Instruments to evaluate mental well-being in old age: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Mental well-being is crucial for healthy aging.
• Existing instruments for assessing mental well-being in older adults vary in quality and scope.
• A comprehensive synthesis of validated instruments is needed to guide research and clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and appraise instruments measuring mental well-being in older populations.
• To evaluate the measurement properties of identified instruments using established guidelines.
• To recommend the most appropriate instruments for assessing mental well-being in the elderly.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature searches were conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, etc.).
• The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guideline was used for appraisal.
• Evidence quality was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Main Results:

• Twenty-eight instruments for evaluating mental well-being in older adults were identified.
• Six instruments demonstrated high quality: Perceived Well-Being Scale (PWB), Salamon-Conte Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale (SCLSES), Herth Hope Scale (HHS), Life Satisfaction Index Third Age (LSITA), Meaning in Life Scale (MLS), and SODdisfazione dell'Anziano (SODA).
• Six additional instruments showed moderate quality, with others having varying levels of adequacy.

Conclusions:

• The PWB, SCLSES, HHS, LSITA, MLS, and SODA are recommended as the most appropriate instruments for assessing mental well-being in older adults.
• There is a need for a new instrument specifically designed for the oldest old (80+ years) that captures the multidimensional nature of mental well-being.
• This review offers the first comprehensive synthesis of instruments for this population, aiding in the selection of reliable assessment tools.