AN EXPLORATION OF THE ACTIVITY THEORY OF OPTIMAL AGING IN INDIA: A CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Abstract
This study was undertaken in July-August 1985 on a sample of 100 men and 30 women, age 60+ in Baroda, a medium size industrially developing city of India. The data were collected with help of a schedule containing widely used instruments to test the four main hypotheses concerning informal activity, leisure activity, social role supports, and religiosity as the predictors of life satisfaction. Age ranged from 60-88 years. More men (88%) were married and more women (60%) widowed. Only one man was divorced and two women were unmarried. All excepting 5 (3.8%) lived in large multi-generation families. The results supported leisure activity and social role supports hypotheses; failed to support the religiosity hypothesis; and gave low support to informal activity hypothesis. Informal activity only with friends was found significantly related to life-satisfaction. Sex and income were found significantly, but marital status occupation and SES non-significantly associated with life satisfaction. Optimal aging was found significantly related to spousal and income role supports, but it was not significantly associated with work role supports. Family (38%), contentment (26%), religion (12%), or money (11%) was mentioned as the prime reason for one's happiness or unhappiness. No one mentioned work.
Subject Area
Gerontology
Recommended Citation
MOTWANI, JAGAT K, "AN EXPLORATION OF THE ACTIVITY THEORY OF OPTIMAL AGING IN INDIA: A CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE" (1986). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8701901.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8701901
