Bio-psycho-social Implication of Elderly Women: Social Barriers Analysis

本研究以社會因素建構觀點檢視老年婦女老化身心調適的影響因素。本研究基本假設是老化並非自然過程而是個社會建構過程，老年婦女在年齡歧視和性別歧視之雙重不利處遇，其老化易受到社會因素的影響。本研究面訪439位台灣地區北部七縣市系統抽樣的65歲以上老年婦女，經由結構式問卷訪問人口特質、經濟依賴、家庭照顧、社會支持、目前身心狀況及社會角色調適情形，企圖建構老年婦女老化的社會建構因素。本研究發現與老年婦女身心調適相關的社會因素中，經濟足夠性和生活和社會調適狀況並沒有顯著相關，但是和心理福祉則有相關，此外，社會支持與老年婦女的身心調適狀況雖有相關，但未達顯著水準，此外，家庭照顧壓力對台灣老年婦女而言，也非影響其老年身心調適的意義變項。本研究建構了老年婦女的生理、心理、社會調適三個回歸模型。建構生理福祉模型的決定變項是年齡、教育程度和工作經驗；建構心理福祉模型的決定變項則爲居住安排、社會參與和經濟足夠性，而社會調適模型中的預測變項則是教育程度、居住安排和家庭照顧態度。以上是本研究最具潛力的意義和發現。

關鍵字

老年婦女；身心調適；社會調適；家庭照顧；社會支持

並列摘要

This research examines the relationship between social factors and the bio-psycho-social adjustment of elderly women in Taiwan from a socially constructive perspective. Our starting point is the assumption that the experience of aging is socially constructed, that is, according to the relationships and social structures in which it occurs. The data employed in this paper were collected through home interview and 439 questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis is the major analytical tool adopted in this research. The data indicate that economic adequacy and physical social wellbeing are not significantly and positively related and that economic adequacy is negatively linked with psychological well-being. In addition, social support is found to be positively associated with elderly women's physical, psychological and social well-being. However, the correlation is not strong. Finally, elderly women's family care burden is not significantly correlated with their bio-psycho-social well-being. The multiple regression analysis in this study constructs three predictive models. For physical well-being, the best model is determined by variables of age, education, and work experience. For psychological wellbeing, the best model is determined by variables of living arrangement, social participation and economic adequacy. Finally, the best model for predicting social well-being is based on variables such as education, living arrangement and family care attitude.