Crenças em relação a velhice : bem-estar subjetivo e motivos para frequentar universidade da terceira idade

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1999

RESUMO

Education has been widely recognized as a condition to promote successful aging, by its positive effects on cognition, self development and psychological well being of old people. I was designed a investigation aimed to describe and analyze beliefs concerning old age, subjective well being and motives to attend a program of informal education. The sample comprised 100 students (aged 60 and more) of a Brazilian university of third age. Eighty and six percent were female; 70% were 60 to 69 years old; 43% were widowed, 27% married, 17% singles and 12% divorced; 19% had four and 17% had eight years of elementary education, 35% has secondary, and 30% had university level. Data collection was carried out with aid of five instruments: a questionnaire about socio-demographic variables; a DS Scale containing 30 items assessing beliefs about old people, covering four conceptual domains - cognition, agency, social relationships and "persona"; a single item scale assessing global satisfaction with life; eight item scale assessing domain referenced satisfaction (physical and mental health, physical and mental ability, social relationships); a five item scale asking for the motives the subjects had to attend such educational program, as well as about the contribution of the program to the attainment of their motives. Multivariate analysis showed high overall satisfaction with life and high domain referenced satisfaction. Beliefs concerning old people showed great variability, since negative, positive and neutral beliefs concerning all dimensions _d a comparable rate of occurrence. Self reports on motives to attend university of third aged showed the following hierarchy: knowledge improvement, self development, investment in social contacts and useful occupation of free time. Subjects were very satisfied with the program as a mean to fulfill these motives. Results were confirmatory of the positive effects of education on the adaptation of old people and suggest that gerontological education can contribute to the empowerment of old people either as individual, either as age group

ASSUNTO(S)

gerontologia qualidade de vida motivação (psicologia) velhice

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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