Abstract:

Objective: The aim of the research was to the correlation between the quality of life of old people and their attitude to aging. Methods: The descriptive relational study was conducted between July and November 2016 at a nursing home in the province of Izmir. The population of the study consisted of the old people (n=308), and the sample was formed from the 147 individuals. The instruments were socio-demographic questionnaire, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Module for Old People (WHOQOL-OLD), and the Turkish version of the World Health Organization Europe Aging Attitudes Questionnaire (AAQ). Descriptive statistical methods, Spearman correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean age of the old people was 74.32±6.65 years and 64.6% were male. The total mean scores of the old people were 60.49±16.99 on WHOQOL-OLD and 52.84±14.17 on AAQ. A strong positive correlation was found between these two scores (r=0.827, p<0.001). It was seen in the multiple regression analysis that the old people’s attitudes to aging were a predictive factor of their quality of life (F=53.114, p<0.001, R2=0.70). Conclusion: These results indicate that there is a significant correlation between the quality of life and attitudes toward aging in nursing home residents, and that their attitudes to aging are a significant variable explaining their quality of life.

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