资源描述:
《The elderly in a period of transition》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、TheElderlyinaPeriodofTransitionHealth,Personality,andSocialAspectsofAdaptationIGNATC.PETROVMedicalUniversity,Sofia,BulgariaABSTRACT:Thedramaticchangesinoverallmodeoflifeexperiencedsince1989bythepeopleinCentralandEasternEurope(CEE)providesagoodopportunitytostudythe
2、agingprocessesandthestatusoftheelderly.Inthe1980s,CEEcountrieswerealreadyatanadvancedstageofdemographicagingoftheirpopulations.Thefirstyearsoftheperiodoftransitionfromtotalitarianismtodemocracyandmarketeconomiesweremarkedwithanabruptbutvaryingdegreeofeconomicandso
3、cialdeteriorationinCEE.Thiswasfollowedbypartialimprovement.Earlier,inthelate1960sand1970s,mortalityrateshadincreasedalongwithastagnationanddecreaseoflifeexpectancyinCEE.ThiscontrastedwiththesteadyimprovementintheEuropeanUnion(EU)duringthe1970sand1980s.By1989,there
4、alreadywasastrikinggapinlifeexpectancybetweeneasternandwesternEurope,revealingtheexistenceofanEast–Westhealthdivide.ThemostimportanthealthproblemscontributingtogreatermortalityinCEEprovedtobecardiovascularandalcohol-relateddiseasesaswellasviolenceandinjury.Suicide
5、ratesalsowerefoundhigheramongthe(elderly)populationinthecountriesofCEEandRussiacomparedwiththeWest.Thegapwasmostexpressedamongthemen.Thereasonsfordeteriorationinhealtharecomplex.Thereisevidencethatnegativeeconomicandsocialchangescanleadtopsychoso-cialstressandtoun
6、healthybehaviors.Themoraleoftheelderlypeopleintransitionwasaffectedandmany-sided.TheSofiastudydescribedherehasrevealedpositiveaswellasnegativepersonalattitudestowardthechangesinlife.Feelingsofliberation,hope,andnewperspectiveswerereportedalongwithsentimentsofdisap
7、pointment,pessimism,andfear.Insum,transitionprocesseshaverununevenlyindifferentcountriesandhavehaddifferingimpactsonindividuals.Nevertheless,generaltrendstowardimprovingtheeconomic,psychosocial,andhealthaspectsoftheelderlyarerecentlyprevailing.KEYWORDS:aging;elder
8、ly;transition;EasternEuropeAddressforcorrespondence:IgnatC.Petrov,BoulevardVitosha36,Sofia1000,Bulgaria.Voice:(+3592)9876877;fax:(+3592)9874145.ignatpet