Self-transcendence (ST) among very old people--its associations to social and medical factors and development over five years.
Astrid Norberg, Berit Lundman, Yngve Gustafson, Catharina Norberg, Regina Santamäki Fischer, Hugo Lövheim
Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2015.04.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Correlational, prospective, longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 190 |
| Population | Oldest old people recruited from a medium-sized town and adjacent rural area in northern Sweden (123 women and 67 men) |
| Duration | 5-year follow-up |
| Measures | self-transcendence scale (STS) |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Negative life-events Oldest old Self-transcendence |
| Key findings | Self-transcendence was positively associated with psychological wellbeing, self-rated health, having someone to talk with, and independent outdoor mobility, while depression, dementia, osteoporosis, residential care, and loneliness were associated with lower self-transcendence scores. More negative life events were associated with a larger decline in self-transcendence over five years, suggesting that accumulated setbacks may threaten the ability to transcend them. |
Abstract
The aims of this study were to describe the associations between ST and psychological and physical wellbeing among oldest old people and to test the influence of negative life events on ST, and the predictive value of the self-transcendence scale (STS) for mortality. ST has been identified as a valuable resource for transcending psychological and physical suffering and has been related to psychological wellbeing and higher quality of life. The study design was correlational, prospective, and longitudinal. The participants were recruited from a medium-sized town and from an adjacent rural area in northern Sweden. The sample consisted of 190 participants (123 women and 67 men) who completed the STS. At a 5-year follow-up, 55 people (29.5%) were alive and able to complete the assessments again. ST was positively associated with psychological wellbeing, self-rated health, having someone to talk with and being able to go outdoors independently. Diagnoses of depression, dementia disease, and osteoporosis were associated with lower STS scores as were living in a residential care facility, and feeling lonely. There was a significant relationship between the index of negative life events and ST between baseline and follow-up. More negative life events were associated with a larger decline in STS scores over five years. ST is an important source for wellbeing among the oldest old, and the accumulation of negative life events might threaten the ability to transcend setbacks.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Residually depressed patients and nondepressed controls; recovered depressed patients | 2002 | Observational cohort with intervention components | |
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 59 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
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- Correlates of Self-Transcendence in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review İzmir Katip Çelebi Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi June 14, 2025
- Self-Transcendence as a Risk and Resilience Factor in Individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry December 20, 2024
- Self-Transcendence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Reminiscence Functions and Death Anxiety: Implications for Psychiatric Nurses Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association May 19, 2023
- Relationship between family functioning and self-transcendence in patients with breast cancer: A network analysis Frontiers in Public Health November 17, 2022
and 4 more in the library
Cites 19
- Rediscovering the Later Version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Self-Transcendence and Opportunities for Theory, Research, and Unification Review of General Psychology December 1, 2006
- Resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life and self-transcendence in relation to perceived physical and mental health among the oldest old Aging & Mental Health July 1, 2005
- Self-Transcendence and Mental Health in Oldest-Old Adults Nursing Research 1991
- Self-Transcendence as a Human Phenomenon Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 1, 1966
- The Lived Experience of Self-Transcendence in Women with Advanced Breast Cancer Nursing Science Quarterly December 1, 1990
and 14 more in the library