[Helping behavior and psychosocial well-being in elderly people]

This study examined relationship between everyday helping behaviors and psychosocial well-being in elderly people. Elderly people attending an institute for adult education (n=471), age ranged from 57 to 82, participated in the study. They completed questionnaires that assessed the following variables: everyday helping behaviors, psychological reactions to helping, and psychosocial well-being, defined as self-esteem, moral, and social integration. The data indicated that psychological reactions resulting from. helping consisted of three components: "positive effects on the self and others," "negative effects on the self and others," and "positive effects on the self." The helper's psychological reactions to helping had a significant effect on self-esteem, moral, and social integration. There were gender differences in the effect of these variables. These results suggest that an affirmative helping experience in everyday life provides elderly people with a feeling of psychosocial well-being.