Preliminary communication
Generation Differences in Social, Health and Psychological Status of Elderly People in Zagreb
Jasminka DESPOT
Damir LUČANIN
Mladen HAVELKA
Abstract
This paper presents the findings of research on social,
functional, health and psychological status of urban
elderly people belonging to different generations (cohorts).
Two generation groups of elderly citizens of Zagreb
were compared. A group of 50 subjects, aged 57-72
years was examined in 1979, and a group of 47 subjects,
aged 59-71 years in 1994. Sociodemographic and health
status data were collected by a questionnaire, and data
on functional ability, psychosomatic symptoms and selfassessed
health were collected by measurement scales.
Significant differences between generations were found –
in 1994, subjects lived in smaller families, there was
a larger proportion of retired subjects, and they had more
psychosomatic symptoms than their age peers in 1979.
The two generations of elderly subjects did not differ
significantly in gender, marital status, education, health
and functional status and self-assessed health. The
differences between the two generation groups of elderly
persons, found in this research, indicate the effects of
social factors on the style and quality of urban elderly
people’s lives.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
20288
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2000.
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