%0 Journal Article
%T Successful Aging: A Psychosocial Resources Model for Very Old Adults
%A G. Kevin Randall
%A Peter Martin
%A Mary Ann Johnson
%A Leonard W. Poon
%J Journal of Aging Research
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/934649
%X Objectives. Using data from the first two phases of the Georgia Centenarian Study, we proposed a latent factor structure for the Duke OARS domains: Economic Resources, Mental Health, Activities of Daily Living, Physical Health, and Social Resources. Methods. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two waves of the Georgia Centenarian Study to test a latent variable measurement model of the five resources; nested model testing was employed to assess the final measurement model for equivalency of factor structure over time. Results. The specified measurement model fit the data well at Time 1. However, at Time 2, Social Resources only had one indicator load significantly and substantively. Supplemental analyses demonstrated that a model without Social Resources adequately fit the data. Factorial invariance over time was confirmed for the remaining four latent variables. Discussion. This study¡¯s findings allow researchers and clinicians to reduce the number of OARS questions asked of participants. This has practical implications because increased difficulties with hearing, vision, and fatigue in older adults may require extended time or multiple interviewer sessions to complete the battery of OARS questions. 1. Introduction Aging is often conceptualized as a developmental challenge to maintain balance between the gains and losses of resources necessary for adaptation to age-related change, with losses increasing over the lifespan [1, 2]. Yet, Von Faber and colleagues [3] reminded us that, ¡°Successful aging as an optimal state implicates more than physical well-being and fits the World Health Organization¡¯s definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.¡± These resources-material, social, or personal characteristics essential for successful aging-hold a prominent position in studies of older adults [4¨C6]. Consequently, the need for a valid, reliable, and efficient resource measure, designed for use in clinical and community settings with older adults, arose. In response, Fillenbaum [7] and associates developed the Multidimensional Functional Assessment of Older Adults: The Duke Older Americans Resources and Services Procedures (OARS hereafter). Since development of the OARS, advances in statistical methodology, computer technology, and software programs have made factor analytic procedures commonplace, enabling researchers to suggest less complex and shorter versions of measurement scales and to model measurement error in empirical studies. To date,
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2012/934649/