Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Texas Aging & Longevity Center, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Gerontologist. 2022 Apr 20;62(4):519-529. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnab093.
Environmental gerontology and environmental psychology theories address adaptations of living space for disability and individual preferences. This study combines these perspectives to examine how room décor (i.e., furnishings, design, decoration) corresponds with functional limitations and personality in late life.
Older adults aged 65 and older (N = 286) completed interviews regarding living arrangements, functional limitations, personality, and depressive symptoms. Participants provided 3-4 photographs of the room where they spend the most time. Raters coded photographs for physical adaptations for functional limitations and 19 features of décor (e.g., crowding, color), fitting 3 categories: (a) newness, (b) comfort, and (c) cheerfulness. We estimated linear regression models to examine how functional limitations or personality are associated with room décor, and whether living arrangement moderates these links. We also assessed whether room décor moderates functional limitations or personality predicting depressive symptoms.
Functional limitations were associated with greater clutter and less brightness. Extraversion was associated with newness and cheerfulness (but not comfort), and conscientiousness with newness and comfort (but not cheerfulness). Openness was associated with more newness and cheerfulness for those who live alone. Moderation models revealed functional limitations were associated with fewer depressive symptoms if the room was more cluttered. Conscientiousness was negatively associated with depressive symptoms when the room was higher on newness or comfort.
Findings generally supported environmental psychology and environmental gerontology perspectives and suggest "goodness of fit" between functional abilities, personal desires, and room characteristics may contribute to benefits of aging in place.
环境老年学和环境心理学理论探讨了生活空间对残疾和个人偏好的适应。本研究结合了这些观点，考察了房间装饰（即家具、设计、装饰）如何与老年人的功能限制和个性相匹配。
年龄在 65 岁及以上的老年人（N=286）完成了关于居住安排、功能限制、个性和抑郁症状的访谈。参与者提供了他们在其中度过大部分时间的房间的 3-4 张照片。评估者对照片进行了功能限制的物理适应性和 19 种装饰特征（如拥挤、颜色）的编码，分为 3 个类别：（a）新颖性，（b）舒适性和（c）愉悦性。我们估计了线性回归模型，以考察功能限制或个性与房间装饰的关系，以及居住安排是否调节这些关系。我们还评估了房间装饰是否调节功能限制或个性对抑郁症状的预测。
功能限制与更多的杂乱和更少的亮度有关。外向与新颖性和愉悦性有关（但与舒适无关），尽责性与新颖性和舒适性有关（但与愉悦性无关）。开放性与独居者的更多新颖性和愉悦性有关。调节模型显示，如果房间更杂乱，功能限制与较少的抑郁症状相关。尽责性与房间在新颖性或舒适性方面的得分越高，与抑郁症状的负相关越强。
研究结果普遍支持环境心理学和环境老年学的观点，并表明功能能力、个人愿望和房间特征之间的“适配度”可能有助于就地养老的益处。
