Bienestar psicológico subjetivo y personas mayores residentes

Abstract

The improvement of subjective psychological well-being and, with it, the quality of life of senior\ncitizens residing in nursing homes is the essential purpose of this study. The theory emphasizes the importance\nplayed by subjective well-being on the quality of life, and its interest in the experience of aging.\nWe conceive the quality of life as a multidimensional concept that encompasses objective and subjective\ncomponents, referred to as the physical and psycho-social well-being of people and its evaluation includes\nthe subjective perception that the individual has about these dimensions. We understand the subjective psychological\nwell-being as the positive, cognitive, and affective assessment of well-being, and life�s satisfaction\nis understood as �being and feeling good in the present� and �being and feeling good about one�s own life\njourney�. The main objective of the study is to understand the needs of residents, those which are related\nto the specific components of well-being and life satisfaction that according to the research is more associated\nwith senior citizens � affective bonds, active life, reminiscence and happy memories and optimism.\nLearning about the connection between these dimensions and identifying which are the possible factors related\nto them complete the aim of this paper. A methodological model that allows gathering the feeling and\nperception of senior citizens from their own experience regarding well-being and life satisfaction is suggested.\nThe approach inductive-qualitative and its interpretive nature favour the understanding and interpretation\nof the information the participants who live and relate perceive in a certain social context. To this\nend, a phenomenological orientation and the later content analysis is chosen. The information is collected\nin a semi-structured interview prepared according to proposed aims. The sample consists of 22 individuals\nattending to required communication skills. The study of the explicit meaning of responses, of the conceptual\nlanguage used, and of the information latent in the discourse, has allowed identifying and differentiating\nmultiple categories whose analysis, initially, is presented in relation to each of the dimensions analysed\nand, subsequently, main conclusions of the study are exposed. No connection was found between subjective\nwell-being and the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample, a consistent and commonly accepted\nresult found in previous studies. Residents who expressed a better well-being and a greater satisfaction\nwith their lives maintain a wider social network, a higher frequency of contact and a greater intensity in their\nrelationships. They are also involved in more and diverse every day activities and describe themselves with\nmore optimism. Therefore, a balance regarding the satisfaction of the explored dimensions is established.\nThe personality traits and the voluntary nature of entry and permanence in the residence, according to the\nresidents� opinions and the analysed information, appear as an important determinant of well-being and of\na vital global life satisfaction.