. (2016, 26 de outubro). IBGE: Número de idosos com 80 anos ou mais deve crescer 27 vezes de 1980 a 2060. http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br
Littman-Ovadia, H. (2015). Brief report: short form of the VIA inventory of strengths-construction and initial tests of reliability and validity. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 2(4), 229-237. https://www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhsse/v2-i4/27.pdf
Littman-Ovadia, H., & Lavy, S. (2012). Character strengths in Israel. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 28(1), 41-50. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000089.
Littman-Ovadia, H., & Lavy, S. (2015). Going the Extra Mile Perseverance as a Key Character Strength at Work. Journal of Career Assessment, 24(2), 240-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072715580322
Loke, S. C., Abdullah, S. S., Chai, S. T., Hamid, T. A., & Yahaya, N. (2011). Assessment of factors influencing morale in the elderly. PloS One, 6(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0016490
Lourenço, R. A., & Veras, R. P. (2006). Mini-Exame do Estado Mental: características psicométricas em idosos ambulatoriais. Revista de Saúde Pública, 40(4), 712-719. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102006000500023
Lourenço, R. A., Veras, R. P., & Ribeiro, P. C. C. (2008). Confiabilidade teste-reteste do Mini-Exame do Estado Mental em uma população idosa assistida em uma unidade ambulatorial de saúde. Revista Brasileira de Geriatria & Gerontologia, 11(1), 7-16. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-9823.2008.11012
Martínez-Martí, M. L., & Ruch, W. (2014). Character strengths and well-being across the life span: data from a representative sample of German-speaking adults living in Switzerland. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(1253), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01253
Morreall, J. (1987). The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor. SUNY Press.
Nardi, T. C., Grassi-Oliveira, R, & Pádua, A. C. (2016). Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental no Tratamento dos Sintomas de Ansiedade em Idosos. In E. R. Freitas, A. J. G. Barbosa & C. B. Neufeld (Orgs.), Terapias Cognitivo-Comportamentais com Idosos (pp. 207-230). Sinopsys.
Niemiec, R. M. (2017). Character Strenghts Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners. Hogrefe Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1027/00492-000
Noronha, A. P. P., & Barbosa, A. J. G. (2016). Forças e virtudes: Escala de forças de caráter. In C. S. Hutz (Org.), Avaliação em Psicologia Positiva - Técnicas e Medidas (pp. 21-43). Hogrefe. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-82712016210320
Noronha, A. P. P., & Martins, D. D. F. (2016). Associações entre forças de caráter e satisfação com a vida. Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 19(2), 83-89. https://doi.org/10.14718/ACP.2016.19.2.5
Paradela, E. M. P. (2011). Depressão em idosos. Revista Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, 10(2), 31-40. https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/index.php/revistahupe/article/view/8850
Paradela, E. M. P., Lourenço, R. A., & Veras, R. P. (2005). Validação da escala de depressão geriátrica em um ambulatório geral. Revista de Saúde Pública, 39(6), 918-923. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102005000600008
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2009). Character strengths: research and practice. Journal of College & Character, 10(4), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.2202/1940-1639.1042
Paúl, C., Teixeira, L., & Ribeiro, O. (2015). Positive aging beyond “success”: Towards a more inclusive perspective of high level functioning in old age. Educational Gerontology, 41(12), 930-941. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2015.1071590
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: a Handbook and Classification. American Psychological Association.
Pinar, R., & Oz, H. (2011). Validity and reliability of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale among Turkish elderly people. Quality of Life Research, 20(1), 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-010- 9723-4
Porter, K. E., Brennan-Ing, M., Burr, J. A., Dugan, E., & Karpiak, S. E. (2015). Stigma and psychological well-being among older adults with HIV. The Gerontologist, 57(2), 219-228. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnv128
Proyer, R. T., Gander, F., Wellenzohn, S., & Ruch, W. (2014). Positive psychology interventions in people aged 50–79 years. Aging & Mental Health, 18(8), 997-1005. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2014.899978
Rajandram, R. K., Ho, S. M., Samman, N., Chan, N., McGrath, C., & Zwahlen, R. A. (2011). Interaction of hope and optimism with anxiety and depression in a specific group of cancer survivors: a preliminary study. BMC research notes, 4(1), 519. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-4-519
Ribeiro, L. I. O. (2011). Positividade: intervenção em grupo com pessoas idosas [Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade de Coimbra]. https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/handle/10316/17721
Ruch, W., Proyer, R. T., & Weber, M. (2010). Humor as a character strength among the elderly: empirical findings on age-related changes and its contribution to satisfaction with life. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie, 43(1), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-009-0090-0
Ryff, C. D. (2014). Psychological Well-Being Revisited: Advances in Science and Practice. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83(1), 10-28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000353263.
Seibel, B. L., DeSousa, D., & Koller, S. H. (2015). Adaptação Brasileira e Estrutura Fatorial da Escala 240-item VIA Inventory of Strengths. Psico-USF, 20(3), 371-383. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1413-82712015200301
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410
Shimai, S., Otake, K., Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2006). Convergence of character strengths in American and Japanese young adults. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(3), 311-322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-005-3647-7
Steptoe, A., Demakakos, P., Oliveira, C., & Wardle, J. (2012). Distinctive biological correlates of positive psychological well-being in older men and women. Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(5), 501-508. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e31824f82c8
VIA Institute on Character (2013). VIA-IS 120. https://www.viacharacter.org/surveys.aspx.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Psico
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright
The submission of originals to Psico implies the transfer by the authors of the right for publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite Psico as the site of original publication.
Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise specified, material published in this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which allows unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is correctly cited.
