Department of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Centre for Urban Mental Health, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
BMC Psychol. 2023 Aug 4;11(1):223. doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01259-3.
Successful aging is often linked to individual's ability to demonstrate resilience: the maintenance or quick recovery of functional ability, well-being, and quality of life despite losses or adversity. A crucial element of resilience is behavioral adaptability, which refers to the adaptive changes in behavior in accordance with internal or external demands. Age-related degradation of executive functions can, however, lead to volition problems that compromise flexible adjustment of behavior. In contrast, the reliance on habitual control has been shown to remain relatively intact in later life and may therefore provide an expedient route to goal attainment among older adults. In the current study, we examine whether a metacognitive self-help intervention (MCSI), aimed at facilitating goal striving through the gradual automatization of efficient routines, could effectively support behavioral adaptability in favor of resilience among older adults with and without (sub-clinical) mental health problems.
This metacognitive strategy draws on principles from health and social psychology, as well as clinical psychology, and incorporates elements of established behavioral change and activation techniques from both fields. Additionally, the intervention will be tailored to personal needs and challenges, recognizing the significant diversity that exist among aging individuals.
Despite some challenges that may limit the generalizability of the results, our MCSI program offers a promising means to empower older adults with tools and strategies to take control of their goals and challenges. This can promote autonomy and independent functioning, and thereby contribute to adaptability and resilience in later life.
Pre-registered, partly retrospectively. This study was pre-registered before the major part of the data was collected, created, and realized. Only a small part of the data of some participants (comprising the baseline and other pre-intervention measures), and the full dataset of the first few participants, was collected prior to registration, but it was not accessed yet. See: https://osf.io/5b9xz.
成功老龄化通常与个人的适应能力相关联：即尽管面临损失或逆境，个人仍能保持或快速恢复其功能能力、幸福感和生活质量。适应能力的一个关键要素是行为适应性，它是指根据内部或外部需求，行为的适应性变化。然而，与年龄相关的执行功能退化可能导致意志问题，从而影响行为的灵活调整。相比之下，习惯性控制的依赖在晚年仍然相对完整，因此可能为老年人实现目标提供便捷途径。在当前研究中，我们检验了一种元认知自助干预（MCSI）是否可以通过逐渐实现高效例程的自动化来促进目标追求，从而有效地支持有和没有（亚临床）心理健康问题的老年人的行为适应性，以促进其适应能力和韧性。
这种元认知策略借鉴了健康和社会心理学以及临床心理学的原则，并整合了这两个领域中已建立的行为改变和激活技术的要素。此外，干预措施将根据个人的需求和挑战进行定制，认识到老年人之间存在着显著的多样性。
尽管存在一些可能限制结果普遍性的挑战，但我们的 MCSI 计划为赋予老年人控制自己目标和挑战的工具和策略提供了一种有希望的方法。这可以促进自主性和独立功能，从而为晚年的适应性和韧性做出贡献。
预先注册，部分为回顾性注册。本研究在主要部分数据收集、创建和实现之前进行了预先注册。只有部分参与者（包括基线和其他干预前测量）的数据的一小部分以及前几个参与者的完整数据集在注册之前收集，但尚未访问。请参见：https://osf.io/5b9xz。
