A cross-sectional study on existential regret, social efficacy and social outcome expectations ın older adults

Older adults who continue to struggle with or wish to change their past decisions and experiences may experience existential regrets. Such regrets can lead to a weakening of social relationships and social withdrawal among older adults. This study aims to evaluate the relationships between existential regret and social efficacy and social outcome expectations among older adults.

This cross-sectional study included 361 individuals aged 60 years and over. The data were collected face-to-face between April 15 and May 30, 2025. Data were collected via the "Personal Information Form," "Multidimensional Existential Regret Scale," and "Social Efficacy and Social Outcome Expectations Scale." For data analysis, Student's t test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation tests were used.

The existential regret of older adults was 127.49 ± 33.40, their social efficacy was 43.95 ± 9.57, and their social outcome expectation was 22.75 ± 4.76. There was a weakly significant positive correlation between existential regret and social efficacy and social outcome expectations (r = 0.278, p < 0.001). The existential regret, social efficacy, and social outcome expectations of the participants differed according to their future plans and self-confidence (p < 0.05).

The findings show that older adults have lower existential regret and higher social efficacy and social outcome expectations. These results are promising for their psychosocial well-being.