An exploration of the social factors and characteristics of Irish centenarians

Abstract

Globally, societies are amid a longevity revolution. By virtue of their longevous life, centenarians, have been widely accepted as models for successful ageing. Numerous studies have documented their exceptional capacity to overcome major ageing challenges (Jopp et al., 2016a; Montesanto et al., 2017; Borras et al., 2022). Significant research to date recognises the biological and genetic determinants in achieving advanced survivorship, but there is a lack of understanding of the influence of social factors specifically and their role in ageing amongst the oldest old. Population heterogeneity in tandem with current ageing trends highlights the intrinsic need to understand ageing from a biopsychosocial perspective. The aim of this thesis is to explore the social factors and characteristics of Irish centenarians. This is achieved through several sub-studies (four) and employs various research methodologies.