Monika Ardelt

This study investigated the relationship between wisdom and marital satisfaction in older Polish couples, examining benevolence and resentment/avoidance as mediators. Successful aging involves maintaining emotional well-being and strong social bonds, yet research on marital satisfaction in adults aged 60+ remains limited. The cross-sectional sample comprised 194 couples aged 60–75 years ( M _women = 64.26, SD = 4.75; M _men = 65.71, SD = 5.31), married on average 39 years. Participants completed the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, the Marital Offence-Specific Forgiveness Scale, and measures of specific and global marital satisfaction. Spouses’ own wisdom positively predicted marital satisfaction, with greater benevolence and lower resentment/avoidance mediating this relationship. Higher wisdom was associated with more benevolence and less resentment, which in turn related to greater marital satisfaction. Partner effects indicated that wives were more responsive to husbands’ wisdom than vice versa.

Previous research found an inverse U-shaped association between age and different measures of wisdom, with the apex in late midlife. What might explain the negative relation between age and wisdom during the later years of life? This research investigated the impact of subjective physical health and mastery, using data from the Successful AGing Evaluation (SAGE) study of 976 adults between the ages of 51 and 99 years (M = 77.23, SD = 12.18). Physical health tends to decline with advancing years and, therefore, might reduce older adults’ sense of mastery and control over their lives, which might adversely affect their wisdom. Results showed that age correlated negatively with subjective health, wisdom, and mastery. In multivariate regression and path analyses, the negative relations of age and ill health on wisdom became non-significant after mastery was entered into the model. If wisdom declines in old age due to ill health that results in a perceived loss of mastery, enabling older adults to maintain their sense of control might preserve wisdom.

Depression among young South Koreans has been sharply increasing. The life course perspective and cumulative disadvantage theory suggest a link between poor mental health and difficulties in the transition to work in the context of prolonged economic uncertainties. Using the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS, Waves 1–13), this research used structural equation modeling to examine the reciprocal associations between non-stable employment and depressive symptoms among Koreans in their 20s, born between 1979 and 1990 ( N = 1,441) and how they are moderated by educational attainment and gender. Results show that earlier disadvantages in employment and mental health accumulated across young adulthood through social causation, health selection, and path dependence influences. This process varied by educational attainment but not gender; less-educated young adults were at greatest risk of accumulated disadvantages. Our findings underscore that employment precarity and mental health are intertwined, requiring increased supports for young adults, especially for the less educated.

Late adulthood is marked by challenges that impact well-being. While perceived health, wisdom, and positive attitudes toward aging correlate with better mental health in later life, their interrelations are not well understood. This study explored if three-dimensional wisdom could buffer the negative impact of poor physical health on mental health, and if positive attitudes toward aging mediated the effects of wisdom and poor health on mental health. A survey of 500 Polish older adults aged 60-86 included the Personal Wellbeing Index, Geriatric Depression Scale, Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire, perceived health, and sociodemographic questions. Wisdom buffered the negative association between poor physical health on mental health and had a significantly stronger effect on mental health if perceived physical health was very poor. The relations of wisdom, poor health, and the interaction between wisdom and poor health on mental health were partially mediated by attitudes toward aging. Wisdom seems to mitigate the negative effects of poor health on mental health, and wise older adults tend to have more positive attitudes toward aging, leading to better mental health outcomes. Those findings support the important role played by wisdom and attitudes toward aging in healthy aging interventions.

ObjectivesAlthough studies have shown that wisdom is positively related to mental health in older adults, little is known about its possible mechanisms. The current study examines whether health-related behavior can play a mediating role in the relationships between wisdom and geriatric depressive symptoms.MethodsThe study included 334 Polish older adults aged 60-99 years (M = 71.91; SD = 7.01). The respondents completed the Geriatric Depression Scale, Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, Health-Related Questionnaire for Seniors, and a sociodemographic survey.ResultsThree-dimensional wisdom and its three dimensions correlated negatively with geriatric depressive symptoms but positively with general health-related behavior and its factors. Health-related behavior acted partially as a mediator between wisdom and geriatric depressive symptoms.ConclusionWiser seniors tend to take part in more health-promoting behavior, which may prevent depressive symptoms. The findings support the important role played by wisdom in mental health-promoting interventions for older adults.