Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.03.1983, Side 237

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DAILY PROBLEMS IN VARIOUS AGES
Lars Tomstam
PAoblm
In an American survey Harris1' studies young pecple's beliefs about elderly
pecple's problems in every-day life as conpared to hcw elderly pecple themselves
defined their probleins in life. The Respondents were asked to report whether they
believed old pecple to have serious problems with e.g. bad health, fear to crime,
bad economy, loneliness, etc. Two main results in this American study can be
stressed. Young pecple believe old pecple to have more problems and more
serious problems than old pecple themselves actually have. Second, the rrost
serious problems old pecple actually have are not the types of problems young
pecple believe to be most serious for old pecple. Most young pecple believed
loneliness to be the most serious problem for old pecple, while old pecple them-
selves rank loneliness as Nr four in seriousness. In summary, the American
survey reveals a rather dramatic difference between old people's cwn defini-
tion of their problems, and young pecple's beliefs about this.
The Swedish survey takes its point of departure from the American study, but is
modified in order to give the answer to some questions which were not raised
in the American survey. The follcwing problems were analyzed in the Swedish
study:
- Hcw many different types of problems in life do pecple in various age groups
report themselves to have?
- Hcw many different types of problems do pecple in general believe various age
groups to have?
- How many various types of problems do various categories of people believe
elderly to have?
- How many various types of problems do various kinds of people believe ýoung
pecple to have?
- Hcw many various kinds of problems do various kinds of people believe grcwn-up
and middle-aged to have?
- Which specific groups of pecple are at high risk to perceive specific problems
like e.g. problems with loneliness, bad economy, etc?
- Which specific problems do ordinary pecple believe elderly to have?
- Which wpecific problems do ordinary pe<p>le believe young people to have?
- Which specific problems do ordinary pecple believe grcwn-up and middle-aged to
have?
Mzthod and mat&A-iaZ
During the spring 1979 a simple random sanple of 1 000 men and women in the ages
15-79 in the Swedish municipality Enkcping was drawn. This specific municipality
has a demographic structure very much like Sweden as such. A survey was mailed
to the subjects in the sairple, whereby 684 couplete surveys were returned. This
is a drcp-out rate of 31.6 per cent, which unfortunately is rather norml today.
There are no significant differences in drop-out rates between the various age
categories.
1) Harris, L., and ass., 1975, The Myth and Reality of Aging in America,
The National Council on the Aging, Inc., Washington, D.C.
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