Investigation of the emotional and psychological factors of elderly persons frequenting ballroom dancing clubs

Abstract

Abstract Objective: the present study investigated the psychological and emotional factors of elderly persons who practiced ballroom dancing. Method: the sample consisted of 93 elderly people who attended ballroom dancing clubs in the city of Maringá, in Paraná, Brazil. The Perceived Stress Scale, Self-Esteem Scale, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, Life Satisfaction Scale and the SF-12 questionnaire were used. The data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (data normality), Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests (comparison of psychological variables according to sociodemographic and health variables), Spearman Correlation and Multivariate Linear Regression (relationship between variables). Results: there was a predominance of a good perception of health (69.9%); adequate values of life satisfaction (Md=27.00, Q1=25.00, Q3=30.00) and self-esteem (Md=31.00, Q1=30.00, Q3=32.00); as well as physical (Md=59.40, Q1=50.00, Q3=62.50); and mental health perception (Md=71.90, Q1=62.50, Q3=78.12). Low levels of anxiety (Md=6.00, Q1=3.00, Q3=12.00) and depression (Md=3.00, Q1=2.00, Q3=4.00), and a perception of moderate levels of stress (Md=20.00, Q1=13.50, Q3=24.50) were also found. Elderly people with a good perception of health were more satisfied with life and had higher self-esteem and lower levels of anxiety, stress and depression than those with poor/regular perception; anxiety (β= -0.32) and depression (β= -0.15) had a negative impact on life satisfaction, predicting its variability by 21%. Conclusion: the elderly had a healthy profile, and anxiety and depression were the main psychological and emotional factors that negatively influenced the satisfaction with life of these elderly people.