Background and objectives

Despite the unique challenges faced by people living with a severe mental illness, little work has been done to understand how these populations can age well. This study therefore aimed to explore the views of mid to older aged adults living with a psychosis on what it means to age well, and how they might be supported in this endeavor.

Research design and methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen individuals (age 50–74 years) diagnosed with psychosis-related disorders (e.g. schizophrenia). Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

Four themes were identified: (i) Engagement with Life - referring to participating in, and maintaining, activities that bring satisfaction and value; (ii) Attitude to Life and Aging - referring to a positive attitude and outlook, and accepting aging-related challenges; (iii) Health and Wellbeing - relating to keeping as physically and mentally fit as possible and (iv) Social Connections - referring to both personal and professional relationships, and feeling heard and understood by others.

Discussion and implications

Whilst there were clear parallels between these results and those reported from other populations, participants aging with a psychosis revealed challenges, perceptions, and nuances that were unique to their situation. The importance of relationships with professionals, developing a mastery over their mental health difficulties, and the continued impact of stigma on aging well were highlighted. This suggests that approaches that target external societal factors, as well as therapeutic interventions focused on the individual, may help this population to age well.

中文翻译：

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精神病老年化

背景和目标

尽管患有严重精神疾病的人面临着独特的挑战，但很少有工作来了解这些人群如何能够很好地老龄化。因此，本研究旨在探讨患有精神病的中老年人对健康变老意味着什么的看法，以及如何在这项努力中支持他们。

研究设计和方法

对 16 名被诊断患有精神病相关疾病（例如精神分裂症）的人（50-74 岁）进行了半结构化访谈。归纳主题分析用于分析数据。

结果

确定了四个主题： (i)参与生活——指参与和维持能够带来满足感和价值的活动；(ii)对生活和衰老的态度——指积极的态度和观点，并接受与衰老相关的挑战；(iii)健康与福祉——与尽可能保持身心健康有关；以及 (iv)社会联系——指个人和职业关系，以及被他人倾听和理解的感觉。

讨论和影响

虽然这些结果与其他人群报告的结果之间存在明显的相似之处，但患有精神病的老年人揭示了他们所处情况所特有的挑战、看法和细微差别。强调了与专业人士建立关系、克服心理健康困难以及污名对老龄化的持续影响的重要性。这表明针对外部社会因素的方法，以及针对个人的治疗干预措施，可能有助于这一人群的老龄化。