Possible selves and depressive symptoms in later life.
Res Aging
; 37(1): 41-62, 2015 Jan.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25651550
ABSTRACT
The pursuit of personal goals has been linked to general psychological well-being; however, less is known about the association with depression in later adulthood when individuals are contending with age-related changes in health and social relationships. We explored the connection between both health- and social related goals (as measured by possible selves) and depressive symptoms in a sample of 85 community-dwelling older adults who ranged in age from 60 to 92 (M = 74, standard deviation = 7.5). Participants took part in face-to-face, semistructured interviews in which they responded to measures of possible selves (future images of oneself), health, and depressive symptoms. We found that the presence of health-related, but not social-related, possible selves was significantly associated with fewer reported depressive symptoms. Additionally, the presence of health-related fears was specifically linked to fewer reported depressive symptoms. These findings suggested that the promotion of and investment in health-related personal goals may be useful in off-setting depressive symptoms in older adults, as well as indicated a potential benefit of a disease prevention focus regarding health in later life. Finally, the results may have implications for potential clinical interventions in addressing late-life depression.
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Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Envelhecimento
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Atitude Frente a Saúde
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Nível de Saúde
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Depressão
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
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Diagnostic_studies
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Etiology_studies
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Qualitative_research
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article