Life satisfaction in 28 intellectually gifted persons aged 65 and over
Bessou, A.; Tyrrell, J.; Bosson, J.L.; Montani, C.; Yziquel, M.; Franco, A.
Presse Medicale 32(16): 734-739
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0755-4982 PMID: 12856531 Document Number: 559605
To date, no French studies have been published concerning intellectually gifted elderly people (over 65 years of age), although they represent more than 200,000 people in France. This paper reports the results of a study conducted with members of the Mensa Association, whose membership is open to those who have scored very highly on IQ tests (scores of 132 or higher). Twenty-eight gifted elderly people (aged between 65 and 86 years) were assessed using a life satisfaction index (Neugarten Scale). The results were compared with those obtained from a sample of 394 elderly people who participated in the lcare study, which is recognised as a reference study. Our study indicates that gifted elderly people have significantly higher rates of life satisfaction (past, present and future) than normal elderly people. The Neugarten index revealed the great life satisfaction in this population. However, several biases should be taken into account: size of the sample, recruitment method and life satisfaction assessment. Despite these limits, the results of this study are of certain interest since there is little data on follow-up and aging of intellectually gifted people in the literature.