Who Thrives and Who Struggles in Later Life? Emotional Well-Being in Kazakhstan: An Intracultural Perspective

Emotional well-being is a vital indicator of the psycho-emotional state and quality of life in old age. In the multi-ethnic society of Kazakhstan, cultural values may be linked to specific manifestations of well-being. The aim of this study is to examine intracultural differences in emotional well-being and its relationship to cultural orientations (individualism–collectivism) among Kazakh and Russian pensioners in Almaty.

The study involved 83 pensioners living in the city of Almaty. Life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and depression scales were used to assess emotional well-being, as well as a method for measuring cultural value orientations. Data processing was performed using statistical software.

Differences in emotional well-being were identified in relation to ethnicity and certain socio-demographic characteristics. Emotional well-being was considered an integral indicator combining life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and depressive symptoms. The results indicate a link between cultural value orientations and variations in emotional well-being in older age.

The results obtained indicate a connection between cultural value orientations and variations in emotional well-being among older adults. In the post-Soviet multicultural society of Kazakhstan, there is a combination of individualistic and collectivist value orientations, which may be related to the peculiarities of psychological adaptation and subjective well-being in later life.

The results highlight the importance of cultural factors in understanding the emotional well-being of older adults in Kazakhstan's multicultural society and may be useful for further research in the field of gerontopsychology.