Relations between attachment styles, agism and quality of life in late life

Background: This study is the first to explore the relations between attachment styles, agism, and quality of life (QoL) among elderly people. The attachment theory describes how human beings relate to each other, according to their attachment style. Previous studies have examined the connection bet...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International psychogeriatrics 2010-12, Vol.22 (8), p.1353
Main Authors: Bodner, Ehud, Cohen-Fridel, Sara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Older people
Personal relationships
Prejudice
Quality of life
Questionnaires
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: This study is the first to explore the relations between attachment styles, agism, and quality of life (QoL) among elderly people. The attachment theory describes how human beings relate to each other, according to their attachment style. Previous studies have examined the connection between attachment styles and prejudice toward distinctive social groups and minorities. Agism as a form of prejudice is a way of relating negatively to people because they are old. QoL among the elderly was found to be associated with negative age-perceptions. It was therefore hypothesized that QoL, attachments styles, and demographic characteristics can explain agism among the elderly. Methods: Four questionnaires were administered: Fraboni Scale of Agism (FSA), which comprises four scales (separation, affective, stereotype, and intergeneration); Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, which measures four attachment styles (secure, dismissive, fearful, and preoccupied); SF-36 health status inventory (eight scales); and sociodemographic questions. Ninety-four elderly men and women aged 64-85 years living in the community completed the questionnaires. Results: MANCOVAS indicated that securely attached individuals score higher on separation than fearfully attached individuals, and that securely and dismissively attached individuals score higher than fearful and preoccupied individuals on seven QoL scales. Multiple regression analyses showed that attachment styles, age, gender, and some QoL scales contribute to the explained variance of agism. Conclusions: Secure attachment in late life seems to be related to less agism and a better QoL. The enhancement of a secure attachment base in elderly people may assist in moderating agism and improving older people's QoL. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1041-6102
1741-203X
DOI:10.1017/S1041610210001249