Optimism among institutionalized elderly: A gender study

Pages: 371-373
Shilpa Singh and Archana Shukla (Department of Psychology, Lucknow University, Lucknow, UP)

The present research aims to study the level of optimism among institutionalized male and female elderly. For the purpose, a study was conducted on a purposive sample consisting of 200 elderly (62-72 yrs.) staying in various institutionalized homes of Delhi. The Hindi version of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (or Optimism Scale) by Schrier and Carver (1985) was used for the present study. An overview of the results depicted that a major section of the elderly population under study had high level of optimism. Gender differences were observed as females were found to be more optimistic as compared to males.