Efecto moderador de la institucionalización en las actividades de la vida diaria y bienestar en el envejecimiento

objectives: successful aging is a multidimensional concept that can be evaluated from objective and subjective components, such as physical, psychological and social functioning. this study aimed to compare the performance on variables related to successful aging in elderly institutionalized and non-institutionalized. methods: we conducted a design of two independent groups, institutionalized (n = 242) and non-institutionalized (n = 607), all aged over 65 years, evaluating their activities of daily living (adl) and psychological well being. results: the barthel index showed significant differences, being the mean of the institutionalized group lower than the mean of the non- institutionalized group. regarding well-being, manova showed differences between groups for all the scales. in subsequent anova's, the variable personal growth showed the greatest differences and the percentage of explained variance. there were significant correlations between age and the barthel index, and the following scales ryff's psychological well-being: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery and purpose in life. conclusions: the institutionalized group has significantly lower scores in adl and psychological well-being, and therefore living in nursing homes acts as a moderating variable that can worsen the situation. additionally, age clearly affects the well-being of the institutionalized group, strengthening the need for generating strategies that improve the adaptation of the elderly.