Gerotranscendence and wisdom in Polish older adults. The longitudinal mediation analysis of forgiveness.

Objectives: The goal of the present study was to investigate whether forgiveness played a mediating role in the relationships between gerotranscendence and wisdom among people in late adulthood. Method: The study included 416 participants aged 60 to 75 years. The following measures were used: the Gerotranscendence Scale Type 2 (GST2), the Heartland Forgiveness Scale and the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS). To verify the hypothesis, a longitudinal three-wave field study was conducted. Results: The results suggest that an increase in gerotranscendence is associated with an increase in forgiveness and wisdom. In addition, greater willingness to forgive co-occurs with higher levels of wisdom. Moreover, dispositional forgiveness mediates the relationship between gerotranscendence and wisdom - a higher gerotranscendence leads to a higher wisdom through an increase in forgiveness. Conclusion: The results of our research add to the knowledge of the mechanism of the relationship between gerotranscendence and wisdom and support the thesis that late adulthood presents individuals with new challenges and opportunities for creative personal development.

Wisdom and wellbeing in polish older adults: the mediating role of forgiveness.

Objectives: Possible correlations between wisdom and wellbeing among older people have been extensively debated in psychology. At the same time, researchers emphasize that the effect of older adults' wisdom on their wellbeing depends on numerous mediators. A review of the literature suggests that forgiveness might be one such variable. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether forgiveness mediated the relationship between wisdom and wellbeing in late adulthood. Method: In total, 481 participants aged from 60 to 92 years (M = 68.84; SD = 6.31) were involved in the study. All older people participating in the study lived independently in their households. Four psychological instruments were used: (1) the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale; (2) the Heartland Forgiveness Scale; (3) the Psychological Wellbeing Scale; and (4) the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Therefore, the measurement of the analyzed variables was self-reported. Results: The results showed that forgiveness mediated the relationships between wisdom and wellbeing in the older population. The indirect effects demonstrated that forgiveness mediated the relationships between wisdom and wellbeing. Wisdom related to higher forgiveness (ß = 0.21; p < 0.01), which, in turn, was related to a higher level of psychological (ß = 0.48; p < 0.01) and subjective (ß = 0.36; p < 0.01) wellbeing. Conclusion: These findings suggest that forgiveness is an important element of wisdom and wellbeing. The greater the wisdom the participants showed, the stronger the tendency to forgive and the better wellbeing they reported.

A Polish adaptation of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) in older adults. / Polska adaptacja Samoopisowej skali madrosci (SAWS). Wersja do badania osób starszych.

OBJECTIVES: The paper presents the results of work on the Polish adaptation of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS). It presents the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the tool. METHODS: The research was quantitative in nature and it was carried out in a correlation scheme. The respondents completed a set of questionnaires. 880 subjects aged 60-80 years (M = 68.15; SD = 5.96) participated in the study. Apart from the SAWS six other psychological methods were used. The selection of measuring tools was purposeful. RESULTS: The final Polish version of the SAWS consists of 40 items (including 36 diagnostic ones) that make up 5 dimensions of wisdom: (1) "Critical Life Experience", (2) "Emotional Regulation", (3) "Reminiscence and Reflectiveness",(4) "Openness" and (5) "Humor". The reliability index for the entire scale (36 items) was α = 0.92 (very high). Reliability values (Cronbach's α) for individual scales vary from α = 0.60 to α = 0.84. The validity of the scale was evaluated by means of confirmatory analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with the original version of the scale, thus it has been indicated that the Polish version of the SAWS fulfils the psychometric requirements for psychological tests. The scale can be applied in scientific research.

Religiosity and social support in Polish older adults: the mediating role of wisdom. Perspectives on Lars Tornstam's theory of gerotranscendence.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine whether wisdom is a mediator in the relationships between religious meaning system and social support among older adults. According to the theory of gerotranscendence, associations of religiousness and social support are complex and suggest the existence of wisdom in their internal structures.Method: The study included 466 persons aged 50-75. Three measures were used: Religious Meaning System Scale (RMSS), Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS) and Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS).Results: The analyses allowed for a partial verification of the hypothesis that wisdom is a mediator in the relationship between the religious meaning system and the multidimensional social support in late adulthood. It was confirmed that wisdom mediates the relationship between the religious meaning system and three out of the five dimensions of social support (perceived available support, actually received support and protective buffering support). Conclusion: These findings suggest that wisdom is an important element of religious meaning system and social support that is used by people as a part of their maturing into gerotranscendence to cope with life's difficulties and challenges.

Polish Version of Lars Tornstam's Gerotranscendence Scale Type 2 (GST2-PL). / Polska wersja Skali gerotranscendencji Typu 2 Larsa Tornstama (GST2-PL).

OBJECTIVES: This study presents the Polish version of the Gerotranscendence Scale Type 2 GST2PL) and describes the scale's psychometric properties (reliability and validity). The scale is mainly intended for research of older people. METHODS: A total of 685 (female =464, male =221) older adults (60-85 years) participated in the study. The following psychological methods were used: Gerotranscendence Scale Type 2 authored by L. Tornstam, Psychological Well-Being scale by C. Ryff, and the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale by J.D. Webster. RESULTS: An exploratory factor analysis of the Polish version of the GST2 revealed the same three-factor structure of gerotranscendence (containing the dimensions of the Cosmic, the Coherence, and the Solitude) as had been reported by Tornstam. The GST2-PLconsists of 10 items, including 8 diagnostic ones. The factor structure of the GST2-PLwas confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide support for use of the GST2 in assessing the signs of gerotranscendence not only for older adults in Sweden, Japan, USA, and Taiwan but also for older adults in Poland.

Wisdom as the Mediator in the Relationships Between Meaning in Life and Attitude Toward Death.

The goal of the presented research was to investigate if wisdom plays a mediating role in the relationships between meaning in life and the attitude toward death in the period of middle and late adulthood. A study was carried out that included 567 persons aged 40 to 75 years. Three measures were used: Personal Meaning Profile, Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, and Death Attitude Profile-Revised. The conducted analyses allowed the authors to confirm the mediating role of wisdom in the relationships between meaning in life and fear of death as well as death avoidance in persons during the period of middle and late adulthood.

Wisdom as the mediator in the relationships between religious meaning system and attitude toward death among older adults.

The objective of the present research was to investigate whether wisdom is a mediator in the association between the religious meaning system and the attitude toward death in the period of late adulthood. The study included 315 persons aged 60-75. Three measures were used: Religious Meaning System Scale (RMSS), Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS), Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R). The analyses allowed for a partial verification of the hypothesis that wisdom is a mediator in the relationship between the explicit religious meaning system and the multidimensional attitude toward death in late adulthood. It was confirmed that the relationship of the religious meaning system with fear of death, death avoidance, neutral acceptance, escape acceptance and approach acceptance is mediated by at least one (cognitive, reflective and/or affective) of the dimensions considered in the study.

Polish Adaptation of the Death Attitude Profile-Revised.

The article presents the results of work on the Polish adaptation of the Death Attitude Profile-Revised by Wong, Reker, and Gesser (1994). The psychometric properties of the Polish version of the tool have been described. The results are consistent with the original version of the questionnaire and confirm that the Polish version of Death Attitude Profile-Revised fulfils the psychometric requirements for psychological tests and, as a result, can be applied in scientific research. The final version of the questionnaire consists of 32 items (including 31 diagnostic ones) that make up five dimensions of attitudes toward death: (a) Fear of Death, (b) Death Avoidance, (c) Neutral Acceptance, (d) Escape Acceptance, and (e) Approach Acceptance. The questionnaire was tested on 1,285 subjects aged 13 to 90 years (M = 47.27, SD = 18.21). Reliability values (Cronbach's α) for individual scales vary from α = .63 to α = .89. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the validity of the questionnaire.

The mediating role of types of coping styles in the relations between temperamental traits and staff burnout among psychiatric nurses. / Mediacyjna rola stylów radzenia sobie ze stresem w zwiazkach temperamentu i wypalenia zawodowego. Badania pielegniarek psychiatrycznych.

OBJECTIVES: Temperamental traits are indicated as some predictors of occupational burnout. At the same time, researchers emphasise that the importance of temperamental features for occurrences of burnout syndrome in medical staff is dependent on numerous intermediary variables, including ways of handling problematic situations. The overarching aim of presented studies was to examine whether styles of coping with stressful situations mediate relationships between temperamental traits and particular components of occupational burnout in psychiatric nurses. METHODS: The study examined 60 women working in the psychiatric health care sector. Three psychological methods were employed in this research project: (1) Strelau Temperament Inventory by Strelau and Zawadzki (STI); (2) Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations by Endler and Parker (CISS); (3) Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). RESULTS: Conducted analyses allowed to confirm the mediating role of task style and emotional style in relationship between temperamental traits (briskness, perseveration, emotional reactivity, sensory sensitivity, activity) and occupational burnout. In the case of avoidance style there are no grounds to consider it as a mediator in the area of analysed dependencies. CONCLUSIONS: Providing psychiatric nurses with help: (1) should focus more on strengthening task style, rather than on rising awareness regarding the harmfulness of avoidance tendencies in the area of coping; (2) what seems important is developing the ability to experience negative emotions revealed in contacts with patients in a creative way.