樂在學習？從終身學習觀點探討高齡者社會參與對心理健康之影響

Does Learning Make You Happy? Exploring the Impact of Social Participation of the Elderly on Mental Health from the Perspective of Lifelong Learning

高齡化已成為全球趨勢，因此，對於高齡者身心健康的關心也愈來愈受到重視。過去有關高齡生活照顧的問題多以身體健康為主，但近年來開始聚焦關心高齡者的心理健康。本研究從終身學習觀點，探討高齡者在退休後，若能經由每日社會參與學習角色轉換、建立社交網路、提供生產貢獻，是否可對其心理健康有所影響。本研究以日記式重複測量之跨期追蹤設計，邀請60歲以上退休高齡者在第一週期（Time 1）記錄14天社會參與以及情感狀態，一個月後（Time 2）再蒐集其時間遞延效果後之心理健康變項。最終，本研究共蒐集有效樣本177位退休高齡者，2,401筆每日資料。分析每日資料發現，每日社會參與會顯著提升高齡者正向情緒，但對其負向情緒無顯著影響。此外，本研究亦發現，每日持續進行社會參與學習，長期下來，可使高齡者保持正向心情，降低其孤獨感，對其主觀幸福感有正向影響。因此，為維持退休高齡者身心健康，應鼓勵高齡者進行終身學習，持續進行社會參與，達到活躍老化之目的。

As aging has become a global trend, there is growing concern about the physical and mental health of the elderly. In the past, issues related to elderly care were mostly focused on physical health, but in recent years, the focus has shifted to the mental health of the elderly. From the perspective of lifelong learning, this study examined whether the mental health of the elderly, after retirement, can be affected by daily social participation in learning role changes, building social networks, and providing productive contributions. A diary repeated measures design was used. Retirees over 60 years old were first invited to record social participation and emotional state for 14 days, and then, one month later, mental health variables were collected after the time-delayed effect. Finally, a total of 177 elderly people and 2,401 daily data were collected in this study. Analysis of daily data showed that daily social participation of elderly people significantly increased their positive emotions, but had no significant effect on negative emotions. In addition, this study also found that, in the long run, elderly people’s continuous daily social participation in learning enabled them to maintain a positive mood, reduce their loneliness, and increase their sense of well-being. Therefore, to maintain their physical and mental health, retired elderly people should be encouraged to engage in lifelong learning and continue to participate in society to achieve the purpose of active aging.