The Longitudinal Association Between Playfulness and Resilience in Older Women Engaged in The Red Hat Society

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between playfulness and resilience in women over the age of 50 who were participating in The Red Hat Society (RHS), a leisure group for older women. The Broaden-and-Build Theory (Fredrickson, 2001), which describes the benefits of positive emotions, was used as a rationale to test the proposition that playfulness through leisure activities, such as those enjoyed in the RHS, can contribute to resilience in later life. Longitudinal data were collected online from 167 RHS members, and multilevel modeling (MLM) employed in the data analysis to see if playfulness contributed to these women's resilience, while controlling for age, education, marital status, years of RHS membership, physical and mental health. The results indicated that playfulness contributed to the women's resilience growth over time, and that this relationship differed by persons. The results supported the Broaden-and-Build Theory regarding the positive effects of playfulness on resilience growth. The findings suggested that frequent experiences of playfulness can facilitate resilience in older women who participate in the unique social context of The Red Hat Society.