A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood

Engagement with life is essential to successful aging. This study explored ‘how’ and ‘why’ engagement profiles change throughout older adulthood using a mixed methods design. Fifty-four participants (mean age = 79.17 years, age range = 65–97 years; 21 males, 33 females) completed questionnaires to q...

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Main Authors: Kelly Carr, Patti Weir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02535/full
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spelling doaj-8c0c8810069b4a7193337be7ec96b76f2020-11-25T02:34:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782019-11-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.02535481383A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older AdulthoodKelly CarrPatti WeirEngagement with life is essential to successful aging. This study explored ‘how’ and ‘why’ engagement profiles change throughout older adulthood using a mixed methods design. Fifty-four participants (mean age = 79.17 years, age range = 65–97 years; 21 males, 33 females) completed questionnaires to quantify ‘past’ and ‘present’ engagement. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were completed with a subsample of participants (n = 42). Results highlight participation in a variety of activities across the decades of older adulthood, and identify that engagement in productive and active leisure pursuits decreased in frequency with increasing age, while the frequency of social and passive leisure activities remained stable. Changes in engagement were a function of five themes derived from the fundamental qualitative description: (a) health and physical limitations, (b) death, (c) freedom, (d) desire, and (e) external influential factors. Patterns of engagement frequency are interpreted in consideration of qualitative findings, creating an integrated discussion of ‘how’ and ‘why’ activity profiles emerge during older adulthood. This study highlights the value of a mixed methods approach when examining engagement in older adulthood, and provides practical implications for practitioners who seek to support a successful aging process.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02535/fullagingactivepositivemultidimensionalactivity
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Kelly Carr
Patti Weir
spellingShingle Kelly Carr
Patti Weir
A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood
Frontiers in Psychology
aging
active
positive
multidimensional
activity
author_facet Kelly Carr
Patti Weir
author_sort Kelly Carr
title A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood
title_short A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood
title_full A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood
title_fullStr A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood
title_full_unstemmed A Conceptual Model of Engagement Profiles Throughout the Decades of Older Adulthood
title_sort conceptual model of engagement profiles throughout the decades of older adulthood
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Psychology
issn 1664-1078
publishDate 2019-11-01
description Engagement with life is essential to successful aging. This study explored ‘how’ and ‘why’ engagement profiles change throughout older adulthood using a mixed methods design. Fifty-four participants (mean age = 79.17 years, age range = 65–97 years; 21 males, 33 females) completed questionnaires to quantify ‘past’ and ‘present’ engagement. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were completed with a subsample of participants (n = 42). Results highlight participation in a variety of activities across the decades of older adulthood, and identify that engagement in productive and active leisure pursuits decreased in frequency with increasing age, while the frequency of social and passive leisure activities remained stable. Changes in engagement were a function of five themes derived from the fundamental qualitative description: (a) health and physical limitations, (b) death, (c) freedom, (d) desire, and (e) external influential factors. Patterns of engagement frequency are interpreted in consideration of qualitative findings, creating an integrated discussion of ‘how’ and ‘why’ activity profiles emerge during older adulthood. This study highlights the value of a mixed methods approach when examining engagement in older adulthood, and provides practical implications for practitioners who seek to support a successful aging process.
topic aging
active
positive
multidimensional
activity
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02535/full
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