Offprins from: European Journal of Psychological Assessment, Vol. 20, Issue 4, pp. 2 Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts Validation of the Subjective Aging Perception Scale (SAPS) Manuel de Gracia Blanco’, Josep Garre Olmo”, Maria Marcé Arbonés', and Pilar Monreal Bosch! "Departament de Psicologia, Universitat de Girona, Spain, Unidad de Demencias, Hospital de Sta. Caterina, Girona, Spain Keywords: Self-concept, psychological well-being, older adults ‘Summary: Self-concept is a construct consisting of a group of specific self- perceptions that are hierarchically organized. Age-associated changes of self-concept are related to the individual's perception of the changes ‘occurring throughout the aging process. The authors examined external validity and internal consistency of an trument that has been developed to assess self-concept in older adults and examined self-concept’s charac- teristics in two different contexts. Results confirm the multidimensionality of the scale and show a satisfactory external validity, indicating good discriminatory capacity. Findings support the hypothesis that older people who live in a nursing home have a poor self-esteem, self-concept, and psychological well-being and have a greater presence of depressive symptoms than people who live in their own home. Aging is a dynamic process over time that involves pro- gressive change in different aspects of life that must be taken into account in gerontological evaluation, combin- ing the relevant biological, psychological, and social fac~ tors. In this connection, quality of life (QoL) refers to a multidimensional construct that includes a wide and complex range of aspects conceming the individual's physical and psychological health, degree of independ- ence, social relations and personal beliefs, and their lationship with their surroundings (Shumaker, 1992). ‘The assessment of the various components of QoL. has been used as an indicator of the degree of satisfaction with aging (Krause, 1991). Self-concept, which correlates very closely with the degree of satisfaction with life (Diener, 1995) and has been shown to be a significant predictor of QoL, is made up of aset of references or perceptions that the individual has of himself or herself and includes judgments and values as to behavior, skills, and outward appearance. (Shavelson, 1982). EJPA 20 (4), © 2004 Hogree & Huber Publishers OI: 10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.262 Experts on the self have grappled with the issue of whether features of the self are fixedly stable or easily changed, On one hand, the self is viewed as multifaceted (Markus & Wurf, 1987). People draw on an enormous array of self-knowledge to construct specialized working self-concepts that enable them to function effectively in specific contexts (Cantor, 1986). In this view, seli= change is easy and frequent, and flexibility is the norm, On the other hand, the predictive power of unidimen- sional constructs such as self-esteem and the prevalence of self-maintenance imply that the self is well equipped to resist change (Tesser, 1986). A multifaceted view of the self draws attention to two types of features: self-concept content and self-concept structure (also referred to as self-organization). Features ‘of content include the total amount of information that a Person associates with the self, and its informational val- uue on dimensions such as valence (positive or negative) or domain (e-g., interpersonal, achievement). Self-struc- ture refers to the categories (self-aspects) that organize aM. de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts person’s store of self-relevant knowledge and reflect dif- ferent domains, roles, experiences, states, or traits of the self. Most of the recent advances in research on self-con- cept have focused on the development and validation of theoretical models (Byrne & Shavelson, 1986; Marsh & Holmes, 1990; Shavelson, Hubner, & Stanton, 1976; Strein, 1993), measurement issues and development of instruments (Marsh, 1988; Wylie, 1979), and exploring empirical relationships between self-concept facets and wide variety of constructs including sex, age, socioeco- nomic status, and academic achievement (Harter, 1989; Marsh, 1992: Marsh, Smith, & Barnes, 1985; Pottebaum, Keith, & Ehly, 1986). ‘The progress is due in part to a stronger emphasis placed in recent years on the multidimensionality of self concept instead of the global measure of the self (Marsh, 1993). The first such serious attempt was done by Sha- velson et al. (1976), who proposed a multifaceted hier- archical model of self-concept in preadolescents that em- phasized the domain specificity of self-concept while still recognizing a general construct. The model hypoth- esizes a general self-concept atthe top that spits into two facets: academic self-concept and nonacademic. These facets, in tum, divide into separate and more specific components, which are considered the evaluation of be- havior in specific situations. Moreover, self-concept was hypothesized to become increasingly differentiated with age. At the time the Shavelson model was introduced, there was little empirical support for it. More recent em- pirical researeh (Byme & Worth Gavin, 1996; Marsh 1990; Marsh & Shavelson, 1985) clearly supports the multidimensionality of self-concept. The change in self-concept theory led to a change in the design of the instruments that measure the construct, Instruments were developed that measure specific do- mains of self-concept and the a priori factors that are implicitly based on the multidimensionality models, Factor analysis is then used to refine and confirm these a priori factors. The Seli-Description Questionnaire-1 (SDQU; Marsh 1988, 1990) is one set of three instru- ments designed to measure the multiple dimensions of self-concept for preadolescents (SDQ-1), for early and middle adolescents (SDQ-ID, and for late adolescents and young adults (SDQ-II1), which are based on the Sha- yelson et al. (1976) model. More that 30 published factor analyses have identified the factors that each instrument is designed to measure. The SDQ-Lassesses three areas of nonacademic self-con- cept (reading, mathematics, and general school), four ar- eas of academic self-concept (physical ability, physical appearance, peer relations, and parent relationships), and ‘general self-concept, Research fas shown that the reliabil- ity of the scales is generally high (ot 2 0.80), that the cor- 263 relations among the factors are quite small (mean r <.20), and that academic achievement indicators are substantial- ly correlated with academic areas of self-concept but near- ly uncorrelated or even negatively correlated with nonac- ademic areas of self-concept and general self-concept (Marsh, 1988). To support the construct validity research, ‘numerous studies tested the validity of self-concept across age (e.g. Marsh, 1990), gender (e.g. Marsh, 1993), and ccultures (e.g. Watkins, Hattie, & Regmi, 1994; Watkins & Mipofu, 1994). These findings and the extensive work done by Marsh and colleagues provided impressive sup- port for the multidimensionality of the Shavelson model; however, the results with respect to the hierarchical order- ing were inconclusive (Marsh, 1990, 1993). The Shavel- son model requires self-concept to be substantially corre lated, but the small correlations actually observed, espe- cially between verbal and mathematical self-concepts, implies that any hierarchical self-concept structure of self- concept responses is weaker than anticipated. Although they pertain to different theories, there are a number of instruments that evaluate distinet aspects of self-concept, the most widely used of those instruments being the Self-Esteem Inventory (SEk; Coopersmith, 1982), the SDQ, and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS; Fitts, 1965), While some of these questionnaires have various approaches for use with different age groups (eg. the SDQ), none of them were specifically designed foruse with older adults and they do not, asa le, include the aspects of self-concept that are most sensitive to aging. The Escala de Percepcién Subjetiva del Enve- Jecimiento (Subjective Aging Perception Scale; SAPS; ide Gracia, Garre, & Mareé, 1999) is an instrument de- veloped to assess self-concept in older adults. The pre- liminary validation study shows that the scale is made up of a multidimensional model comprising four specific factors: physical self-concept, subjective perception of time, subjective perception of social relationships, and cognitive self-concept. In addition, this study pointed up significant differences in scores on the SAPS between the groups included in the sample, Persons living in res- {dential centers scored lower than subjects living in their own homes, lending support to a context-dependent QoL. model (Fernéndez-Ballesteros, 1997). The primary aims of the present study were (1) to es- tablish the external validity of the SAPS and confirm the factorial structure and internal consistency of the scale; and (2) to determine the characteristics of self-concept, self-esteem, psychological well-being, and depressive symptomatology in different contexts and the influence of depressive symptomatology in the self-concept, self- esteem, and psychological well-being. ‘To provide evidence of external validity, we tested the discriminant and convergent validity of the SAPS. For the establishment of the discriminant validity, according EJPA20 (4), © 2008 Hogrefe & Huber Publishersto previous research and current models of the self, which suggest that changes in the content of the self-con. cept should straightforwardly reflect changes on the con- tent of life events and any concomitant change in mood (Sedikides, 1992), we started with the assumption that the common circumstances to the aging process, such as isolation, a decrease in interpersonal relations, possible appearance of chronic illness and other stressful factors, may contribute to increased susceptibility to depression and have a negative influence on older adult’s perception of their self-concept. From this standpoint, a positive perception of self-concept would correlate positively with an absence of depressive symptomatology, while persons with a high degree of depressive symptomatol- ogy would show a negative perception of self-concept. It was decided to determine the discriminant validity by testing the SAPS's capacity to discriminate persons with and without depressive symptomatology. ‘To establish convergent validity, we tested the correla- tions between the SAPS score and self-esteem and well- 1g Measures because there isimportant evidence about the strong relationship between a positive self-concept and a positive self-esteem and well-being (Diener, 1995), To determine the influence of the context, we started from the main assumption that older adults who live in residential homes would show a more negative self-con- cept, self-esteem, psychological well-being, and a great- er presence of depressive symptomatology than older adults living in their own homes and carrying out the activities of daily life on an independent basis. ‘There is accumulating evidence that depressive symp- toms have considerable impact on the well-being and disability of older people (Gurland, 1992; Beekman, 1997). To assess the influence of mood we started form the assumption that, regardless of their place of resi- dence, persons with a high degree of depressive sympto- matology would have a less positive self-concept, self- esteem, and psychological well-being than persons with no depressive symptomatology. Materials and Methods Sample The sample was made up of individuals in retirement or early retirement over the age of 60 who had not been diagnosed with any cognitive disorder or psychiatric or neurological illness, and who were not taking any course Of psychopharmacological treatment. Place of residence was established as a criterion to form two groups. One group included persons with phys- ical autonomy and financial independence, with theit IPA 20 4), © 2004 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers 268 M. de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts ‘own home and who lived alone or with their spouse or close family members. These individuals were recruited through different social centers in the province of Girona (Spain), which they attended to carry out cultural or rec- reational activities. The second group was made up of persons who lived in public or private residential homes or specialized centers for older adults in the same prov- ince. This group included people with acertain degree of functional dependence and requiring assistance in carry- ing out the activities of daily life and also people with a satisfactory degree of functional independence, some of whom had their own or a family home but who lived part-time in the centers Aoone-stage cluster sampling method was used to select the sample. The primary sampling unit was all the social centers and all the public or private residential homes ex- isting in the province of Girona. Four social centers and four public or private residential homes were randomly selected. All subjects who were in those centers and who agreed to participate in the study were evaluated The sample comprised 153 participants, 66 of them in the group living in residences and 87 in the group living independently. Of the total sample, 41.8% were male and 58.2% were female with an average age of 70.35 (SD 4.55) and an age range of 61-79. The group of partici- pants living in residences had an average age of 73.68 (SD =3.01) and the group of participants living indepen- dently had an average age of 67.82 (SD =3.83),and there were significant differences between the two groups ( 10.257, df= 151; p<.001). Although there was a higher percentage of females in the group of participants living in residences (63% compared with 54%), the sex distri- bution did not give rise to significant differences (2 1.425, df= 1; p = 233). Materials The following psychometric instruments were used for the study: ~ The Subjective Aging Perception Scale (SAPS: de Gra- cia, Gare & Marc6, 1999) assessed various dimen- sions of self-concept (Coopersmith, 1982; Marsh, 1985 and Fitts, 1965) as well as relevant aspects of subjec~ tive well-being (Lawton, 1975: Liang, 1984; Slivinske, 1996 and Neugarten, 1961). The factorial validation study produced a structure with four factors: physical self-concept (PSC), cognitive self-concept (CSC), sub- jective perception of time (SPT), and subjective per- ception of social relations (SPSR), and each factor is composed of three items, The subject responds to each item on a7-point Likert type scale, from I (totally dis- agree) 107 (totally agree). It may be administered withM. de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts 265 the subject taking the test himself or herselfif he or she has no difficulty in reading and understanding the items, or it may be administered verbally to persons ‘with difficulties in comprehension, supporting the sub- Jject’s response with the help of a visual-analogical scale associating scores with a shade of color. The range of scores is from 12 to 84 points and the score is obtained by adding up the results for each factor. The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGC; Lawton, 1975) is a scale that evaluates “mo- rale,” taken as a multidimensional concept of psycho- logical well-being. In this connection, high morale is characterized by a feeling of satisfaction with oneself, a feeling that “one has a place in life,” and acceptance of circumstances that cannot be changed. This scale uses a dichotomie (yes-no) response system and has a split-half reliability of 0.79 and a high internal con- sistency (Cronbach's ot coefficient = 0.81). The 17- item version adapted to Spanish by Montoiro (1990) was used. Administration of the scale to older adults does not present any difficulties; the language is com- prehensible even to the very old and it can be admin- istered in writing or verbally by the interviewer. Since it isa very short scale, itis not tiresome and it is easy to maintain the subject’s level of attention throughout its administration. The scoring range is 0-17 points and the score is obtained by adding one point for each high-morale response. The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) is a scale that assesses the overall feeling of self-esteem. This is a self-evaluation test carried out by the individual on himself or herself and deals with his or her attitude, emotions and wishes, values and objectives. It comprises 10 Likert-type items referring to the subject's self-perception and perceived self-suf- ficiency. This scale has a split-half reliability of 0.79 (Krause, 1994), The scoring range is 10-40 points, with a high score interpreted as indicating a high de- agree of self-esteem. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; Yesavage, 1983) is a scale designed to assess depressive symp- tomatology in older adults, and unlike scales such as the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton De- pression Scale (Hamilton, 1960), both of which are ‘widely used in assessment of depressive symptoma- tology, its use in psychogeriatrics is somewhat limited, owing to the relative weight of physical symptoms in the total score, since such symptoms in older adults can be related either to depression or to other organic pathologies and may give rise to false positives. In this connection, the GDS is constructed specifically for older adults and various studies subsequent tothe orig- inal validation studies have confirmed its high degree of reliability and sensitivity (Cronbach's & coeffi- cient = 0.80; McGivney, 1994; Wisocki, 1991). In ad- dition, this scale has been the subject of a number of works validating and adapting it to Spanish (Perlado, 1987; Gonzilez, 1988; Izal, 1996). It consists of thirty items referring to the subject’s morale during the past week, using a dichotomic (yes-no) response system witha scoring range of 0 to 30 points. The cut-off point indicating the presence of depressive symptomatolo- gy is situated at 11 or more points, Procedure Data collection was carried out on an individual basis by two experienced interviewers. The data was collected in social centers and residences for older adults in a number of towns in the province of Girona (Spain). A brief inter- view was held with the people in charge of each of those centers and institutions to inform them of the purpose of the study and to obtain their consent (at the geriatric institutions, permission was requested to interview per- sons with no diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impait- ‘ment) and the interviewers then asked the subjects to take part. A brief presentation of the objectives of the research. ‘was made, along with the instruments, and the subject ‘was then asked for his or her consent to the administra- tion of the questionnaires and was assured that the infor- mation gathered would remain anonymous. ‘Administration of the four scales to each participant took approximately 50 minutes. Before administering the scales, the interviewer gave a brief explanation ofthe kind ‘of questions included in the scale and how to answer them, then read each item to the participant and asked him or her to respond. The scales were presented in the fol- lowing order: SAPS, PGC, RSES, and GDS. To gather the data for the SAPS, the interviewer showed the participant card with a numerical scale of seven points in which each possible score was matched to a color. The visual analogical scale was made up of a series of shades of red and green varying from darker lighter. The dark red was associated with the response “Totally disagree” and the dark green with “Totally agree,” with a decrease in agree- ‘ment with the question matching decrease in the intensity of the color. The interviewee could refer to the numerical value or point directly to the response on the card. This same system was used with the RSES, since the Likert- type scoring system allowed the preparation of a visual analogical scale of four points. The PGC and the GDS were administered by reading each item to the participant and asking for an affirmative or negative response. Once the data was collected, 7% of the questionnaires were eliminated owing to a lack of consistency in the responses or because the replies were incomplete owing. to reticence on the part of the participants during the interview. EJPA 20 4), © 2004 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers266 M. de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts Statistical Analysis A factor analysis of the main components with varimax rotation (Kaiser normalization) was made to confirm the factorial structure of the questionnaire. The criteria used to establish the cut-off point in the selection of factors ‘was the requirement that they havea characteristic ejgen- value greater than 1 and justify a minimum of 75% of the variance. Internal consistency was determined by means of a Cronbach's ct coefficient. Verification of the compound factorial structure sup- ported by four latent constructs (dimensions) of the seale was established through a confirmatory factor analysis, and the model was fitted to the data using the computer programs PRELIS 2 and LISREL 8 (Joreskog, 1993) based on a variance-covariance matrix obtained from the raw data, To determine the adequacy of the model, a num- ber of indices were examined: the 7? index; the quotient of 72 and degrees of freedom (df); the residual mean ‘squared error (RMSR) (Marsh, 1988); the goodness of fit index (GFD, which measures the relative amount of the variances and covariances jointly accounted for by the model (Maruyama, 1998); the Root Mean Square Error Approximation (RMSEA), which measures the discrep- ancy as measured by the maximum likelihood function per degree of freedom (Steiger, 1990); the adjusted good- ness of fit index (AGFD (J&reskog, 1989); the non-nor- ‘malized fit index (NFI); and the compared fit index (CFI). ‘The scale’s convergent validity was determined via the Pearson correlation coefficient between the SAPS score and the PGC and RSES scales. We carried out two factorial analyses of principal ‘components for each of the groups with the aim of de- Table 1. Factor analysis and internal consistency of the SAPS. tecting possible variations in the factorial structure de- pending on the place of residence. In order to detect differences in self-concept, se teem, psychological well-being, and depressive sympto- ‘matology depending on the place of residence, we car- ried out a variance analysis (ANOVA) of the scores on the SAPS, PGC, RSES, and GDS between the group of participants living in residences and the group living in- dependently. ‘A second classification of the participants was made con the basis of their score on the GDS (< I] and > 11) to assess discriminant validity of the SAPS and to deter- mine the effect of depressive symptomatology on self concept, self-esteem, and psychological well-being by means of an ANOVA of the SAPS, PGC, and RSES scores between the two groups. Results Factorial Validation, Internal Consistency, Structural Analysis, Convergent Validity ‘The average forall iterns of the SAPS was between 3.47 and 4.64 (range 1-7) with standard deviations of be- tween 1.64 and 2.05 points. On the basis of the selection criteria, we obtained 4 factors that explained 89.94% of the total variance in the ‘questionnaire and confirmed the factorial structure of the SAPS. The first factor was PSC (items 9, 1, and 5), fol- lowed by SPSR (items 11, 7, and 3), CSC as the third factor (items 4, 8, and 12) and SPT as the fourth factor Items Factor? Factor? = Factor3 == Factoré. = M SD Iter-Total Cortelation PSC (a) 083 361 181 089 PSCia) 089 347 198 030 PSC) 0.30 3.90 197 asi PSR (11) 89 459 185 086 PSR (7) os7 464 183 086 SPSR (3) 86 460 193 086 ese (12) 029 430 164 08s ose (4) 088 420 176 08a csc (8) 083 434 169 090 SPT 6) 086 442 199 84 SPT (10) 0.85 444 197 oss Sr (2) 084 435 205 087 Eigenvalue 650 1914 122 1d of factor variance 23.82 2250 2208 2181 % of total variance 8994 Crontach's or 035 093 ost 031 Note. PSC = physical self-concept, SPSR — subjective perceation of social relations, CSC = cognitive self-conceot, SPT = subjective perception of time. JPA 20 (4).© 2004 Hogrefe & Huber PublishersM, de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts 267 Tobie 3, Factor analysis of SAPS according to place of residence, Resigences Independent lem Factor Item Factor SPSR CSC SPT PSC MSD PSC CSC SPSR SPT MSO SPSR(I1) Og 343, 1.90 PSC 9) 095 441 202 SPSRI7) oa1 334 179 PSC (1) 095 479211 SPSRI3) 090 330 190 PSC (5) 94 437185, esc{12) 91 325 159 ese 2) 093 8191.10 cca) 089 289 1.60 ese (12) 080 5081.18 csc) 083) 313 181 csc ia} 088 52617 SPT(10) 087 263° 142 SPSR(11) 08s Ba? 123 sera) 086 237 124 SPSR(3) 088 559 126 SPT) gs 259° 140 SPSR (7) 083 5621.01 Pscig) gs 224 102 SPT (6) 07a 581 99 PSCtB) 083 260 1.16 SPT (2) 072 586 097 PSc(a) O74 272 085 SPT (10) 06+ 567 097 Eigenvalue 4.20 -2.29168—«187 Eigenvalue 3.16 254 202 138 Gof variance 2310 2135 1922 1771 Gb of variance 23.74 20.56 18.11 13.65 ‘6 of total variance = 81.39 of total variance = 76.08 Crontach’se 0.82 093 091 088 Cronbec’s ce 096 080 0.85 089 ‘Note: PSC = physical self-concept, SPSR = subjective perception of social relations, CSC ~ cognitive self-concept, SPT = subjective perception of time. Toble 2 Statistical Index of Fit Mode 22 __a2ldf_RVSR GFL AGH ONAL CH RMSEA 6535 136 003 093 089 097 a9 O04 df= 48 (items 2, 6, and 10). The factors in this scale showed satisfactory indicators of internal consistency, with a Cronbach's 0. coefficient of over 0.90 for the four sub- scales making up the SAPS (Table 1). Table 2 shows the most relevant indices for assess- ‘ment of adequacy of the proposed model by LISREL 8 analysis for the 12 items of the scale. Depending on the indices proposed, there are various criteria for determin- ing goodness of fit (Marsh, 1988; McDonald, 1990). The 2 index, if not significant, indicates goodness of fit, al- though itis rarely attained in practice. A 72/df quotient lower than 0.2 also suggests goodness of fit. An RMSR index of 0.10 indicates good fit, although a value close 0 0.05 could be seen as better, Values of around 0.90 for the GFI and AGFI also suggest that the model is appro- priate. It is suggested that RMSEA values below 0.08 represent acceptable fit, and that values at or below 0.05 represent good fit (Browne & Cudek, 1993). A value of over 0.90 for the NFI and CFI also serves as a supplementary indicator of good fit (Bentler, 1990). All of the values relating manifest variables to latent di- mensions and the coefficients relating those dimensions among themselves were significant (p < .05). Figure 1 shows a graphic representation of the factorial structure of the scale, made up of the 12 iterns loaded on four latent constructs proposed for the model. These evidences sug- ‘gest that the items form a coherent set measuring a di tinet construct. A factor analysis by context of residence was made. The selection ofthe factors in each group was made on the basis of the same criteria for the overall factor analysis (eigen- value > 1; percentage of explained variance > 75%). In both groups, a factorial combination of four factors comprising the same items was obtained, but with a dif- ferent factorial structure. The group of participants living in residences showed a higher percentage of total vari- ance explained than the group of participants living in- dependently (81.39% vs. 76.08%). The percentages of variance explained for each factor were similar in both groups, ranging between 13% and 23%. The factors se- lected in both groups were formed ofthe same variables and the difference was in the factorial weights of each factor. The scale showed satisfactory internal consisten- ey in both groups (Table 3). The Pearson correlation coefficient between the total score on the SAPS and the criteria scales, PGC, and RSES to test convergent validity, was moderately high between both scales (r= 488, p < 001; and r = 508,p < 001, respectively). Discriminant Validity and Analysis of Self- Concept: Influence of Context and Mood The analysis of variance of scores on the subscales of the SAPS, PGC, GDS, and RSES between the participants IPA 20 4), © 2004 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers2 Physical Self-Concept 043 054 Cognitive Self-Concept 058 037 Subjective Perception Bp of Time 0.54 Subjective Perception Social Relations Figure 1. Coefficient estimates and starndard effor estimates fr four-fator m living in residences and participants living independent- ly pointed up the existence of significant differences be~ tween the two groups; PSC (F = 62.20, p< .001), CSC (06.43, p <.001), SPT (F = 461.93, p <.001), SPSR (F = 94.18, p < 001), PGC (F = 19.59, p< 001), GDS (F =5:9, p <.02), and RSES (F = 34.44, p <.001) (Ta- ble 4). ‘A higher percentage of individuals with depressive symptomatology was found in the group of participants living in residences (72 = 4.184, df= 1; p <.05). Analysis Of the variance in scores on the subscales of the SAPS, PGC, and RSES between participants with depressive ‘symptomatology and participants showing no depressive symptoms pointed up significant differences between the two groups; PS (F = 34.53, p <.001), CS (F= 10.27, p< JPA 20 (),© 2004 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers 68 M. de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts 1.87 PSC-1 9 1.67 PSC-5, +32 186 PSC-9 a4 1.75 csc-4 | +— 69 168 yf escs | <— 33 1.69 CSC-12 |<4—— 60 1.66 SPT-2 + 1.60 ‘SPT-6 tH 1a SPT-10 | <—— 63 191_-y] SPsR-3 | — 55 1.76 Spsk7 | <— 86 1.80 the SARS 002), SPT (F = 12.31, p< .001), SPSR (F = 5.77, p< 017), PGC (F = 15.74, p < 001), and RSES (F = 23.72, p< .001), with participants showing depressive sympto- matology scoring lower on all the scales (Table 5). Discussion ‘The results obtained from analysis of the factorial struc~ ture of the SAPS confirm the multidimensionality of the scale proposed in the preliminary validation study (de Gracia, Garre, & Mares, 1999). The factor analysis of principal components grouped the 12 items of the scale into four factors reflecting the four underlying dimen-M. de Gracia Blanco et al.: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts 269 Table 4. Comparison of mean scares on SAPS, PGC, GDS, and RSES by plece of residence Groups| Scale Residences independent pe n= 66 n=87 Subjective Aging Perception Seale (SAPS) Physical Self-Concept ” 287 13.58 6220" So 254 577 Cognitive Self-Concept M 928 1555 106.43" sD 436 314 Subjective Perception of Time M 760 1748 46193" 90 381 214 Subjective Perception of Social Relations. «= iM 10.08 16.88 94.18 3 527 3.08 Philadelphia Geriatric Scale (PSC) 856 1094 19.59" sD 335 3.25 Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) M 11.63 258 548" so 605 499 Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) M 2118 2785 3446 so. 652 632 Note:*p <.001; "df= {eat & Comparison of mean scores on SAPS, PGC, and RSES between participants with depressive symptoms and participants without depressive symptoms. Groups: Scale Geriatric Depression Scale Geriatric Depression Scale p (cutpoint > = 11) (cut point < 11) n=60 n= 93 Subjective Aging Perception Scale Physical SelF-Concept M 803 1290 3453" SD. 4.08 552 Cognitive Self-Concept u 1133 1382 1027 SD 481 462 Subjective Perception of Time M 1130 1447 1231" SD 575 525 Subjective Perception of Social Relations. 1258 1465, S77 50 528 515 Philadelphis Geriatric Scale m 855, 1077 1574" sD 304 352 Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale u 2148 27.06 277" EY 3.48 3.02 Note:*p <.001, “p<.01,20f=1. sions of self-concept, i.e. PSC, CSC, SPSR, and SPT, the same as in the preliminary validation, and explaining 89.94% of the total variance of scores. The LISREL structural model supports the hypothesis that self-concept has a multidimensional structure sus- tained by a group of basic dimensions. The advantage of using the LISREL analysis to examine the factorial struc- ture is that it allows testing of a previously established theoretical model by means of a group of indicators that show how well the data ft the proposed theoretical mod- el. In connection with the multidimensionality of the scale, itis important to distinguish between exploratory and confirmatory analyses such as those carried out, since the former is used to explore empirical data with the aim of detecting significant relationships and charac- teristics without imposing any definitive model on the data, while the second is used to assume a model to de- scribe and explain the empirical data in terms of a small number of parameters The confirmatory model is based on a priori informa- tion on the structure of the data by means of a specific theory or hypothesis, via a design of classification items or subsets depending on the objective characteristics of form and content, known experimental conditions, or knowledge or prior studies (JOreskog, 1993), in our case Marsh's theory of self-concept (1985), As postulated by this author, our data suggest that self-concept consists of 4 group of specific self-perceptions that are hierarchical- JPA 20 4).© 2004 Hoprefe & Huber Publishers270 M, de Gracia Blanco et al: Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts ly organized and that differences in the order ofthe fac~ tors between the group of subjects living in residences and the group of participants living independently corre~ spond to the influence of specific experiences or situa tions on the organization of self-concept. In this respect, ‘a number of studies suggest an evolutionary process of change and progressive stability of self-concept through- ‘out the aging process (Coleman, 1996) and that the dif- ferent contexts are related to the individual's perception lof the changes occurring throughout the aging process (Shmotkin, 1996). ‘Overall, taking into account both groups included in the sample (those living independently and those living in residences), the self-concept assessed by the SAPS is structured with the PSC as the dimension with the great~ cest factorial weight, followed by PSR, CSC and SPT in last place. Data is consistent with the fact that perceived hhealth has a high impact on satisfaction with life, of which self-concept forms a part, Correlations between the four factors show a close connection between them and its, therefore, plausible to suppose that the negative perception of some of those dimensions would have an impact on the subjective well-being and QoL of older ‘adults. Various studies that have found high correlations between self-concept and satisfaction with life support this hypothesis (Krause, 1990; Adelman, 1994) ‘The differences observed in the factorial structure of the scale between participants living in residences and participants living independently suggest that, in spite of the stability of the dimensions of self-concept, their or- ‘ganization is sensitive to external factors. The results show that for the participants living in residences, social relations are the principal factor in their assessment of their self-concept, followed by CSC, perception of time, and PSC, while for the participants living independently the principal factor is PSC, followed by CSC, perception of their social relations and their perception of time. Our results can be interpreted in the ight of other studies and thus, in connection with social relations, it has been ob- served that participants living in residences are less sat- isfied with their interpersonal relations than subjects liv- ing in their own home (Feméndez-Ballesteros, 1997). In this respect, it appears logical that subjects living in res- idences should see social interaction as an important el- cement of perception of their self-concept. In respect of physical self-concept, a recent study of QoL in residential surroundings (Farré, 1999) showed that 76% of those living in residences described their health as “middling,” including both healthier individu- als (60%) and those actually suffering from chronic ill- ness and/or disability (15%). This information agrees with the “happiness paradox” observed in older adults (Baltes, 1990), in which older adults show a positive de- gree of satisfaction with life regardless of their physical [EIPA20(4), © 2008 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers condition and functional capacity. From this standpoint, itis congruent that for subjects living in residences PSC should be the least important factor of their self-concept In this connection, the fact that SPSR is the first factor in the group of participants living in residences supports the notion that satisfactory social interaction in participants ‘with disabilities or chronic illnesses has a high relative ‘weight in their positive assessment of their psychological well-being (Lawton, 1999). These results support the no~ tion of a different hierarchical structure of the factors of the SAPS depending on the residential context, In this connection, physical and cognitive assessments are the dimensions with greatest importance for the structure of self-concept in subjects living independently. These findings agree with other studies; the validation study of Elderly Behavior Assessment for Relatives (EBAR; Pez~ zuti-Lina, 2000), carried out with a group of older adults living in their own home with good health and no cogni- tive impairment, found a high correlation between the assessment made by subjects of their cognitive disposi- tion and the activities of everyday life. “The data suggest that a good referent for physical and cognitive state is related to mobility and the level of daily activity and influences the perception of social relations. ‘The differences observed between the groups support a dynamic model of perception of self-conceptand suggest that that perception is sensitive to variations in surround ings, “The concurrent validity of the questionnaire pointed up the fact that the SAPS correlates significantly with the different criteria scales used. The results confirm that a positive self-concept is necessary for adequate seli-es- teem and satisfactory psychological well-being. The SAPS distinguishes between participants with and with ‘out depressive symptomatology, since participants with scores on the GDS indicating the presence of depressive symptomatology have low scores in the assessment of their self-concept. These data are indicative of the good discriminatory capacity of the SAPS. ‘The relation between place of residence and self-con- cept, subjective well-being, self-esteem, and the pres- ence of depressive symptomatology is consistent with the initial hypothesis. The results of this study suggest a greater presence of depressive symptomatology in indi ‘viduals living in residential centers. This group's averaze score on the GDS was 11.68 (SD = 6.05), while the score for the group of participants living in their own home was below the cut-off point (& 11). These data concur with Titerature, since, although depression or the presence of depressive symptoms is the most frequent emotional problem in older adults (Addonizio, 1993), the rate of prevalences significantly higher among people living in residential centers (National Institute of Health, 1991). In addition, participants living in residences have lower