Open AccessMobility-Related Behavioral Flexibility and Routines
Author(s) -
Susanne Penger,
Kerstin Conrad
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
geropsych
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1662-971X
pISSN - 1662-9647
DOI - 10.1024/1662-9647/a000265
Subject(s) - flexibility (engineering) , context (archaeology) , psychology , autonomy , trips architecture , preference , convergent validity , everyday life , developmental psychology , gerontology , computer science , psychometrics , medicine , internal consistency , geography , statistics , mathematics , archaeology , parallel computing , political science , law , economics , microeconomics
. Few empirical studies have explored psychological attitudes toward out-of-home mobility in old age. We aimed to validate an instrument to assess mobility-related behavioral flexibility and routines in the context of everyday mobility and successful aging. Data were gathered from face-to-face interviews and travel diaries of 211 community-dwelling older adults (aged 65–92) in Germany. Analysis revealed sufficient reliability and confirmed the factorial and convergent validity of the instrument. Mobility-related behavioral flexibility predicted the number of daily trips, particularly by mobility-impaired participants, and was strongly linked to autonomy and to psychological well-being. However, a preference for routines predicted neither out-of-home mobility nor further outcomes. The results demonstrate the importance of mobility-related flexibility in maintaining an active and independent life in old age.