Un estudio sobre los predictores de la felicidad

Abstract

The aging of the population is no longer seen as a terminal stage centered on disease and decline but an opportunity for well-being and happiness. We begin by clarifying the concept of happiness (terminology and constructions) and the influence of personal and situational variables on it. In addition, we make a historical analysis on the aging process, contextualizing and analyzing the values that underlie its process. In this dissertation, the predictors of happiness in the advanced ages are studied in a sample of 387 elderly people, between 55 and 90 years old, without insanity, who integrate day centers, social centers, senior university and community in the District of Leiria The WHOQOL-SRPB validated by Vaz-Serra and Canavarro (2006), a validated Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS), was applied to a sociodemographic questionnaire and instruments for evaluating the subjective happiness validated by Pais Ribeiro (2012) By Simões (1992), an evaluation of optimism, validated by Laranjeira (2008), a resilient coping scale validated by Pais-Ribeiro and Morais (2010), a Rosenberg self-esteem scale validated by Santos and Maia (2003) MHI-5 validated by Pais-Ribeiro (2001), the PANAS scale validated by Galinha and Pais-Ribeiro (2005) and the hope scale for adults validated by Pais Ribeiro, Pedro and Marques, (2006). The results suggest that, in general, participants consider to have a positive quality of life, they are satisfied with their lives, especially those of the female sex, whose perception is based on a positive dispositional optimism, resilience and your High self-esteem, which is influenced by medium negative and positive affective indexes and some confidence in the future although, especially in women, there seems to be signs of depression. Most participants, consider their health as reasonable and about yours lifestyle, they considered to be active. The results indicate that the more optimistic they are, the less likely they are to report feelings of unhappiness. The same is true for coping strategies (-0.482) but they are not statistically significant. Using the multiple logistic regression model, it was verified that the best model to represent happiness is the model with the explanatory variable: being under social response (Frsocail) with 6.31 times more chance of being unhappy than those who are in the community.