Repositório RCAAP

Cross-sectional study with 85 elderly people from rural areas of a city Northeast Brazil. The aim is to analyze the factors associated with negative self-rated health among elderly. The negative self-rated health was reported by 55.29 % of the elderly. negative self-rated health association was identified with the variables "sleep disorder" (p-value <0.001) , "high pressure" (p- value = 0.012 ) , "back pain" (p-value = 0.038) and "smoking" (p-value=0.021) .  

Research on positive aspects in old age has become relevant in recent decades.The findings have questioned many negative assumptions and have provided evidence of themultiple available resources and potential of older people. Recent theoretical reformulations,the new concept of development and empirical findings about positive aspects of aging haveprovided opportunities to generate new practices aimed at promoting well-being in this stageof life. This article analyses, first, the studies on positive aspects in old age that show that atthis stage of life there are also gains and development. Secondly, we examine the positivepractices, their rationale, purpose and impact. Finally, we propose the challenge ofconsolidating this line of work and developing new projects aimed at achieving higher levelsof well-being, generativity and development in old age.

How do we read the narratives of aging in the production of social gerontology? And this production points to what trends? How can these narratives translate in a better way of living? These inquiries acted as guide to the post-doctorate documentary research that mapped the academic production in the areas that crisscross the trends of social gerontology through the collection of 27 editions of the Kairos Gerontology Journal, space of communication, continued and citizen education, in the period 2010-2014.

While in the past, the focus on successful aging research was on functional and biological aspects, currently other variables are considered as relevant as the former ones in their effect on good aging. Some of those variables are close and social affective bonds. Creating, managing and optimizing relationships have been proven to provide concrete benefits for the elderly and for their environment. In this context, empathy as a psychological process allows us to understand and experience the thoughts and emotions of others, facilitating and fostering the possibility of interpersonal bonding. However, no interpersonal relationship is free of conflict. That is why the ability to forgive, as a human strength, facilitates the process of restoring relations by stopping negative emotions after an offense. In this paper, we present an integrative theoretical framework to include these two psychological processes and their relationships in the study of optimal aging. Not only theoretical, empirical and methodological backgrounds are outlined, but also future lines for research and intervention are proposed.

Emotional intelligence studies the ability to perceive, understand and reflect on emotions. Its conceptual framework provides a multidimensional and complex concept that allows us to thoroughly explore variations of this set of skills throughout life. This article reviews the major theories on aging and presents the results of two empirical studies comparing different age groups regarding intra and interpersonal skills of emotional intelligence. The results indicated that older adults had more developed resources than young adults, had more resources and capabilities to understand and express their emotions and to recognize those of others. In addition, they perceived a greater self-efficacy to repair their moods and to regulate their emotions in contexts of interpersonal conflict. These findings agree with the background. We introduce some proposals for future research and for designing interventional devices from a positive perspective on aging issues.

This study aimed to understand which family influences lead elderly women to remain active in the labor market. The study design is qualitative, exploratory and cross sectional. The 8 participants underwent a semi structured interview. The data were submitted to Bardin content analysis. The results showed strong family influence in the process of entering and remaining in the labor market, producing benefits beyond the economic dimension. 

Within the study of the positive aspects is the flow concept. This term was coined by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), to name the psychological state that people experience when they perform intrinsic motivating activities and in which the challenges of the situation equals the skills that the person has -or believes to have - to perform such activities. With respect to these flow experiences, there have been numerous studies to describe, understand their characteristics and their relationship with other variables in different contexts. Most of these investigations have included samples of young adult groups, and only a few of the elderly. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to present the results of different works, which studied the flow in the senior citizen group, and then reflect on the possibilities offered by this stage of life to achieve optimal flow experiences.

The social support network is very important in old age. Extensive empirical evidence shows its relationship to the biopsychosocial being in this stage of life. However, it has been shown that the social support network suffers severe disruptions in old age that can affect its functionality and its ability to respond to assistance needs. In this article, based on several research findings, we will analyze the social support bonds available in old age and the changes in the social support network that occur in a lifespan. Several studies show that in old age bond losses may occur. However, we will show that old people maintain and optimize relationships that have been established in earlier stages of their lives and new bonds are added to the network. The general conclusion is that the coexistence of gains and losses in old age proposed in the lifespan theory is also present in the social support network. In addition, we noted that this social support network is very dynamic and it shows variations in both its structure and its functionality as well as in its bonds' attributes.

Love is for people one of the most complex and important emotions. Its analysis regarding the relationships in youngsters and middle-aged adults has been widely discussed, but with little exploration in the elderly. Among the theories that have addressed the love relationship, one of the most important is the triangular theory of love, which will be the focus of this article. This theory considers that the course of the relationship depends on the fluctuation of the three components that make up love: intimacy, passion and commitment. These components can together be plotted out as points of a triangle. On each of them, a different aspect of love is presented. Considering the importance of the love experience on old people's well-being and based on the study of the components of the relationship, this article contributes to the knowledge about intimacy, passion and decision/commitment in this stage of life. This research is performed from their analytical study, comparing other age groups, differentiating long term and short term couples and the satisfaction such relationships provide.

Socio-educational workshops for seniors have become relevant due to the development of new theoretical approaches, public policy, international conventions and conferences, interventions and research. The latter demonstrate the importance of lifelong education, learning and socialization for achieving a better quality of life. The richness of these workshops is based on its inclusive and socializing power. Their proliferation and diversification indicate the seniors' desire for participation and development. In view of its importance and growth, this article proposes a description of the main background, theoretical approaches, experiences and research on socio-educational workshops for the elderly.

This paper reports an experience of practicum in Psychology held in an elderly group of 15 women between 60 to 85 years old in a medium-sized city located in southern Brazil. As we engaged on discussing about time, life experience and existential values, our proposals has privileged the individuals as protagonists of their own lives, seeking to build new expectations and plans for their existence. 

This paper will develop the design and pedagogical-methodological proposal for a workshop aimed at older adults, which addresses the issue of stress and coping strategies. This interdisciplinary workshop aims to capture, in a current issue such as stress, the latest scientific developments in neuroscience. The approach is from a biological, psychological and social point of view, as we understand that the stress process is in itself a coping strategy. Stress is not exclusive to a specific life stage; however, there are situations that most frequently happen in old age, as widowhood, retirement, illness, the awareness of one's own finite existence. These situations make this period of life potentially vulnerable to stress. As a pedagogical approach, we suggest a classroom-workshop format, which allows individual and group work interaction among participants. It also creates a dynamic, participatory and reflective environment where seniors have access to current content and have the possibility to share their own experiences and their functional or dysfunctional solutions, which may promote peer bonding.

ABSTRACT: The main goal of this study was to identify and investigate the social representations of elderly people over urban violence. 30 elderlies took part, with ages ranging between 60 and 83 years old, (m = 69,8; dp = 6,1), most of whom (70%) were of the female gender, who responded to an in-depth interview. Data was processed by the ALCESTE software. Outcomes pointed out that urban violence has been anchored to three main dimensions: criminality, institutional services and to political aspects. 

The aim of this Article is to analyze the stigmatisation of the process of aging and old age in the fabric of society contemporary capitalist and intergenerationality. IS a bibliographical study, based on materialist method historical-dialectical. These considerations highlight the importance of the elderly in the context of the construction of intergenerationality in search for a more just, more egalitarian society between the generations.Keywords: Aging; Aging; Intergenerationality.

The purpose of this paper is to account for the positive effects that, in participants older adults UPAMI, attend the workshop "reflective intelligence: the art of arguing." This device is a facilitator for participants to reflect on their own thoughts, generating processes of argumentation and group discussions. We base our practice on the theories of argumentation, rhetoric laws, the foundations of critical thinking, assertiveness in communication and public speaking. To investigate the impact it has had the workshop in the subjectivity of its participants and in their daily relationships we conducted a final survey; It is based on the results of the same as we deepen on dimensions of psychological well-being. Among the most frequent answers are virtues in Courage, Wisdom, Knowledge and Temperance; from them they have been practiced perseverance, open-mindedness and self-regulation. They have raised their levels of empowerment, their capacity for reflection and self-efficacy regarding argumentative techniques, generating all increased their psychological well-being.

In the gerontology field, there is a motto, "to prevent or delay institutionalization," which summarizes gerontologists' tacit consent. This premise is the basis of many efforts and interventions that arise, and should continue emerging, for that purpose. However, when this is not possible, and most people cannot continue living at home, the intention is to provide care centers, which can not only give the necessary care but also allow for the personal development of the elderly. In order to do this, the national and international current trend, is to change the notion that one has about these institutions, their goals and objectives, evolving towards a model of accommodation that constitutes a clear alternative to the typical institutions. Within this framework, the aim of this chapter is to systematize a series of practices with a positive orientation. This term refers to those interventions aimed at promoting the development of skills, abilities and available resources for people staying in these long-term care homes. They were sorted out according to the different moments/stages a person may go through in nursing homes, with the main objective being to find greater autonomy for the elderly and a possible identity beyond the condition of institutionalization.

Communication workshop: A tool to improve relations

In this article, we explain the retirement preparation program concept and its benefits. Society prepares individuals to work, but does it prepare them for retirement? Retirement implies the reorganization and building of projects to achieve well-being and a clear aim. Retirement preparation programs are effective options for people to go through their emotional instability. These programs encourage reflection and help to build strategies to face change. People in these programs are able to face changes in their lives. They can think on their career opportunities and they can reconsider what they postponed. These people reconnect with their postponed vocations. They reconsider their bonds and the way they want to end their careers. People notice a difference in their subjective thinking as they start participating in the retirement preparation programs. All this makes them protagonists of their present and their future.

In this paper, the authors share their experience in coordinating workshops focused on reminiscence for many years. These workshops were successful in achieving good results in primary prevention in the elderly. We understand reminiscence as "an organized, complex mental activity, which has an important instrumental purpose: allowing the subject to reaffirm his/her self-esteem when his/her psychophysical and relational skills begin to lose vitality." (Salvarezza, 1988, p. 112). The main objective was aimed at socio-prevention, thus it has sought to encourage the development of affective bonds between peers, participation in new areas of relationship and community integration. Working from the positive psychology perspective, redirecting the focus of attention from weaknesses to human strengths and focusing the work on the life stories of the participants, the idea was to increase the autonomy, self-worth, self-esteem of the individual and strengthen his sense of identity.

Recreating Strenghts