Guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden in healthy older adults. Associated factors.

Methods: Participants were 317 community-dwelling people over 60 years without cognitive or functional limitations. A path model that explores the role of self-perceived burden in the relationship between negative self-perception of aging, perceived control, depressive symptoms and guilt associated with self-perception as a burden was analyzed.

Results: The model presented excellent fit to the data, explaining 41% of the depressive symptomatology and 45% of guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden. Negative self-perceptions of aging, lower sense of control, and a perception of being a burden were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden.

Discussion: This study documents potential correlates of psychological distress in older adults with no explicit physical or cognitive problems, suggesting paths through which feelings of guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden may be reported by this population.