Late Life in the Living Room: Room D écor, Functional Limitations, and Personality

This study combines these perspectives to examine how room décor (i.e., furnishings, design, decoration) corresponds with functional limitations and personality in late life.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Older adults aged 65+ (N = 286) completed interviews regarding living arrangements, functional limitations, personality and depressive symptoms. Participants provided three to four photographs of the room where they spend the most time. Raters coded photographs for physical adaptations for functional limitations and 19 features of décor (e.g., crowding, color), fitting three categories: a) newness, b) comfort, and c) cheerfulness. We estimated linear regression models to examine how functional limitations or personality are associated with room décor, and whether living arrangement moderates these links. We also assessed whether room décor moderates functional limitations or personality predicting depressive symptoms.RESULTS: Functional limitations were associated with greater clutter, and less brightness. Extraversion was associated with newness and cheerfulness (but not comfort); conscientiousness with newness and comfort (but not cheerfulness). Openness was associated with more newness and cheerfulness for those who live alone. Moderation models revealed functional limitations were associated with fewer depressive symptoms if the room was more cluttered. Conscientiousness was negatively associated with depressive symptoms when the room was higher on newness or comfort.D...
Source: The Gerontologist - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: research