Meaning in Life and Mental Health of the Elderly Based on the Dual-Factor Model : Mediating Effects of Attitudes Toward Aging

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2022.01.013

Abstract

Abstract: Under the influence of positive psychology, the dual-factor model of mental health combined both subjective well-being and psychopathology. This study aimed to verify the applicability of the dual-factor model of mental health among the elderly and investigate multiple mediating effects of attitudes toward aging between meaning in life and mental health. Two hundred and eighty-three elderly people in the Guangzhou community completed 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire and Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire. Results showed that: 1) The dual-factor model of mental health fitted better than the single-factor model. 2) Meaning in life promoted mental health through three pathways of attitudes toward aging, i.e., positive attitudes toward physical change, psychological growth and psychosocial loss. However, specific mechanisms differed. With the improvement of the presence of and the search for meaning in life, subjective well-being could be strengthened through complete mediation of attitudes toward aging. Attitudes toward aging completely mediated the negative association between the presence of meaning in life and psychopathology, but partially mediated the positive association between the search for meaning in life and psychopathology. Overall, this study expands applicable age range of the dual-factor model of mental health and provides empirical evidence for improving mental health of the elderly.

Key words: the dual-factor model of mental health, meaning in life, attitudes toward aging, mediating effect

摘要： 在积极心理学的影响下，心理健康双因素模型包含主观幸福感和精神病理学指标。研究旨在验证心理健康双因素模型在老年人中的适用性，考察老化态度在生命意义感和心理健康间的多重中介作用。采用爱丁堡幸福量表、一般健康问卷、老化态度问卷和人生意义问卷调查了283名广州市社区老年人。结果发现：（1）心理健康双因素模型较单因素模型的拟合度更优。（2）生命意义感通过老化态度的三条路径（对身体变化、心理获得和心理社会丧失的积极态度）促进心理健康，但具体机制不同。增强意义体验、意义追寻通过老化态度的完全中介作用，提高主观幸福感。增强意义体验通过老化态度的完全中介作用，减弱意义追寻通过老化态度的部分中介作用，减少精神病理学症状。研究结果扩大了心理健康双因素模型的适用年龄范围，为提升老年人的心理健康提供实证依据。

关键词: 心理健康双因素模型, 生命意义感, 老化态度, 中介效应

CLC Number:

B844

CHEN Yantao, GAO Xiaotong, CHEN Zhaolin, HUANG Shihua. Meaning in Life and Mental Health of the Elderly Based on the Dual-Factor Model : Mediating Effects of Attitudes Toward Aging[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(1): 88-95.

陈艳桃, 高晓彤, 陈兆琳, 黄时华. 基于双因素模型的老年人生命意义感与心理健康：老化态度的中介作用——基于双因素模型的老年人生命意义感与心理健康：老化态度的中介作用[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2022, 20(1): 88-95.

References

戴晓阳. (2010). 常用心理评估量表手册. 北京: 人民军医出版社.
董文婷, 熊俊梅, 王艳红. (2014). 心理健康双因素模型的中国高中生实证调查. 中国临床心理学杂志, 22(1), 88–91
郭纪昌, 叶一舵. (2018). 心理健康模型的发展及对心理健康的再认识. 教育评论, (4), 80–84
国家统计局. (2020). 中华人民共和国2019年国民经济和社会发展统计公报. 中国统计, (3), 8–22
郝秀奇. (2019). 国家基本公共卫生服务老年人健康管理项目对老年人健康相关生命质量的影响研究——基于2011-2015年的CHARLS数据(硕士学位论文). 北京协和医学院.
黄一帆, 王大华, 刘永广, Laidlaw, K. (2010). 老化态度问卷(AAQ)中文版的初步试用. 中国临床心理学杂志, 18(4), 447–450
姜敏敏, 谭磊, 房亚明. (2018). 自理能力、老化态度对老年人幸福感的影响. 中国老年学杂志, 38(5), 1230–1233, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1005-9202.2018.05.080
靳宇倡, 何明成, 李俊一. (2016). 生命意义与主观幸福感的关系: 基于中国样本的元分析. 心理科学进展, 24(12), 1854–1863
李海峰, 陈天勇. (2009). 老年社会功能与主观幸福感. 心理科学进展, 17(4), 759–765
刘雪萍, 陈子卓, 黄文, 彭华茂. (2018). 成功老化内涵及影响因素分析. 心理发展与教育, 34(2), 249–256
刘永闯, 郭丽娜, 刘堃. (2016). 沃里克-爱丁堡积极心理健康量表在老年人中应用的效度和信度. 中国心理卫生杂志, 30(3), 174–178, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-6729.2016.03.004
梅锦荣. (1999). 老年抑郁量表和普通健康问卷(简本)信度和效度的研究. 中华精神科杂志, 32(1), 41–43, doi: 10.3760/j:issn:1006-7884.1999.01.013
苗淼, 朱菡, 甘怡群. (2018). 临退休个体生命意义感对于心理健康的影响: 有中介的调节模型. 中国临床心理学杂志, 26(2), 341–346
唐丹, 燕磊, 王大华. (2014). 老年人老化态度对心理健康的影响. 中国临床心理学杂志, 22(1), 159–162
王文强, 丁丽君, 廖震华, 温程, 洪旭, 陈莹, .. 周建清. (2012). 12项一般健康问卷中不同计分方法的最佳切分值及筛选特点. 中华精神科杂志, 45(6), 349–353, doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1006-7884.2012.06.007
王鑫强, 张大均. (2011). 心理健康双因素模型述评及其研究展望. 中国特殊教育, (10), 68–73
温忠麟, 叶宝娟. (2014). 中介效应分析: 方法和模型发展. 心理科学进展, 22(5), 731–745
许丽. (2012). 老年人生命意义的初步研究(硕士学位论文). 重庆师范大学.
俞浩, 桂守才, 段彩凤. (2019). 老年人追寻人生意义会促进成功老龄化吗? 心理学进展, 9(10), 1723–1729.
张荣伟, 李丹. (2018). 如何过上有意义的生活?——基于生命意义理论模型的整合. 心理科学进展, 26(4), 744–760
Aftab, A., Lee, E. E., Klaus, F., Daly, R., Wu, T. C., Tu, X., .. Jeste, D. V. (2019). Meaning in life and its relationship with physical, mental, and cognitive functioning: A study of 1,042 community-dwelling adults across the lifespan. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 81(1), 19m13064.
Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. In P. B. Baltes & M. M. Baltes (Eds.), Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1–34). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Bryant, C., Bei, B., Gilson, K., Komiti, A., Jackson, H., & Judd, F. (2012). The relationship between attitudes to aging and physical and mental health in older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 24(10), 1674–1683, doi: 10.1017/S1041610212000774.
Chen, Q., Wang, X. Q., He, X. X., Ji, L. J., Liu, M. F., & Ye, B. J. (2021). The relationship between search for meaning in life and symptoms of depression and anxiety: Key roles of the presence of meaning in life and life events among Chinese adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282, 545–553, doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.156.
Chu, L., Lay, J. C., Tsang, V. H. L., & Fung, H. H. (2020). Attitudes toward aging: A glance back at research developments over the past 75 years. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 75(6), 1125–1129, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbz155.
Freund, A. M., & Baltes, P. B. (2002). Life-management strategies of selection, optimization and compensation: Measurement by self-report and construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(4), 642–662, doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.82.4.642.
Goldberg, D. P. (1972). The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire: A technique for the identification and assessment of non-psychotic psychiatric illness. London: Oxford University Press.
Graetz, B. (1991). Multidimensional properties of the general health questionnaire. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 26(3), 132–138, doi: 10.1007/BF00782952.
Halama, P., & Bakošova, K. (2009). Meaning in life as a moderator of the relationship between perceived stress and coping. Studia Psychologica, 51(2-3), 143–148.
Hallford, D. J., Mellor, D., Cummins, R. A., & McCabe, M. P. (2018). Meaning in life in earlier and later older-adulthood: Confirmatory factor analysis and correlates of the meaning in life questionnaire. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 37(10), 1270–1294, doi: 10.1177/0733464816658750.
Lai, D. W. L. (2009). Older Chinese’ attitudes toward aging and the relationship to mental health: An international comparison. Social Work in Health Care, 48(3), 243–259.
Laidlaw, K., Power, M. J., & Schmidt, S. (2007). The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ): Development and psychometric properties. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(4), 367–379, doi: 10.1002/gps.1683.
Levy, B. R., & Myers, L. M. (2004). Preventive health behaviors influenced by self-perceptions of aging. Preventive Medicine, 39(3), 625–629, doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.02.029.
Lim, K. T. K., & Yu, R. J. (2015). Aging and wisdom: Age-related changes in economic and social decision making. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 7, 120.
Reichstadt, J., Sengupta, G., Depp, C. A., Palinkas, L. A., & Jeste, D. V. (2010). Older adults’ perspectives on successful aging: Qualitative interviews. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(7), 567–575, doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181e040bb.
Shenkin, S. D., Laidlaw, K., Allerhand, M., Mead, G. E., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2014). Life course influences of physical and cognitive function and personality on attitudes to aging in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. International Psychogeriatrics, 26(9), 1417–1430, doi: 10.1017/S1041610214000301.
Steger, M. F. (2009). Meaning in life. In S. J. Lopez, & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed., pp. 679–687). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80–93, doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80.
Steger, M. F., Kawabata, Y., Shimai, S., & Otake, K. (2008). The meaningful life in Japan and the United States: Levels and correlates of meaning in life. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(3), 660–678, doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2007.09.003.
Steger, M. F., Mann, J. R., Michels, P., & Cooper, T. C. (2009). Meaning in life, anxiety, depression, and general health among smoking cessation patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67(4), 353–358, doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.02.006.
Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., .. Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS): Development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5, 63, doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-5-63.
Wang, X. Q., Zhang, D. J., & Wang, J. L. (2011). Dual-factor model of mental health: Surpass the traditional mental health model. Psychology, 2(8), 767–772, doi: 10.4236/psych.2011.28117.
Webster, J. D., Westerhof, G. J., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2014). Wisdom and mental health across the lifespan. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 69(2), 209–218, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbs121.
Wong, P. T. (2012). The human quest for meaning: Theories, research, and applications (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Zhang, J. X., Peng, J. X., Gao, P., Huang, H., Cao, Y. F., Zheng, L. L., & Miao, D. M. (2019). Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: Self-esteem as a mediator. BMC Geriatrics, 19(1), 308, doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1316-7.

[1]	JIN Ming, ZENG Lianping, ZENG Xiaoye, HUANG Yafu. Mindfulness and Learning Burnout in High School Students: A Perspective Based on Self-Regulated Learning Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(4): 494-500.
[2]	WANG Jiangyang, WANG Mengge. The Relationship Between Rejection Sensitivity and Pathological Internet Use of Left-Behind Middle School Students: The Multiple Mediating Effects of Meaning in Life and Self-Stigma [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 219-225.
[3]	DENG Huiying, KONG Fanchang. The Relationship Between Harsh Parenting and Adolescents’ Search for Meaning in Life: A Moderated Mediation Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(5): 612-619.
[4]	QIU Chen, NIU Meixin, ZHOU Xinlin, YANG Tao. The Relationship Between Fraction Magnitude Representation and Mathematics Achievement: The Mediating Role of the Conceptual Understanding of Fraction in Fourth-Grade and Seventh-Grade [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(5): 628-635.
[5]	LIU Tuanli, HAO Xingfeng, XING Min, BAI Xuejun. The Influence of Internet Addiction on Reasoning Ability of College Students: The Mediating Role of Working Memory Capacity [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(5): 642-649.
[6]	WEI Lingzhen, LIU Yanling, LIU Chuanxing, LIN Jie, WANG Xu. The Effect of Family Cohesion on Mental Health of High School Students: A Moderated Mediation Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(3): 361-367.
[7]	MIAO Miao, GAN Yiqun. The Predictive Effects of Presence of Meaning in Life on Future-Oriented Coping: The Chain Mediating Role of Positive Affect and Resource Accumulation [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(3): 403-409.
[8]	WANG Xiaocheng, JIA Lina, JIN Yuanying. Reading Motivation and Reading Activity as Mediators of the Effect of Family Socioeconomic Status on Reading Achievement [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(6): 839-845.
[9]	LIU Guoqing, CHEN Wei, CHENG Gang, PAN Yun, ZHAO Shouying. The Influence of Parenting Style on College Students’ Jealousy: The Chain Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(3): 376-382.
[10]	ZHANG Xiuge, QIN Jie, HUANG Wenyu. Self-control Mediates the Relationship Between the Meaning in Life and the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency of Chinese College Students [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2019, 17(4): 536-545.
[11]	GENG Jingyu, HOU Xiao, YANG Huayong, HAN Piguo, GAO Fengqiang, HAN Lei. The Relationship Between Trait Anxiety and Procrastination of College Students: A Moderated Mediating Effect [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2019, 17(3): 402-407.
[12]	GUO Boda, ZHANG Lixin, ZHANG Zhen. Materialism and Well-being Among Adolescents: Mediating Effect of Self-esteem [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2019, 17(1): 56-62.
[13]	HOU Juan, PAN Xuefei, MA Meijing, LAN Jing, JU Xiaoyan, FANG Xiaoyi. The Effect of Parenting Stress on Marital Quality in Newborn Baby Parents: The Mediating Effect of Spouse Support [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2019, 17(1): 97-106.
[14]	GUO Jichang, YE Yiduo. How Core Self-Evaluations Influences Life Satisfaction in Adolescents: The Mediating Effects of Hope [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2017, 15(5): 663-668.
[15]	Xia Ting, Li Jing, Guo Yongyu. The Relationship between Social Class and College Students' Materialism: The Mediating Role of Self-esteem [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2017, 15(4): 515-519.