Abstract
Increasing human longevity is of global interest. The present study explored the prediction of longevity from both individual perspective and family perspective based on demographic and psychosocial factors. A total of 186 longevous family members and 237 ordinary elderly family members participated in a cross-sectional study, and a sample of 62 longevous elderly and 57 ordinary elderly were selected for comparative research. The results showed that it was three times more female than male in longevous elderly group. Up to 71.2% of longevous elderly had no experience in education, which was significantly lower than that of ordinary elderly. Due to such extreme age, more widowed (81.4%) elderly than those in married (18.6%). Less than one-seventh of the longevous elderly maintained the habit of smoking, and about one-third of them liked drinking, both were significantly lower than that of ordinary elderly. In terms of psychosocial factors, longevous elderly showed lower neuroticism and social support, while higher extraversion, compared with the ordinary elderly. However, there were no significant differences between the two family groups in demographic and psychosocial variables, except longevous families showing lower scores in neuroticism. Regression analysis found that neuroticism, social support and smoking habit had significant impact on individuals’ life span, then, neuroticism and psychoticism were the key factor to predict families’ longevity. We conclude that good emotional management, benign interpersonal support, and moderation of habits are important factors for individual longevity, and the intergenerational influence of personality is closely related to family longevity.
Highlights
Up to 71.2% of longevous elderly had no experience in education, which was significantly higher than the proportion of educated elderly
Longevous elderly differed significantly in terms of marital status, more widowed (81.4%) elderly than those in married (18.6%), which was largely related to their age
Social support and smoking habits significantly predicted individual longevity
Summary
With the decrease of the population fertility rate and the increase of life expectancy, many countries have gradually entered a state of population aging, by the end of 2019, the proportion of the world’s population in the elderly has reached 9%, and China is the second most aging Asian country outside of Japan. With continued rapidly aging population, the elderly have become a group that cannot be ignored, and the demand for aging care has risen considerably, China is currently facing an unprecedented complex health demand [1]. There are unique standards of mental health for the elderly population. A research report on mental health of elderly emphasizes the mental health standards of the elderly from five aspects: normal cognitive functioning, positive and stable emotions, appropriate self-evaluation, harmonious interpersonal relationships, and good environmental adaptation [2]. From these standards, we can find that psychosocial factors are key influences on elderly people’s mental health
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