Innovative Conceptual Model of Socio-Cultural Components of Quality of Life in Elderly Persons

Abstract

Objectives: The main objective of the study was to investigate the influence of socio-cultural factors on the quality of life in elderly persons in Croatia. The theoretical objective of the study was to form a theoretical construct of the influence of socio-cultural factors on the quality of life of the elderly and to create a model of the socio-cultural factors of the quality of life of the elderly in Croatia using the modelling method. Background: The study problem was to identify the sociocultural components of the quality of life in elderly persons in Croatia. The main purpose of the study was to identify the components of the model of socio-cultural dimensions that have an impact on the quality of life in elderly persons in Croatia. Design: The quantitative research paradigm was applied to the study. To achieve the theoretical objectives of the study, general scientific methods were used. Data were collected through questionnaires. Methods: The theoretical objectives of the study were reached by reviewing recent scientific literature. For the purpose of this study, the WHOQOLBREF and the Hofstede questionnaires were used as measuring instruments. Findings: The conceptual multivariate regression models of a satisfactory domain of quality of life in elderly persons were created based on processed study data. The multivariate regression models for the prediction of certain domains of quality of life in which predictor variables in a multivariate environment define the impact on these domains were created. The method of selecting predictor variables included the set objectives (age, gender, regional, and marital components and all dimensions of the Hofstede questionnaire). Conclusion: The conceptual model presents a schematic overview of the socio-cultural components of the quality of life that depend on social inequality, life orientations, uncertainty control, acts by individuals through individualism or collectivism, and the attitude towards men and women. All this combined determines a national culture and represents the socio-cultural capital of a certain society. There are differences by gender that were determined by uncertainty control, physical and mental health, social relations, personal attitudes and religiosity, and the environment in which a person lives. Importance for clinical practice: Social gerontology is a young scientific discipline and research in this field finds its application in modern society by implementing research results on the social and political environment with innovative models of care for elderly persons.