ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE FULFILLMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS

Raul Gutierrez-Herrera, Alejandra Moraila-Baez, Hector Riquelme-Heras*, Maricruz Montelongo Rodriguez, Yeyetzy Ordoñez-Azuara

Upon reaching the final stage of the family life cycle, the goal is to fulfill developmental tasks and achieve a degree of healthy aging, recognizing that simply reaching a certain age is not synonymous with illness. Furthermore, studies have focused on the predominant life cycle stage during adolescence, a period marked by various family crises that negatively impact family functioning and individual quality of life. Objective: To determine the relationship between the fulfillment of developmental tasks and the quality of life of older adults attending Family Medicine Physician. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study. Setting at Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital Universitario UANL. Mexico. Study population: Older adults of any sex attending Family Medicine Physician. (> 60 years). Results: The study included 149 older adult patients, of whom 50 (33.55%) were male, and 99 (66.44%) were female, with a mean age of 67 and a median of 68.7, ranging from 60 to 94. The WHOQOL-OLD scale was used to assess perceived quality of life. A mean score of 90.83 was obtained, corresponding to a high quality of life in 59.06% An analysis found that 58.46% (n=87) of the older adult population fulfill the developmental tasks corresponding to their stage in the family life cycle. Discussion-Conclusion: A weak negative correlation was identified between the family life cycle and the completion of developmental tasks (rₛ = –0.313, p < 0.05). This indicates that the completion of developmental tasks tends to decrease as the family approaches more advanced stages of its life cycle