Ikigai (purpose in life) and quality of life in older adults in socially disadvantaged conditions within a rural Colombian context

Abstract

Introduction

Purpose of life and quality of life are essential to the development of the overall well-being of older adults.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between ikigai (purpose in life), resilience, loneliness and negative emotions (anxiety, depression and stress) on quality of life in older adults of Afro-descendant and Amerindian descent in a rural area of the Colombian department of Córdoba.

Methods

A non-experimental, descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional design was used for this study. The sample consisted of 100 older adults, men and women, with an average age (M = 69, SD = 6.6) of low socioeconomic stratum. The measurement instruments used were the IKIGAI-9 Life Purpose Scale, the BRCS Resilience Scale, the DASS-21 Scale (anxiety, depression and stress), the UCLA Brief Loneliness Scale and the CAPS-19 Quality of Life Scale.

Results

Statistical analyses indicated that there was no significant association between gender and the psychological variables of the study, except for the resilience variable. The study psychological variables also showed both positive (resilience rs = 0.686, p < 0.001 and IKIGAI rs = 0.507, p < 0.001) and negative (anxiety, depression, stress rs = −0.528, p < 0.001 and loneliness rs = −0.537, p < 0.001) correlations with the quality-of-life variables.

Conclusions

This population of older adults predominantly reports a favorable state of resilience, life purpose, and acceptable quality of life despite facing significant economic, social, and educational inequalities, reassuring us of the resilience of the human spirit.