Successful Aging and Positive Psychology: Two Empirically Related Perspectives

Abstract

Background : In the last two decades, successful aging (SA) and positive psychology (PP), the two paradigms of health have received great attention. They originate from different approaches, theoretical background, and objectives. Although they share many characteristics, their association remains understudied. This article aims to empirically analyze their possible interrelation. Methods : In this cross-sectional study, 169 healthy, old adults completed several questionnaires to assess the central framework for successful aging and positive psychology. Participants were recruited from recreational centers for older adults. Results : Confirmatory factor analyses with a two-latent-factor structure (SA and PP) showed an adequate fit between them. A unidimensional solution is clearly supported, implying that PP and SA variables actually share the same latent factor. Latent profile analyses revealed that all SA and PP variables shared the same trend: three classes were identified which had variations on the level of the whole set of variables, without qualitative differences between SA and PP variables. Conclusions : This work provides evidence for the conceptual similarity between SA and PP approaches.