The mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between feelings of alienation and self-care ability among rural elderly living alone: A cross-sectional study

This paper explores the relationship between the self-care capabilities of elderly individuals living alone in rural areas and their feelings of alienation and psychological resilience. The objective is to provide references for enhancing the self-care abilities of these rural elderly individuals living alone. In this study, we employed a general information questionnaire, a Senior Isolation Scale, a Psychological Resilience Scale, and a Self-Elderly Care Ability Scale to survey 925 rural empty-nest elderly residents in Hulunbuir city, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The objective was to validate the mediating role of psychological resilience in the impact of the sense of isolation among rural empty-nest elderly on their self-care ability in old age. The scores for feelings of alienation among rural elderly living alone were 45.52 ± 5.28. The scores for psychological resilience were 80.21 ± 6.35, and the scores for self-care capacity in old age were 140.45 ± 17.59. A negative correlation was observed between feelings of alienation and psychological resilience (r = -0.459, P < .001), as well as between feelings of alienation and self-care capacity (r = -0.651, P < .001). Conversely, a positive relationship was identified between psychological resilience and self-care capacity (R = 0.452, P < .001). Psychological resilience plays a mediating role in the impact of feelings of alienation on self-care capacity among the rural elderly living alone. The sense of alienation experienced by elderly individuals living alone in rural areas can directly impact their self-care ability in old age. Additionally, it can indirectly affect their self-care capacity by influencing their level of psychological resilience.