Analysis of the relationship between successful aging and spirituality in elderly people

The world aging process has shown accelerated growth in the last decades, mainly in developing countries. Research on the successful aging process has been relevant to understand the variables that need to be addressed to maintain and increase old age with quality of life. Many variables deserve to be highlighted during development throughout life. Still, this study will focus on the variables of spirituality and strategies for promoting successful aging. Thus, the present study's objective was to analyze the association between the variables of successful aging strategies and spirituality in older people. The methodological design was quantitative, descriptive, and transversal. The sample consisted of 103 subjects, of both sexes, aged between 60 and 89 years, distributed in two groups: 46 participants in a computer program in the city of Novo Hamburgo, and 57 practitioners of aqua aerobics in the city of Dois Irmãos / Brazil. The instruments used were the SOC Inventory (Selection, Optimization, and Compensation) and the Spirituality Scale. The results were very similar in both groups. The variable spirituality had a mean of 3.33 points, while the variable successful aging promotion strategies reached 7.44 points, with loss-based selection being the most used. In the correlation analysis performed by the Pearson test, the computer group participants showed a correlation between the factor Beliefs of the variable Spirituality with the Successful Aging Strategy (SOC) of Selection based on losses (r = 0.360; p = 0.015 ). In the water aerobics group participants, a correlation was identified between Spirituality and SOC (r = -0.326; p = 0.013). The conclusion is that, although the groups do not differ significantly from the results presented for spirituality and successful aging strategies, there is a difference in the relationship between the variables within each group. The group that practices aqua aerobics resides in a smaller community, has a more stable bond of friendships, and demonstrates that spirituality and especially beliefs are not so relevant when using loss-based selection and compensation strategies for successful aging. However, in the group that performs computer activities and resides in a larger city, there is a direct relationship between spiritual beliefs and the promotion of strategies for successful aging.