Elderly Women in Institutions versus Those in Public Housing: Comparison of Personal and Social Adjustments

An investigation was made of the comparative effects of living in urban public housing or a suburban nursing home upon the personal and social adjustment of elderly women. Structured personal interviews were held with 20 residents in each setting. The Kutner Morale scale and a Socialness scale designed for this study were used. The findings indicated that there existed: 1) a statistically significant difference in the personal and social adjustments between the two populations, with the public‐housing elderly achieving higher mean scores; 2) a significant relationship between the personal and social adjustment of individuals within each residential setting; and 3) a strong positive relationship between health and social adjustment in the public‐housing population. It was tentatively concluded that the female elderly in public housing showed higher adjustment than did the female elderly in the nursing home. Factors which may have influenced these findings were the nursing home's comparative lack of privacy, independence of action and nearness to friends, relatives and the community. It is recommended that future research in this area be carried out for the aged in all types of residence.