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Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore if inner strength is independently associated with a reduced prevalence of depression after controlling for other known risk factors associated with depression.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was performed, where all women living in Åland, a Finnish self-govern island community in the Baltic Sea, aged 65 years or older were sent a questionnaire including the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Inner Strength Scale along with several other questions related to depression. Factors associated with depression were analyzed by means of multivariate logistic regression.

Results: The results showed that 11.2% of the studied women (n = 1452) were depressed and that the prevalence increased with age and was as high as 20% in the oldest age group. Non-depressed women were more likely to never or seldom feel lonely, have a strong inner strength, take fewer prescription drugs, feeling needed, being able to engage in meaningful leisure activities, as well as cohabit.

Conclusion: Our results showed an association between stronger inner strength and being non-depressed. This can be interpreted to mean that inner strength might have a protective effect against depression. These findings are interesting from a health-promotion perspective, yet to verify these results, further longitudinal studies are required.

By identifying sources of inner strength, health care personnel can be given valuable information about elderly people's capacities regardless of frailty. The focus of this interview-based study was to explore how inner strength and its dimensions can be identified in narratives of elderly women. The analysis was based on a theoretical model where inner strength is composed of 4 interacting dimensions of connectedness, creativity, firmness, and flexibility. Our findings add nuance to the notion of inner strength and deepen empirical knowledge about the concept.

The aim of the present study was to explore health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and associated variables among all community-dwelling older women (565 years) (n¼2724) on A ° land, a Finnish self-governing island community. A total of 1023 women participated (mean age 72.96.8 years). Absence of depression, absence of diagnosed disease(s), having the opportunity to engage in meaningful leisure activities, and never or seldom feeling lonely explained, together with socioeconomic control variables (i.e. age, education and economic situation), 34.4% of the variation in physical health. Absence of depression, strong inner strength, and never or seldom feeling lonely explained, together with socio-economic control variables, 27.7% of the variation in mental health. HRQoL was rated as relatively good, although special attention should be paid to women aged 80þ years. To promote HRQoL, interventions aimed at preventing, detecting and treating depression should be prioritised. In addition, interventions aimed at reducing feelings of loneliness are also recommended in order to enhance overall HRQoL.

Aim: To explore the relationship between inner strength and health threats among community-dwelling older women. Background: Inner strength is described as a resource that promotes experiences of health, despite adversities. Inner strength and its dimensions (i.e. connectedness, creativity, firmness and flexibility) can be assessed using the Inner Strength Scale (ISS). Exploring attributes of weaker inner strength may yield valuable information about areas to focus on in enhancing a person's inner strength and may ultimately lead to the perception of better health. Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Methods: The study is based on responses from 1270 community-dwelling older women aged 65 years and older; these were collected in the year 2010 and describe the situation that still exists today for older women. The questionnaire included the ISS, background characteristics and explanatory variables known to be health threats in ageing. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Poorer mental health was related to weaker inner strength in total and in all the dimensions. Symptoms of depressive disorders and feeling lonely were related to three of the dimensions, except firmness and creativity respectively. Furthermore, poor physical health was associated with the dimensions firmness and flexibility. Other health threats were significantly related to only one of the dimensions, or not associated at all. Conclusion: Mental ill health has overall the strongest association with weaker inner strength. Longitudinal studies are recommended to confirm the results. However, the ISS does not only estimate inner strength but can also be a tool for discovering where (i.e. dimension) interventions may be most profitable.

The purpose of this study was to compare the level of resilience of people aged > or = 60 years in Sweden and Thailand. In a randomized sample of 422 people in Sweden and a convenience sample of 200 people in Thailand, the level of resilience was measured by using the Resilience Scale. A chi(2)-analysis was used for the differences between proportions. The relationships between the background variables and the resilience scores were analyzed by using stepwise multiple linear regression. The mean scores of resilience were 144 for the Swedish participants and 146 for the Thai participants. The two samples differed in their background characteristics. The Thai participants were more likely to be women, to be widowed, and to have more children, while among the Swedish participants, more women were married and more participants were aged > or = 80 years. Despite different background characteristics, the Swedish and the Thai participants' scores were almost the same on the Resilience Scale. More studies are necessary to address aspects of gender and ethnicity in relation to resilience.

The aim of this study was to test the theoretical assumptions beyond the Purpose in Life (PIL) scale, and to elucidate the underlying structure of the Swedish version of the PIL. The PIL, originally created by Crumbaugh and Maholick, is a 20-item scale of the Lickert type with possible scores ranges from 20 to 140, the higher score, the stronger PIL. The analysis was based on 449 participants, 62% of whom were women, from five different samples, ranging from 19 to 103 years old. An exploratory factor analysis restricted to three factors was performed. The factors were labelled meaning in existence, freedom to create meaning in daily life, and will to find meaning in future challenges. These factors reflected the three dimensions described by Frankl. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.83 and varied between 0.54 and 0.83 in the three factors. We concluded that the Swedish version of the PIL scale seems to have construct validity and reliability. Our results give support to the fact that the PIL scale captures and confirms the theoretical assumptions of Frankl's existential theory. We consider the PIL scale to be both feasible and appropriate for use in nursing research.

Inner strength is described as an important resource that promotes well-being. We used data from a sample of 185 people in the Umeå 85+ cohort study to relate inner strength and its attributes to objective health variables. The Resilience, Sense of Coherence, Purpose in Life, and Self-Transcendence scales were used to assess aspects of inner strength, and strong correlations between the scales were found. Prevalence of heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, osteoporosis, or diagnosed depression was associated with low inner strength. Significant relationships were also found between high inner strength and various measures of social relationships. Participants with a higher degree of inner strength had better physical health and more satisfying social relationships. The promotion of inner strength should be a major aim of geriatric nursing.