ABSTRACT
During the pandemic, older adults were perceived as a vulnerable group without considering their various strengths. This study explored the associations between character strengths and resilience, and verified if some of these could predict resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 92 participants (women = 79.1%), ≥ 70 years of age (mean = 75.6 years), completed an online version of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths - Positively keyed (VIA-IS-P) to assess 24 character strengths (grouped under six virtues) and the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale. Results showed that 20 of the 24 strengths correlated positively and significantly with resilience. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the virtues of courage and transcendence, as well as attitudes toward aging, uniquely predicted the level of resilience. Interventions should be developed to improve certain strengths (e.g., creativity, zest, hope, humor, and curiosity), while reducing ageism, in order to promote resilience.
ABSTRACT
Suicide prevention is a healthcare and social justice priority. Older adults have the highest rates of suicide and the highest COVID-19 fatality rates in North America. The combined impacts of social isolation, fear of infection, apathy, and hopelessness could amplify suicide risk among older adults, as appears to have been the case during the 2003 SARS epidemic in Hong Kong. Innovative interventions are thus needed to promote social interaction and reduce risk for suicide in these challenging times. We are currently testing an online version of our Meaning-Centered Men’s Group (MCMG;Heisel et al., 2020), an upstream psychological intervention designed to promote psychological well-being and reduce suicide risk among men struggling with the transition to retirement, in the context of pandemic-related public health restrictions. This presentation will focus on adaptations to MCMG for online delivery, and share participant experiences and findings on positive and negative psychological outcomes.