Abstract

Background: As the global population ages, promoting healthy aging of empty nest older adults will become increasingly important in addressing their physical, psychological, and social challenges and ensuring a high quality of life. Psychological resilience could be an important potential promoter in achieving healthy aging. This study explores the current status of healthy ageing and psychological resilience among community-dwelling empty nest older adults and analyzes their relationship. 
Methods: Between January and June 2024, a stratified cluster sampling method was employed to recruit empty nest older adults from urban, suburban, and rural communities in Chenzhou, Hunan Province. A face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted using the sociodemographic questionnaire, the Healthy Ageing Instrument, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS (version 26.0), employing t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical linear regression.
Results: The scores for healthy ageing and psychological resilience of the participants were (134.34 ± 20.06) (out of 175 points) and (72.52 ± 13.97) (out of 100 points) respectively. Residence, living arrangement, major income source, and frequency of social activities are significantly associated with the healthy aging scores of empty nest elderly. The inclusion of psychological resilience as a factor further enhances the model's explanatory power by 29.8% (F=25.454, P<0.01).
Conclusions: Empty-nest older adults in the Chinese community show a desirable level of healthy aging and psychological resilience, yet there is still room for improvement. Those residing in urban areas, living with their spouses, having retirement pensions, engaging regularly social activities, and demonstrating strong psychological resilience, tend to achieve a higher level of healthy aging. Policies, strategies, and activities could focus on creating a more supportive environment and reducing health inequities through for empty-nest older adults, prioritizing the fostering of psychological resilience to effectively promote their level of healthy aging.
Keywords: Empty nest; Psychological resilience; Healthy ageing; Older adults