Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 11, 2025
Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Development of a scale assessing retired older adults' attitudes to volunteering
Liyuwork Mitiku Dana1, Michelle I Jongenelis1,2, Ben Jackson3
1School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Objective:
Given positive attitudes to volunteering are likely to be associated with support for volunteering and individual participation, this study aimed to develop and test a 10-item 'attitudes to formal volunteering' scale for retired older adults that could be used to inform intervention efforts.
Method:
A sample of 801 Australian retirees (62% female; mean age: 71.9 years) completed a survey that included the attitude scale, demographic items and questions assessing engagement in volunteering.
Results:
A principal component analysis identified two factors (general attitude to volunteering and attitude to participating in volunteering) that together accounted for 64% of the variance in attitude scores. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated the two-factor model was an excellent fit to the data. Cronbach's alphas for both factors were >0.80, and both were positively associated with volunteering engagement.
Conclusion:
The proposed scale is a potentially useful instrument for measuring attitudes to volunteering among retired older adults.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
02:20Longitudinal Research
01:29Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
01:26Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...