This study aimed to evaluate the meaning of life indices (SV), quality of life (QOL) and functional dependency (FD) of the elderly, and observe whether the SV could act as protective feature capable of reduce the effects of DF on QOL. It is characterized by being cross-sectional of domiciliary basis, with 210 participants who have an average age of 74 years (SD = 7.70), mostly female (68.4%) and with an average income of 868 reais (sd = 1.100). The instruments used were: Mini-mental State Examination, functional independence measure, quality of life questionnaire for seniors, life purpose test and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The results indicated that the majority of the sample reported higher QOL, SV and low rates of DF; moreover, the relationship between DF and QL for seniors with high SV was not significant [β = -0.19, t (93 ) = -1.92, p> 0.05]. Therefore, QOL of elderly people with high levels of SV became more protected against changes in the levels of DF. Thus, the SV acted as a psychological resource protector.
Elderly; Health of the Elderly; Life; Meaning of Life; Frail Elderly; Quality of Life
