{"id":94,"date":"2018-12-11T20:10:16","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T20:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gerec.fi\/2018\/12\/11\/research-news-a-majority-of-middle-aged-people-show-a-high-level-of-mental-well-being\/"},"modified":"2019-02-21T16:44:41","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T14:44:41","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/research-news-a-majority-of-middle-aged-people-show-a-high-level-of-mental-well-being\/","title":{"rendered":"","raw":""},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A recent study at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 has found a surprisingly high level of mental well-being among middle-aged individuals. The study examined multiple dimensions of mental well-being, including satisfaction with life and psychological and social well-being. Psychological well-being refers…","protected":false,"raw":""},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_fi_post_content":"
<\/div>
A recent study at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 has found a surprisingly high level of mental well-being among middle-aged individuals. <\/div>

The study examined multiple dimensions of mental well-being, including satisfaction with life and psychological and social well-being. Psychological well-being refers to an individual\u2019s sense of having a purpose in life and personal growth, whereas social well-being is characterized by a sense of environmental mastery and acceptance.<\/span><\/p>

Research Director <\/span>Katja Kokko<\/b> from the Gerontology Research Center at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4: \u201cOur analyses provided two new perspectives to the study of mental well-being: First, we included positive dimensions of mental well-being and did not consider it only as an absence of mental distress. Second, while it is common to analyze an average developmental trend of mental well-being over time, we looked for groups of individuals differing in their developmental trajectories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Mental well-being was assessed when the study participants were 36, 42, and 50 years old. During this follow-up period, four groups of mental well-being emerged. 29% of the participants were classified as having a high level of life satisfaction as well as psychological and social well-being throughout the study period. Further, 47% had a relatively high and 22% a moderately high level of mental well-being. Conversely, about 3% of the participants had a relatively low score in all the well-being dimensions from age 36 to 50.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt was a bit unexpected how stable mental well-being was in mid-adulthood and that a majority of the middle-aged had such a high level of well-being,\u201d Kokko explains. \u201cHowever, it should be noted that the follow-up intervals were rather long, about 6 to 8 years, and it is possible that within those years mental well-being fluctuated but then returned to an individual\u2019s characteristic level.\u201d <\/span><\/p>

The groups of mental well-being were compared to each other in other areas of functioning as well. The individuals on the trajectories for high, relatively high, and moderate well-being had more satisfying relationships, more favorable working careers, and fewer diseases than those individuals on the low well-being trajectory. Few differences between the groups were observed in physical or cognitive functioning.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe found that only stable low mental well-being, developed over a lengthy period of time, was a risk factor for unfavorable relationships, working career, and health,\u201d Kokko says. \u201cIn older adulthood, mental well-being will possibly also relate to physical and cognitive functioning when there is more variation among the individuals in these areas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

The present analyses shed light on the development of multi-dimensionally assessed mental well-being in mid-adulthood. They further help identify those groups of individuals who are at the greatest risk. Improving their mental well-being can contribute to functioning in old adulthood.<\/span><\/p>

The article is based on the Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS), where the development of the same, age-cohort representative, participants (369 initially) has been followed from age 8 to 50. <\/span><\/p>

Further information:<\/span>
Katja Kokko, Gerontology Research Center, University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, tel. +358\u00a040 805 3500, email:\u00a0katja.r.kokko@jyu.fi<\/p>

Article:\u00a0Kokko, K., & Feldt, T. (2017). Longitudinal profiles of mental well-being as correlates of successful aging in middle age. International Journal of Behavioral Development. <\/i>Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177\/0165025417739177<\/a><\/p> <\/div> ","_fi_post_name":"research-news-a-majority-of-middle-aged-people-show-a-high-level-of-mental-well-being","_fi_post_excerpt":"","_fi_post_title":"Research news: A majority of middle-aged people show a high level of mental well-being","_en_post_content":"","_en_post_name":"","_en_post_excerpt":"","_en_post_title":"","edit_language":"en","footnotes":""},"categories":[130,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tiedeuutiset","category-yleinen","entry","no-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6418,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions\/6418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gerec.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}