title: Health-related Quality of Life and Mental Health in the Process of Active and Passive Ageing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To analyse the differences in the self-estimate of life quality depending on the ageing type - passive, active.
  
  
  METHODS
  Life-quality linked to health was measured with an SF-36 survey, which gives multi-dimensional criteria of health and life-quality. SF-36 survey represents a theoretically based and empirically proven operationalization of two overal health concepts, which are body and mental health, and its two general manifestations, functioning, and welfare. 200 examinees in total, aged from 55 to 92, were included in the research. Divided by sex, in the research participated 148 women and 52 men. Depending on the ageing way, the examinees were divided into 2 categories: passive ageing (n=100), active ageing (n=100), and for these groups a detailed result analysis was done. Statistical analysis includes descriptive statistics, Hi-square test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and Mann-Whitney U test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all dimensions of health, examinees from the category Active ageing achieve higher scores, which indicates better health and better functioning. Between the groups, a statistically significant difference was determined, on the following dimensions: Overall health, Pains, Energy and vitality, Social operations, and Limits due to emotional difficulties. With the Hi-square test, it was determined that there are differences between the groups. The biggest difference can be seen in the reply categories related to health deterioration (χ2=10.391; df=4; p=0.034). Examinees from the Active ageing group mention significantly less that their health has gotten worse compared to the previous year (26% of the active ones state that their health is somewhat worse, and only 2% that their health is significantly worse, compared to the passive ones where 36% state that their health is worse, and 9% that it's much worse compared to the year before). Tested was the difference between arithmetic middles on the issue of mental health based on the ageing type (p>0.05), and the results show that it's not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On all dimensions, examinees from the category Active ageing achieve higher scores, which indicates a better health and better functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Home for the elderly people Maksimir, Hegedušićeva 20, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia, lidija.dajak@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lidija
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dajak
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mastilica
authors.forename: Stjepan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orešković
authors.forename: Gorka
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vuletić
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology; D017523:Croatia; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D058992:Social Participation; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012944:Social Support