Defining psychological capacity for a measure of healthy ageing: a rapid scoping review

Psychological capacity is a key element of intrinsic capacity for healthy ageing; however, it has not been well defined, and no established measure exists. Existing studies predominantly use a deficit framing when measuring psychological capacity, which does not align with the World Health Organization's intrinsic capacity framework of healthy ageing. The objective of this rapid scoping review was to identify definitions and attributes of positive psychological capacity to inform development of a measure of psychological capacity for healthy ageing. This review included English-language studies of any design that provided either a specific conceptual or operational definition of psychological capacity or psychological capital, or named attributes as being related to psychological capacity or capital. Searches were conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase and Scopus for studies published between 1 January 2010 and 16 April 2025. Retrieved citations were screened and assessed against the inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Text data relating to definitions and descriptions of psychological capacity and psychological capital were extracted and collated. Psychological capacity attributes were inductively identified and grouped into categories. Of the 603 studies that were screened, 78 were included. Only two (2.5%) of the included studies related to older adults. The majority of studies (n = 46, 59%) related to the context of 'work'. Eight different definitions of psychological capacity were identified, as well as several descriptions. Fifty-six attributes of psychological capacity were identified in included studies, and these were grouped into nine domains. There was considerable heterogeneity in definitions of psychological capacity, and no definition specific to healthy ageing. The vast majority of the literature related to the workplace context, driven by goals of performance and competitive advantage, rather than healthy ageing. Our study highlights the need for a strength-based definition and identification of attributes of psychological capacity for healthy ageing.