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Predictors of Ego-Integrity in the Concept of Successful Aging among the Elders

Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology / Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, (P)1229-0653;
2009, v.23 no.4, pp.115-130
https://doi.org/10.21193/kjspp.2009.23.4.007




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Abstract

The present research is aimed at exploring the variables that are related to the concept of successful aging and examining the influence of death attitude on ego-integrity among the elders. The purpose of the present research is to investigate the influence of demographics, psychological adaptation indices , and death attitude on the concept of ego-integrity as a result of successful aging. Another purpose is to examine gender differences and aging effects in ego-integrity and death attitude among the elders. Using a sample of 408 elders over 65 years of age, the relationships among diverse variables and ego integrity concept were investigated. As the result, death attitude including death fear and death acceptance and the demographic variables including gender, age, health, and religiosity as well as the psychological adaptation indices including depression, state anxiety, suicidal tendency, and overall life satisfaction were the significant predictors on the concept of ego-integrity in the elderly. Findings from the present study indicate that women tend to report significantly higher death acceptance than men among the elders. Also, it was found that the old-old adults group showed significantly higher death acceptance than the young-old adults group. The major purpose of the present study was to compare the influences of demographics, psychological adaptation, and death attitude on the concept of ego integrity as a result of successful aging. Therefore, the mediating effects of those variables on ego-integrity were assessed by hierarchical regression analyses. The result supported the hypothesis concerning the superiority of death attitude as a significant predictor of ego-integrity in the elderly group. A number of limitations and implications of the present research were acknowledged and the suggestions for further research focusing on their practical importance on death education were discussed.

keywords
ego integrity, death attitude, death fear, death acceptance, gender difference, 자아통합감, 죽음에 대한 태도, 죽음공포, 죽음수용, 삶 만족, 성차, 연령차

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Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology