Assessment of Self-esteem among Older Adults in Selected Places at Puducherry

INTRODUCTION

Self-esteem is the conviction in one’s capacity for thought, assurance in one’s entitlement to success, happiness, and deservingness, as well as the expression of one’s needs and desires. Self-esteem is a gauge of how much we value and accept ourselves or other people. It is linked to the ideas and opinions we hold about ourselves.¹

The way a person thinks of themselves and their coping mechanisms are both intimately related to their level of self-esteem. Nokani et al.’s findings showed that a good body image leads to a person’s sense of worthiness, and vice versa, a mental image that has changed causes changes in the sense of worthiness.^2,3

The growth of one’s self-esteem is influenced by a variety of circumstances. Respect, acceptance, and attention from important persons in one’s life, such as family members, are among them. The individual’s past record of accomplishment, status, and position obtained is the next factor. The more successful someone is and the more well-known they are, the higher their self-esteem will be. Self-esteem can be defined as the sentiment, regard, and feeling that people have for themselves, namely how much they like themselves, how they see themselves, and how they see themselves.⁴

Self-worth is essential to an aged person’s quality of life. About 250 men and women aged 65 and older were researched to determine whether background and personality traits were linked to low and high self-esteem in the elderly. Age, income, educational attainment, or housing arrangements did not make a difference in the number of elderly with high or poor self-esteem.^5–9

However, the group with low self-esteem reported having worse health, greater discomfort, and more disability. Both with and without controlling for health characteristics, the low self-esteem group scored considerably higher on sadness, anxiety, somatization, and a preference for external locus of control.

OBJECTIVES

• To measure the self-esteem levels of older adults.

• To determine the association between the levels of self-esteem among older adults and specific demographic factors.

METHODOLOGY

The sample was chosen using a descriptive survey design and convenience sampling method. There were 200 senior people in the whole sample. After receiving approval from the relevant authority, the data were gathered.¹⁰ Men and women above the age of 50, people who can hear, understand, and answer logically and practically, and people who scored above 20 on the mini-mental status exam are all included in the inclusion criteria. Elderly people who were chronically unwell and unwilling to engage in the study are among the exclusion criteria. Prior to data collection, each sample provided informed consent. The Rosenberg self-esteem scale was used to measure the levels of self-esteem among older adults. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics.^11,12 To determine the frequency and percentage, mean, and standard deviation, descriptive statistics were utilized. Self-esteem was linked to a number of demographic variables using inferential statistics like the Chi-square test (Table 1).

RESULTS

Figure 1 found that the most of senior people, 80.5%, had normal self-esteem, 12.5% had strong, and 7% had low level of self-esteem.

Table 2 shows that demographic variables such as source of income (χ² = 17.835, p = 0.007) and educational status (χ² = 23.725, p = 0.008) were associated with the self-esteem of older adults at the 0.05 and 0.01 significance levels, respectively. The remaining demographic factors had statistically not significantly correlated with the older adult’s degree of self-esteem at the 0.05 and 0.01 levels.¹³

DISCUSSION

The first objective of the study was to measure the self-esteem levels of older adults. According to the study’s findings, the most of seniors (80.5%) had normal self-esteem, 12.5% had strong, and 7% had poor level of self-esteem.¹⁴

Nanthamongkolchai provided support for this study. He conducted a cross-sectional study on 270 elderly people in rural Nakhon Sawan Province to determine their level of self-esteem. The study’s sampling method was a straightforward random one. The Rosenberg self-esteem measure was the test the researcher used to assess the self-esteem level. Older people (65.6%) had a moderate degree of self-esteem, whereas only 19.3% and 15.1%, respectively, had low levels. It is important to encourage seniors to participate in social and family gatherings.^15–17

The second objective of the study was to determine the association between the levels of self-esteem among older adults and specific demographic factors. The association between self-esteem and a few demographic factors among older adults reveals that, at the 0.05 and 0.01 significance levels, respectively, source of income (χ² = 17.835, p = 0.007) and educational status (χ² = 23.725, p = 0.008) had statistically significant associations with self-esteem of the older adults. The other demographic factors had statistically not significantly correlated with the elderly’s degree of self-esteem at the 0.05 and 0.01 levels, respectively.

CONCLUSION

According to the study’s findings, the majority of older people reported average self-esteem. It is crucial to instill in the family members, especially the children, the importance of supporting the elderly physically, socially, and environmentally. The elderly should receive enough social support to retain their dignity and have happy lives free from burdens on their families and society. Elderly people’s well-being also improves when their level of self-esteem rises.

LIMITATION

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 infection, it was challenging to get data during the data collection from the participants.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• To generalize the study’s conclusions, it may be repeated with larger samples and in different contexts.

• To more effectively generalize the outcomes of this investigation, probability sampling techniques can be used.

• It is possible to compare older people from rural and urban areas in terms of self-esteem.

• The findings of the present investigation will support the implementation of an aged rehabilitation program.

REFERENCES

1. Farmanbar R, shahbazzadegan B, Ghanbari A, Atrkarruoshan Z, Adib M. Investigation of the correlation between economical-social factors and self-esteem of elderly residents in Rasht nursing homes. Journal title 2009;19(2):21–27. DOI: http://hnmj.gums.ac.ir/article-1-291-en.html.

2. Navabi Nejad Sh. Gender and self-esteem. Journal of Research and Women’s Studies 2008;2(3):4–13.

3. Noqani F, Monjamed Z, Bohrani N, Qodrati Jabelo V. Comparison of self-esteem inpatients who have cancer. Hayat 2006;12(2):33–41.

4. Suriyani Y, Fatahyah M, Aina R. The relationship between marriage and self esteem. Journal of Humanity Bil. 2009;13:7(1):30–45.

5. Dini GM, Quaresma MR, Ferreira LM. Translation into Portuguese, cultural adaptation and validation of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Rev Bras Cir Plást 2004;19(1):41–52.

6. Hunter KI, Linn MW, Harris R. Characteristics of high and low self-esteem in the elderly. Int J Aging Hum Devel 1981;14(2):117–126. DOI: 10.2190/bgvm-2x68-ppfq-eyv8.

7. Nanthamongkolchai S, Makapat A, Charupoonphol P, Munsawaengsub C. Self-esteem of the elderly in rural areas of Nakhon Sawan Province. J Med Assoc Thai 2007;90(1):155–159. PMID: 17621747.

8. Fry PS. Predictors of health-related quality of life perspectives, self-esteem, and life satisfactions of older adults following spousal loss: An 18-month follow-up study of widows and widowers. Gerontologist 2001;41(6):787–798. DOI: 10.1093/geront/41.6.787.

9. Rosenstock IM. Historical origin of health belief model. Health Educ Monogr 1974:2(4):334. DOI:10.1177/109019817400200403.

10. Karmakar N, Datta A, Nag K, Tripura K. Quality of life among geriatric population: A cross-sectional study in a rural area of Sepahijala District, Tripura. Indian J Public Health 2018;62(2):95–99. DOI: 10.4103/ijph.IJPH_121_17.

11. Rawal R, Anshu. A study on impact of ageing on self-esteem. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci 2019;8(02):1747–1751. DOI: 10.20546/ijcmas.2019.802.20.

12. Meira SS, Alves Vilela AB, Casotti CA, Silva DMd. Self-esteem and factors associated with social conditions in the elderly. Rev Pesquisa: Cuidado Fundamental Online 2017;9(3):738–744. DOI: 10.9789/2175-5361.2017.v9i3.738-744.

13. Halit AH. Self esteem and its relation to depression among the elderly. International Journal of Business and Social Science 2014;5(3):266–273.

14. Jafari F, Khatony A, and Mehrdad M. Self-esteem among the elderly visiting the healthcare centers in Kermanshah-Iran (2012). Glob J Health Sci 2015;7(5):352–358. DOI: 10.5539/gjhs.v7n5p352.

15. Salerno MC, Bolina AF, Dias FA, Martins NPF, dos Santos Tavares DM. Self-esteem of community-based elderly and associated factors: A population-based study. 2015;20(4):768–774.

16. Moral-García JE, Orgaz García D, López García S, Amatria Jiménez M, and Maneiro Dios R. Influence of physical activity on self-esteem and risk of dependence in active and sedentary elderly people. Anal Psicolog 2018;34(1):162–166. DOI: 10.6018/analesps.34.1.294541.

17. Mara dos Santos Tavares D, Cruz Matias TG, Cristina dos Santos Ferreira P, Pegorari MS, Nascimento JS, Mapelli de Paiva M. Quality of life and self-esteem among the elderly in the community. Cien Saude Colet 2016;20(11):324–329. DOI: 10.1590/1413-812320152111.03032016.