Record Details
Possible Selves and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Possible Selves and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life |
| Names |
Bolkan, Cory
(creator) Hooker, Karen (creator) Coehlo, Deborah (creator) |
| Date Issued | 2015-01 (iso8601) |
| Note | This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by SAGE Publications and can be found at: http://www.sagepub.com/journals/Journal200862 |
| Abstract | The pursuit of personal goals has been linked to general psychological well-being, however, less is known about the association with depression in later adulthood when individuals are contending with age-related changes in health and social relationships. We explored the connection between both health and social relation goals (as measured by possible selves) and depressive symptoms in a sample of 85 community-dwelling older adults who ranged in age from 60 – 92 years (M = 74, SD = 7.5). Participants took part in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews in which they responded to measures of possible selves (future images of oneself), health, and depressive symptoms. We found that the presence of health-related, but not social-related, possible selves was significantly associated with fewer reported depressive symptoms. Additionally, the presence of health-related fears was specifically linked to fewer reported depressive symptoms. These findings suggested that the promotion of and investment in health-related personal goals may be useful in off-setting depressive symptoms in older adults, as well as indicated a potential benefit of a disease prevention focus regarding health in later life. Finally, the results may have implications for potential clinical interventions in addressing late life depression. |
| Genre | Article |
| Topic | possible selves |
| Identifier | Bolkan, C., Hooker, K., & Coehlo, D. (2015). Possible Selves and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life. Research on Aging, 37(1), 41-62. doi:10.1177/0164027513520557 |
