Gender and psychological well-being in older adults

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.

Associations of Agency and Communion With Domain-Specific Self-Perceptions of Aging: A Cross-Sectional Study In Old-Old Adults in Poor Health

“…However, some initial studies found agency (but not communion) to be associated with successful adaptation as reflected in mental health outcomes (masculinity model; for an overview, see Lefkowitz & Zeldow, 2006). In contrast, several more recent studies suggest that in later life, higher agency and communion are both associated with higher well-being (Helgeson, 1994;Matud et al, 2020) and life satisfaction (Dean-Church & Gilroy, 1993;Welzel & Inglehart, 2010). In addition, androgynous individuals report lower scores of depressive symptoms (Vafaei et al, 2016).…”

Gender roles are an important consideration for the study of mental health and aging

“…Overall, Matud et al (2020) found interesting and somewhat unpredicted relationships between gender and psychological well-being in older adults. The relationships between masculine/independent traits and psychological well-being were strong for men only.…”

“…In aging, there are a number of psychological and health factors that differ between men and women, but studies assessing gender in examining these differences are few or the data patterns are inconsistent. The study by Matud and colleagues (Matud et al, 2020) aims to begin to examine the contribution of gender and all its complexities to psychological wellbeing in a sample of community dwelling older adults in Spain. Their study provides compelling data for appreciating the contributions of gender to the mental health of older adults.…”

“…Matud and colleagues (Matud et al, 2020) studied a sample of 572 men and 629 women aged 65 to 94 years. The subjects were recruited from leisure retiree's association centers in different Spanish localities.…”

“…Medical research has a history of only studying men, but in recent years efforts have been made to focus on sex as a biological variable of importance to health. Sex differences in mental health outcomes are seen in aging, and Matud et al (2020) showed that gender differences are still relevant in older adults for psychological well-being. Understanding gender differences and mental health may allow for the development of recommendations tailored to an individual where specific factors related to an individual's gender traits can be emphasized to improve well-being.…”