Gerotranscendence, religiosity, and life satisfaction: a study with clergy and consecrated religious individuals

Gerotranscendence explains the psychosocial changes in later life and how one acquires a more transcendent life view. This study seeks to increase the evidence on the association between gerotranscendence, life satisfaction, and religiosity. Specifically, this study aims to: investigate whether the gerotranscendence levels of committed clergy and consecrated religious (CCR) individuals differ from those of non-clergy and nonconsecrated religious (non-CCR) persons; to examine if religiosity is significantly related to gerotranscendence; and to analyze the relationship between life satisfaction and gerotranscendence. A total of 55 participants with a mean age of 76.5 (SD 8.9) completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and three scales, one for each construct: gerotranscendence, life satisfaction, and religiosity. Results showed that the CCR group presented significantly higher scores on all instruments and that all correlations between scales were significantly positive. Differences between groups help to understand the importance of individual and collective aspects of life circumstances for gerotranscendence development.