Psychological Well-Being and the Elderly: The Role of Creativity and Cognitive Reserve

The increasing longevity and quality of life of the elderly population guided many studies to analyze the psychological well-being (PWB) and protective factors for a healthy aging. Some studies have highlighted the protective function of cognitive reserve (CR) (education, leisure and work done), while others focused on the association between PWB and creativity (C) (the ability to find effective and strategic ways to cope with everyday challenges). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PWB, C and CR in a group of 108 subjects (Mage:72.9;SD:6.4) through the use of self-report questionnaires. The influence of some sociodemographic variables and executive functions on this relationship was also investigated. Positive cor- relations were found between PWB and CR. Through a Linear Regression analysis it was found that CR is predictive of PWB. In addition, only education level seemed to negatively increase the predictivity of the regression model. No correlations were found between PWB and C. This study makes advancements on the study of the relationship between PWB and CR and point out the need for further investigation to examine the role of protective factors in successful aging.