Determinants of person-environment congruence in institutionalized elderly men and women

This study was designed to obtain information potentially of value in understanding and modifying the impact of the social environment on the perceived quality of life among institutionalized aged persons. It was hypothesized that Person-Environment (P-E) congruence, as assessed by the Environmental Perception. Preference and Importance Scale (EPPIS), would be related to (1) sex integration/segregation makeup of the health related facility (HRF) living units, and (2) quantity of social interaction between staff and residents. Analysis of a sex by unit sex-type interaction for 60 residents' Person-Environment (P-E) congruence scores revealed that elderly females on sex-integrated units reported a higher level of P-E congruence than those residing on female-only units; males on sex-integrated units, in contrast, reported a poorer level of P-E congruence than males on sex-segregated units. Furthermore, behavioral observations of staff-resident verbal interactions confirmed the hypothesis that residents living on units with high staff-resident interaction perceived the environment as more congruent with their preferences than residents on units low in verbal interaction. The observed relationships between the P-E congruence measure, resident-staff interaction, and unit sex-type were taken as further support for the relevance and value of the EPPIS measure as a tool for assessing and improving the institutional milieu.