Scientific interest in the positive aspects of aging and the development of healthy aging has increased, given the need to ensure older people well-being and quality of life. In this sense, social support and some sociodemographic variables may have a not yet entirely clear role. The main objective of this work was to analyze the predictive relationships of age, marital status, social support and subjective well-being on the general perception of the health of a group of elderly people. The participants were 137 people (77.4% women) between 61 and 91 years old (M = 73.11; SD = 6.22); 56.9% of them had a partner and 40.1% did not. The path analysis tested indicates that social support has an indirect predictive value on perceived overall health through its influence on subjective well-being. Age and life satisfaction are the most important direct predictors of perceived overall health. Conclusions highlight the need to delve into the study of explanatory factors of the general perception of the health of the elderly and promote interventions to facilitate the development of an appropriate social support network and increase the subjective well-being of this group.

This study examines the paths through which Covid-19 can negatively impact health and lead to somatic symptoms. Based on the dual process theory, fears can impair health in two ways: through psychological distress, which is an automatic reaction to fear, and through a more conscious and deliberative rumination process. Data from a representative sample of the Spanish population (N = 3083 subjects,18 years or older) were obtained from a Survey by the Sociological Research Center (CIS). The dual path model was tested, and a longer sequence was included where the two mediators act sequentially to produce an impact on somatic symptoms. The results showed how Covid-19 fears translate into somatic problems. Beyond the direct relations, and after comparing with other possible alternative models, our findings support a process where rumination mediates between fears and psychological distress, and psychological distress in turn leads to somatic problems. This process reveals a plausible mechanism that explains the somatization of health problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it provides theoretical and practical inputs to better understand the role of fears in health in crisis contexts.

Due to the role that pandemic fears may play functionally and in terms of prevention, there is a need to monitor the changes and evolution of these fears. The present study aims to validate the revised Fear of Covid-19 Scale (FCS), which is used to measure Covid-19 fears, one year after the onset of the pandemic and the inception of the lockdown in Spain. Data were reported by 3 083 Spanish adults who answered the "Spaniards’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic Survey" of the Sociological Research Center (February 2021). Results of EFA, CFA (RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.965, TLI = 0.955, and SRMR = 0.029), and other validity and reliability indices (e.g., Cronbach α ranged between 0.76 and 0.84) supported a four-factor solution: personal health-related fears, loved ones’ health-related fears, economic-employment-related fears, and social-related fears. Given the possibilities of having another crisis like the one created by Covid, it is important to have validated scales that can assess pandemic fears, due to the consequences these emotions can have for both individuals and society.