Abstract:
Depression and cognitive impairments in older people are vital public health
issues in Sri Lanka. Stress plays a major role in developing such chronic ill health conditions in people. Little is known about generative behavior and
its effect on psychological well-being of older people in the country. The
study aimed at assessing generative behavior, psychological health and
possible associations between the two constructs in older people aged 60
years and above in Galle. Seventy seven (77) men and 46 women were
surveyed using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Loyola
Generatively Scale (LGS) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale
(Kessler 10) were used. The average LGS score is 40-41 for the older
people in many countries and those who got Kessler 10 score greater than
25 are likely to have moderate or severe mental disorders. The mean scores
of the LGS were 48.6 (SD=7.01) and 48.7 (SD=7.08) for the women and
men respectively. The mean scores of the Kessler 10 were 16.7 (SD=5.81)
and 15.06 (SD=4.62) for the women and men respectively. The older people
participated in the study were found to be engaged in generative activity
behavior more frequently than older people in many other settings. Negative
correlation (r= -0.16, p=0.08) was found between LGS Scores and Kessler
10. Thus, those who were frequently engaged in generative activities were
less likely to experience psychological distress. The desires to be generative
and generative activities seem to be important behaviors associated with
psychological well-being of the older people in Galle, Sri Lanka.