AbstractsPsychology

Investigating aspects of health among older greeks: the development and utilisation of an hellenic version of a multidimensional and functional assessment questionnaire

by Κωνσταντίνος Προύσκας




Institution: Ιδρύματα Εξωτερικού; Institutes outside Greece
Department:
Year: 2000
Keywords: Ηλικιωμένοι; Υγεία; ΚΑΠΗ; Αξιολόγηση; Λειτουργικότητα; Κοινωνικότητα; Ψυχική υγεία; Γεροντολογία; OARS; Functional ability; Social resources; KAPI; Assessment; Elderly people; Gerontology; Mental health
Record ID: 1155215
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10442/hedi/22724


Abstract

The purpose of the research reported in this thesis was to develop a Greek version of the OARS assessment instrument, to validate this instrument in a Greek setting and then use it to investigate gender and geographical differences in the health and well being of two population subgroups in Greece. Three hundred people over the age of 65 from Athens and Thessaloniki were interviewed using the Greek version of the OMFAQ. The interviews were held in two stages. During the first stage the validity of the mental health and the physical health scale was examined using a hospitalised and a community sample of fifty people each. During the second stage two hundred people from two Athenian and two Thessalonician KAPI (Social Clubs for elderly people) were interviewed. Data were analysed using factor analysis and logistic regression in order to investigate the instrument’s factorial structure and the relationships between several domains of health. The validation study indicated that the instrument had good validity and reliability values. The main study showed there were several statistically significant geographical and gender differences in the populations examined. For example, rather surprisingly, it was found that KAPI users in Athens had more social ties and contacts than their counterparts in Thessaloniki. In addition, the study showed relationships between variables which followed a logical pattern, thus enhancing the instrument’s agreement to the theoretical framework, and increasing its construct validity. One of the outcomes of the research report is the validated instrument in Greek which can be used for further research on elderly people in Greece.