Cohort differences in old age survival, in psychosocial variables, and their associations

Abstract

The existing empirical research findings show noticeable inconsistencies regarding both the role and the significance of psychosocial factors in their association with health and survival in older adults. The objective of this research was to check the cohort differences in survival, in psychosocial variables, and the associations of the observed psychosocial variables with the survival of older persons. Participants were two cohorts of older persons. The 1994 cohort consisted of 186 participants (144 women, average age 78.6 years). The 2008 cohort consisted of 505 participants (367 women, average age 79 years). Both cohorts lived in retirement homes. The measured variables were: socio-demographic, self-assessed health, functional ability, psychosomatic complaints, depression, social participation. Data were collected by specifically constructed survey questionnaire, administered individually in the form of structured interview, by the trained interviewer. The survival was followed by 2015. Results indicate significant cohort differences in survival, with continuing trend of women surviving longer. Significant correlation between observed variables and survival was found for self-assessed health variable. However, combinations of multivariate analyses showed that psychosocial variables significantly contributed to the prediction of survival.