[Will to live as an expression of the well-being of older people]

Abstract

Introduction: Will-to-live, a central concept in well-being theories, represents a positive attitudinal component towards one's own life. It has been identified as a mediator between the self-perception of aging and longevity and health. The objective of this study is to characterise elderly people with high levels of will-to-live in the main dimensions of positive psychology.

Method: The study included the voluntary participation of 165 adults, aged between 54-89 years, users of senior centres in the Community of Madrid. Will-to-live and other dimensions of well-being and health were evaluated. The correlations between the different evaluated dimensions were analysed, and comparisons made in terms of different levels of will-to-live, as well as an analysis of the dimensions that contribute most to the will-to-live.

Results: Correlations among the majority of variables were statistically significant, with a decrease in the coefficients being observed when controlling the effect of the will-to-live. When groups with different levels of will-to-live are compared with well-being and health, there are statistically significant differences in practically all of the dimensions. Gratitude, positive affect, and depression are the dimensions that best predict will-to-live.

Conclusion: Older adults that make up the group with high will-to-live are characterised by higher levels of optimism, gratitude, positive affect, sense of life, psychological prosperity, resilience, happiness, and satisfaction with life, as well as lower levels of depression and negative self-perception of aging. The implications of these results point towards the relevance of will-to-live in successful aging.

Keywords: Actitudes hacia el envejecimiento; Attitudes toward older adults; Elderly people; Ganas de vivir; Personas mayores; Positive psychology; Psicología positiva; Will-to-live.