Successful aging in Spanish older adults: the role of psychosocial resources.

ABSTRACTBackground:Psychological and social resources such as extraversion, optimism, social support, or social networks contribute to adaptation and to successful aging. Building on assumptions derived from successful aging and from the developmental adaptation models, this study aims to analyze the joint impact of different psychosocial resources, such as personality, social relations, health, and socio-demographic characteristics on life satisfaction in a group of people aged 65 years-old and older from Spain. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey using non-proportional quota sampling was carried out. The sample comprised 406 community-dwelling older adults (M = 74.88, SD = 6.75). In order to collect the data, face-to-face interviews were individually conducted. A structural equation model (SEM) was carried out using the PLS software. RESULTS: The results of the SEM model showed that, within this sample, psychosocial variables explain 47.4% of the variance in life satisfaction. Social relations and personality, specifically optimism, were strongly related with life satisfaction, while health status and socio-demographic characteristics were modestly associated with life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the view that psychosocial resources are important for successful aging and therefore should be included in successful aging models. Furthermore, interventions aimed at fostering successful aging should take into account the role of psychosocial variables.

Coping strategies in Spanish older adults: a MIMIC model of socio-demographic characteristics and activity level.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the combined effect of socio-demographic characteristics and activity level on coping strategies and to test which of these variables has a greater impact on coping. METHOD: A sample of 243 men and women aged 55-99 years old was selected from different elderly activity centers in Granada, Spain, using a convenience sampling. Associations between eight coping strategies measured by Coping Strategies Inventory and the above mentioned variables were examined using a Multiple Indicator and Multiple Causes model. RESULTS: Age was negatively related with problem solving, express emotions and social support. Activity level was positively related with problem solving, cognitive restructuring, express emotions and social support and it was negatively associated with social withdrawal. Gender only predicted the scores in self-criticism and living alone was related with higher emotional expression. Participation in creative activities, attending University for the third age and practicing physical exercise were related with differences in the use of several coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS: There is a complex relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, activity level and the coping strategies used by the elderly. It is important to understand this relationship in order to identify older adults who use ineffective coping, and to subsequently include them in intervention programs to improve their coping abilities.

Coping: Impact of Gender and Stressful Life Events in Middle and in Old Age.

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to identify different life events that participants considered stressful and to study the joint effect of gender, age group, and main stressful life events on the use of different coping strategies. METHODS: The sample comprised 243 men and women, 55 to 99 years old, who attended senior activity centers. Analyses were conducted using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). RESULTS: Three main categories of stressful life events were identified: health problems, family problems, and other problems. Significant main effects of gender and stressful life events, and marginal effects of age group on coping strategies were found. Furthermore, an interaction between gender and age group, and also between gender and stressful life events emerged in some of the coping strategies analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Age, gender or type of stressful situation impact on the coping strategies used by older people. Older men and women were found to use different strategies depending upon the situation they are facing and upon their age group. The results may prove useful to practitioners and clinicians who directly work with older people and may help clinicians provide effective coping strategies to address the specific life events that older adults find stressful.

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey Instrument in a sample of Spanish older adults.

The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure of the MOS-SSS in a sample of community-dwelling Spanish older adults. The sample comprised 406 community-dwelling older adults aged between 65 to 99 years old (M age = 74.88, SD = 6.75). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed, and four possible models were compared: the one-factor, the three-factor, the four-factor and the five-factor model, using an additional analysis with a second-order factor. The internal consistency reliability and convergent validity of the scale were also assessed. For the 19-item MOS-SSS scale, the five-factor model had the best fit to the data. All five subscales of the MOS-SSS showed adequate internal consistency, good convergent and discriminant validity. These findings contribute to the literature on the factor structure of the MOS-SSS in Spanish older adults. The MOS-SSS is a reliable and valid scale that can be used to assess Spanish older adults' social support perception for social services, health and in research contexts.

Factors that influence the university's inclusive educational processes: perceptions of university professors.

BACKGROUND: Training in attention to diversity is a key aspect for achieving the inclusion of students with special educational needs in higher education for these students to have access to the same rights as any other student. AIMS: To determine, through the perceptions of university professors, if the existence of barriers that arise in the teaching-learning process is determined by various factors of interest such as gender, training in attention to diversity, and, even, the attitudes that the professors present before the inclusion of these students. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The research was carried out in eight universities in Andalusia (Spain), using as the main method of data collection a validated survey, the APTD Scale (Accessibility, Processes, Training, Demand), with the participating sample of 580 university professors. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The university professors generally agree to perform inclusive actions in their teaching-learning process, although a significant association between variables. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The study includes a series of perceptions that may help other university professors to make their practice more inclusive.

The Influence of Digital Tools and Social Networks on the Digital Competence of University Students during COVID-19 Pandemic.

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has generated a transformation in students' competences and university education, especially in the use of digital tools. This study aims to analyze the use of digital tools and social networks of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the collection of information, a validated Likert questionnaire (10-point scale) was adopted. The instrument consisted of a total of 66 items comprising a total of seven dimensions. The sample contained 581 students pursuing degrees in Childhood Education and Primary Education. The analysis of the available information was carried out in two different stages. First, we started by performing an exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) to determine the underlying structure of the Digital Competence of Higher Education Students (DCHES) scale factor. In the second phase, we used SEM (structural equation modeling), a statistical approach to test the relationships between observed and latent variables. More specifically, we estimated a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model. The results showed the importance of two of the considered covariates in explaining the variability of the different dimensions of the scale analyzed (DCHES) considering the use of social networks and digital tools of university students. In this sense, both the degree to which virtual tools are used to develop teamwork and the degree of use of YouTube when communicating most fully explained the level of digital skills among the university students studied.

Percepción de estrés en personal universitario: Perceived stress in university administration and service staff

El objetivo del estudio es analizar el nivel de estrés percibido por el personal de administración y servicios (PAS) de un campus científico-técnico de la Universidad de Granada. Se obtuvo una muestra de 194 mujeres y 156 hombres (80 % del total). Los niveles de percepción de estrés en los sujetos que participaron en el estudio fueron evaluados mediante la Escala de Estrés Percibido (PSS-14). Se realizaron análisis estadísticos para establecer la relación entre el nivel de estrés percibido y ciertas variables sociodemográficas personales (edad, estado civil, número de hijos, personas dependientes, hábitos saludables o no) y laborales (años en la institución, tipo de contrato o situación laboral, entre otros), teniendo en cuenta en cada caso la perspectiva de género. Los resultados muestran diferencias estadísticamente significativas en el nivel de estrés percibido en algunos de los factores analizados.

The aim of the study was to analyze the level of stress perceived by the administration and service staff (PAS) of the University of Granada (UGR) in a scientific and technical campus. We obtained a sample of 194 women and 156 men. The perceived stress levels in subjects who participated in the study were evaluated by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Statistical analyzes compared the level of perceived stress with different sociodemographic factors such as age, marital status, number of children, time worked at the university, type of contract, dependents persons performing physical activity or consumption of any kind of toxic substances, such as alcohol or snuff. Each of these factors was analyzed taking into account the gender perspective. The results show statistically significant differences in the level of perceived stress in some of the factors that we have analyzed.