The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: The link between stress and performance in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and participation in older adults is gaining importance. The existing evidence is based on single measures of salivary cortisol levels; therefore, there is a need for...

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Main Authors: Noelia Saez-Sanz, Encarnacion Sanchez-Lara, Raquel Gonzalez-Perez, Alfonso Caracuel, Isabel Peralta-Ramirez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Brain Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/4/383
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author Noelia Saez-Sanz
Encarnacion Sanchez-Lara
Raquel Gonzalez-Perez
Alfonso Caracuel
Isabel Peralta-Ramirez
author_facet Noelia Saez-Sanz
Encarnacion Sanchez-Lara
Raquel Gonzalez-Perez
Alfonso Caracuel
Isabel Peralta-Ramirez
author_sort Noelia Saez-Sanz
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background/Objectives</b>: The link between stress and performance in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and participation in older adults is gaining importance. The existing evidence is based on single measures of salivary cortisol levels; therefore, there is a need for more comprehensive studies that incorporate long-term measurements of cortisol concentrations as indicators of chronic stress. In consequence, the objective is to determine whether perceived stress, hair cortisol concentration, and psychological resilience are related to IADLs and participation in older individuals. <b>Methods</b>: A sample of 63 individuals with a mean age of 76.5 years underwent an assessment of stress variables (Perceived Stress Scale, hair cortisol concentration, and Resilience Scale), IADLs (UPSA Scale), and participation (PART-O Scale). Using the stress variables as factors, multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict UPSA and PART-O scores and their respective subscales. The correlation between UPSA and PART-O was also examined. <b>Results</b>: After controlling for age, gender, and cognitive status, resilience emerged as the sole independent predictor of overall scores on both scales, as well as on two subscales: UPSA-Communication and PART-O-Others, for which hair cortisol was also a predictor. The effect size of the association between UPSA and PART-O scores was small. <b>Conclusions</b>: psychological resilience is not only a protective variable against stress but also appears to be associated with instrumental functioning and social participation in older adults. This finding suggests that resilience plays a role in facilitating IADLs and participation among the elderly population.
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spelling doaj-art-a632ef7c179d45ebbf02e83ff2f6527f2025-08-20T02:17:20ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252025-04-0115438310.3390/brainsci15040383The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social ParticipationNoelia Saez-Sanz0Encarnacion Sanchez-Lara1Raquel Gonzalez-Perez2Alfonso Caracuel3Isabel Peralta-Ramirez4Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Valladolid, 47002 Soria, SpainMind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainDepartment of Pharmacology, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), School of Pharmacy, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainMind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainMind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain<b>Background/Objectives</b>: The link between stress and performance in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and participation in older adults is gaining importance. The existing evidence is based on single measures of salivary cortisol levels; therefore, there is a need for more comprehensive studies that incorporate long-term measurements of cortisol concentrations as indicators of chronic stress. In consequence, the objective is to determine whether perceived stress, hair cortisol concentration, and psychological resilience are related to IADLs and participation in older individuals. <b>Methods</b>: A sample of 63 individuals with a mean age of 76.5 years underwent an assessment of stress variables (Perceived Stress Scale, hair cortisol concentration, and Resilience Scale), IADLs (UPSA Scale), and participation (PART-O Scale). Using the stress variables as factors, multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict UPSA and PART-O scores and their respective subscales. The correlation between UPSA and PART-O was also examined. <b>Results</b>: After controlling for age, gender, and cognitive status, resilience emerged as the sole independent predictor of overall scores on both scales, as well as on two subscales: UPSA-Communication and PART-O-Others, for which hair cortisol was also a predictor. The effect size of the association between UPSA and PART-O scores was small. <b>Conclusions</b>: psychological resilience is not only a protective variable against stress but also appears to be associated with instrumental functioning and social participation in older adults. This finding suggests that resilience plays a role in facilitating IADLs and participation among the elderly population.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/4/383instrumental activities of daily livingparticipationresiliencehair cortisololder adults
spellingShingle Noelia Saez-Sanz
Encarnacion Sanchez-Lara
Raquel Gonzalez-Perez
Alfonso Caracuel
Isabel Peralta-Ramirez
The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation
Brain Sciences
instrumental activities of daily living
participation
resilience
hair cortisol
older adults
title The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation
title_full The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation
title_fullStr The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation
title_full_unstemmed The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation
title_short The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation
title_sort psychological resilience of older adults is key to their independence in instrumental activities of daily living and social participation
topic instrumental activities of daily living
participation
resilience
hair cortisol
older adults
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/4/383
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