In plain language
Growing old brings real losses — declining health, reduced ability to work and be productive, shrinking income and social roles. Yet some older people maintain a high quality of life despite these changes while others do not. This study asked whether psychological acceptance — the willingness to experience difficult thoughts and feelings without fighting them, while still acting on one's values — helps explain who thrives in old age.
The researchers surveyed 187 older Australians (average age 78, ranging from 65 to 96) drawn from a home nursing service, a retirement village and various community groups. Participants completed a measure of psychological acceptance (the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire) and the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale, which distinguishes objective life circumstances from subjective satisfaction across domains such as health, productivity, safety and emotional well-being.
People higher in acceptance reported better subjective quality of life in the domains of health, safety, community participation and emotional well-being — and acceptance predicted well-being even after accounting for demographics and objective life circumstances. Critically, acceptance also acted as a buffer: older adults high in acceptance reacted less negatively to declining productivity than those low in acceptance. The findings suggest that interventions that build acceptance, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, may improve quality of life and resilience in later life.
Key findings
- Older adults higher in psychological acceptance reported higher subjective quality of life in the domains of health, safety, community participation and emotional well-being.
- Acceptance predicted subjective quality of life over and above demographics and objective life circumstances — for example, adding about 5% explained variance for productivity and 4% for health after objective indices were controlled.
- Acceptance buffered the impact of objective decline: individuals high in acceptance had less adverse psychological reactions to decreasing productivity than those low in acceptance.
- Acceptance was associated with maintaining quality of life even when objective circumstances were unpleasant, such as reduced productivity or declining health.
- The sample of 187 adults aged 65 to 96 spanned diverse living situations: home nursing service clients, retirement village residents, and independent community members.
- The authors conclude that interventions that increase psychological acceptance may improve quality of life and resilience among the elderly.
How to cite
APA
Butler, J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2007). Psychological acceptance and quality of life in the elderly. Quality of Life Research, 16, 607–615. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-006-9149-1
BibTeX
@article{butler2007psychological,
author = {Butler, Jodie and Ciarrochi, Joseph},
title = {Psychological acceptance and quality of life in the elderly},
journal = {Quality of Life Research},
year = {2007},
volume = {16},
pages = {607--615},
doi = {10.1007/s11136-006-9149-1}
}
Related work
- All publications by Joseph Ciarrochi (searchable, with free PDFs)
- Process-Based Therapy & Idionomic Analysis
Author: Joseph Ciarrochi (ORCID 0000-0003-0471-8100). Free copy hosted with permission for scholarly use. Please cite the published version via the DOI above.