Envelhecimento e bem-estar psicológico: uma revisão integrativa DOI: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v12i3.15949

Abstract

This study consists of an integrative literature review whose aim was identifying characteristics of the Brazilian scientific production on the elderly person's psychological well-being. The databases BDEnf, LILACS, MEDLINE, and SciELO were accessed and 5 papers which met the inclusion criteria were selected. One observed that the main authors of the publications are psychologists, but other health professionals work in an interdisciplinary way. All selected papers were published from 2003 on, 3 of them were quantitative researches with application of scales, 2 were literature reviews, and 1 was a case study. The scales used were: Emotional Intelligence Measure (EIM); Personal Development (PDES); and Psychological Well-Being. The results indicate relations between psychological well-being and essential aspects which assist in coping with the challenges posed by aging. The literature analyzed shows that effective social support, the fact of being married, and self-motivation are factors which contribute to a positive psychological well-being. One finds out that knowledge production on the theme is still incipient and there's no consensus with regard to the most important elements to obtain an elderly person's psychological adjustment.