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Older adults' subjective aging perceptions, mentalization, and social relationships: a micro-longitudinal study
Yoav S Bergman1, Amit Shrira2, Orel Swisa2
1Faculty of Social Work, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel.
Aging & Mental Health
|July 29, 2024
Summary
Positive views of aging (VoA) enhance social relationships in older adults by improving mentalization abilities. Daily fluctuations in VoA and mentalization significantly impact social connections, highlighting their importance for well-being.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Social relationships are crucial for older adults' well-being.
- Subjective Views of Aging (VoA) influence quality of life.
- Mentalization (Theory of Mind) enhances social interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how daily VoA fluctuations affect social relationships in older adults.
- To examine if mentalization abilities mediate the link between VoA and social relationships.
- To understand the dynamic interplay between VoA, mentalization, and social connections.
Main Methods:
- 82 older adults (mean age 73.44) participated.
- Daily online questionnaires assessed VoA, mentalization, and social relationships for 14 days.
- Time-lagged analyses were employed to examine causal links.
Main Results:
- Positive VoA correlated with better mentalization and social relationships.
- Mentalization mediated the relationship between previous-day VoA and next-day social relationships.
- VoA mediated the relationship between previous-day mentalization and next-day social relationships.
Conclusions:
- Mentalization is key for maintaining positive VoA and social relationships.
- This study deepens the understanding of factors supporting meaningful connections in later life.
- Interventions promoting positive VoA and mentalization may enhance social integration in older adults.
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