New Research Finds That Older Adults Today Have Better Mental Well-Being Than They Did Three Decades Ago
According to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, older people today actually have better mental well-being than they did three decades ago.
The research specifically analyzed differences in life satisfaction and depressive symptoms among two groups: individuals who were between the ages of 75 and 80 in the 1990s, as well as individuals who are currently in the age range.
The results revealed that older men and women today are experiencing fewer depressing symptoms as compared to 75-year-olds and 80-year-olds about 30 years ago.
Higher education and better perception of health were able to partly explain these differences.
“In our previous comparisons, we found that older people today have significantly better physical and cognitive functioning at the same age compared to those born earlier,” explained Professor Taina Rantanen.
“These new results complement these positive findings in terms of mental well-being.
The research, which included two cohorts, was carried out at the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center.
The first cohort included 617 individuals who participated in the Evergreen study from 1989 to 1990. These participants were born in 1910 and 1914.
The second cohort included 794 individuals who participated in the 2017-2018 AGNES study and were born from 1938 to 1939 or 1942 to 1943.
alfa27- Stock.Adobe.Com, illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
And for both cohorts, each participant was assessed when they were either 75 or 80 years old.
It was found that today, older adults aged 75 or 80 are more satisfied with their lives up until this point. But, there was no significant change found in terms of satisfaction with their current lives.
Instead, it was revealed that men who were 80 years old in the 1990s were actually more satisfied with their lives at the time– or “current” lives– than 80-year-old men are today.
According to Tiia Kekäläinen, this discrepancy is likely a result of different turmoils that the two groups endured.
“These men born in 1910 had lived through difficult times, which may explain their satisfaction with their current lives in the 1990s when many things were better than before,” Kekäläinen said.
“Individuals adapt to their situation and living conditions. Both in the 1990s and today, the majority of older adults reported being satisfied with their current lives.”
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in the Journal of Aging and Health, visit the link here.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
In 1982, This Mother Of Two Vanished After Escaping From A Psychiatric Hospital In Alabama
Do You Know Who The First Female Film Director Ever Was?
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Science