Understanding mental health in older adults: exploring the interplay of wisdom, perceived poor health, and attitudes toward aging.

Abstract

Objectives: Late adulthood is marked by challenges that impact well-being. While perceived health, wisdom, and positive attitudes toward aging correlate with better mental health in later life, their interrelations are not well understood. This study explored if three-dimensional wisdom could buffer the negative impact of poor physical health on mental health, and if positive attitudes toward aging mediated the effects of wisdom and poor health on mental health.

Method: A survey of 500 Polish older adults aged 60-86 included the Personal Wellbeing Index, Geriatric Depression Scale, Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire, perceived health, and sociodemographic questions.

Results: Wisdom buffered the negative association between poor physical health on mental health and had a significantly stronger effect on mental health if perceived physical health was very poor. The relations of wisdom, poor health, and the interaction between wisdom and poor health on mental health were partially mediated by attitudes toward aging.

Conclusion: Wisdom seems to mitigate the negative effects of poor health on mental health, and wise older adults tend to have more positive attitudes toward aging, leading to better mental health outcomes. Those findings support the important role played by wisdom and attitudes toward aging in healthy aging interventions.