Whole-Person Health and Resilience in Older Adult Women: An App-aided Comparative Pilot Study in the United States and Türkiye

The aging population, particularly women, faces complex biopsychosocial health and social challenges, necessitating whole-person approaches and innovative research methods to better understand health and well-being to guide effective interventions. The objective of this pilot comparative cross-sectional study was to examine whole-person health and resilience of older adult women ages 65 and older in the United States and Türkiye. Data were collected from adult women in the United States (n=25) and Türkiye (n=25) between March and August 2024. Whole-person health was evaluated using the MyStrengths+MyHealth application, and resilience was measured using the 14-item Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to examine between-group differences. The average age for the US participants was 78 (SD=6.2), and the average age for the Turkish participants was 68 (SD=2.8). There were significant differences in average self-reported strengths (P<0.001), challenges (P<.001), and needs (P<.001) between US and Turkish participants. US participants had a higher mean Resilience score [88.0 (SD=5.3)] versus Turkish participants [74.9 (SD=14.7)] (P<.001). The study revealed that both groups had above-average resilience and had both common strengths and differences in health challenges and needs. These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing a whole-person health approach when developing strengths-based interventions to address the complex and diverse needs of older women.