Work

Laičke definicije uspješnoga starenja i čimbenika koji mu doprinose u starijih osoba u Hrvatskoj: Tematska analiza kvalitativnih podataka

Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Lay concepts of successful ageing have attracted the attention of researchers over the past 15 years. However, little is known about how older people in Southeastern European countries understand successful ageing and the factors associated with it. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study conducted in Croatia, a Southeastern European country, was to explore Croatian older people’s definitions of successful ageing and the contributing factors. Interviews were conducted with 95 community-dwelling older men (49.5% of the sample) and women (50.5%) aged 65 to 90 years. Participants answered questions about definitions and contributing factors/determinants of successful ageing. Responses were subjected to thematic analysis. Results showed that participants gave similar responses to questions about the components and determinants of successful ageing. The most frequently mentioned components of successful ageing were the physical/physiological (with subthemes of general health, healthy habits, and physical mobility), the psychological component (with subthemes of good life, subjective well-being, and psychological resources, etc.), and the engagement and activity component. Among factors that contribute to successful ageing, social and physical were mentioned most frequently, followed by psychological, financial factors, and engagement/activity. Longevity and good genes were rarely cited as factors associated with successful ageing. Besides, Croatian older people have not mentioned spirituality or religiosity as important components or determinants of successful ageing. The results of our study are mostly consistent with the findings of previous research on successful ageing in predominantly Western cultures. They show the great heterogeneity of lay conceptions, which are much broader and more complex compared to researchers’ models of successful ageing.
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7218172620
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: 10