Self-Perceptions of Aging and Control of Life in Late Adulthood: Between-Person and Within-Person Associations

Luo, Meng Sha; Li, Lydia W.; Chui, Ernest

doi:10.1177/0898264320917303

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Previous research has shown that the way in which individuals view their own aging affects their functional health levels (Levy et al, 2002). Having positive SPA is positively related with perceived control of life (Luo et al, 2020). COVID-19 related studies showed for example, that positive SPA can help people become more resilient during the current pandemic (Losada-Baltar et al, 2020).…”

Section: Theoretical Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Perception of Aging Among Older Adults

Seifert

2021

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

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The COVID-19 pandemic has created a pattern of physical distancing worldwide, particularly for adults aged 65+. Such distancing can evoke subjective feelings of negative self-perception of aging (SPA) among older adults, but how this pandemic has influenced such SPA is not yet known. This study, therefore, explored SPA at different time phases of the COVID-19 pandemic to explain the pandemic’s impact on SPA among older adults. The analysis employed a sample of 1,990 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 95 (mean age = 72.74 years; 43% female) in Switzerland. Data collection from different older adults within one study occurred both before and after Switzerland’s first confirmed COVID-19 case. The descriptive analysis revealed that negative SPA increased, and positive SPA decreased, after the Swiss government recommended physical distancing. After the Federal Council decided to ease these measures, negative SPA slightly decreased and positive SPA increased. According to the multivariate analysis, individuals interviewed after the lockdown were more likely to report greater levels of negative SPA and lower levels of positive SPA. Age, income, and living alone also correlated with SPA. The results suggest that the pandemic has affected older adults’ subjective views of their own aging, and these findings help illustrate the pandemic’s outcomes.

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Section: Theoretical Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Perception of Aging Among Older Adults

Seifert

2021

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

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“…However, there is much room for further scholarly exploration in this area. For example, a recent study found that negative SPA led to decreased control of life (a construct similar to self-efficacy), while low levels of control of life also led to increased SPA after a 4 year period (Luo et al, 2020). However, another study showing that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between SPA and physical functioning also found that SPA affects physical functioning, but physical functioning does not significantly affect SPA (Tovel et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Lifestyle Activities to Reduce Internalized Ageism: Self-Efficacy as a Mediator Between Exercise, Volunteering, Computer Use, and Self-Perceptions of Aging

Steward

Hasche

2021

Int J Aging Hum Dev

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The objective of this study is to test self-efficacy as a mediator in the relationship between three lifestyle activities (exercise, volunteering, and computer use) and self-perceptions of aging (SPA) among older adults. We hypothesize that increased self-efficacy will mediate the relationship between lifestyle activities and more positive SPA. This is a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis drawn from the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 4,561). Bootstrapping procedures were applied to test the significance of the indirect effects of self-efficacy in the relationship between lifestyle activities and SPA. Results indicate significant direct effects between exercise, computer use, and self-efficacy. Direct effects were observed between exercise, volunteering, computer use, and SPA. Self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between exercise, volunteering, computer use, and SPA. Implications for practitioners working with older adults are discussed. Future research should test formal intervention programs aimed at reducing internalized ageism through additional pathways.

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“…As one behavioral pathway, more positive views on aging are associated with better health behaviors (Levy & Myers, 2004; Zhang et al, 2020), such as more physical activity (Beyer et al, 2015; Schmidt et al, 2018). As one psychological pathway, positive views on aging might enable individuals to accumulate psychological resources (Westerhof & Wurm, 2015), such as perceived control in life (Luo et al, 2020). As one physiological pathway, age stereotypes have been found to be related with cardiovascular stress reactivity and to prospectively predict cortisol levels (Levy et al, 2000; Levy et al, 2008; Levy, Ferrucci, et al, 2016).…”

Section: Sensory Functioning and Views On Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between-person and within-person associations among sensory functioning and attitude toward own aging in old age: Evidence for mutual relations.

Wettstein,

Ghisletta,

Gerstorf

2023

Psychology and Aging

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Late-life hearing loss and vision loss might prompt more negative attitudes toward one’s own aging because older adults may interpret impaired sensory functioning as a sign of aging. At the same time, more positive attitudes toward own aging might, via various mechanisms, be associated with better sensory functioning. We investigated how objective hearing and vision are associated with attitude toward own aging (ATOA) over time. Our sample comprised 497 participants from the Berlin Aging Study (mean baseline age: 85.15 years, SD = 8.58 years) who provided up to six observations over an average time span of 3.73 years (range 0−15 years). We computed longitudinal multilevel regression models, specifying vision, hearing, and age as within-person and between-person predictors of ATOA, and ATOA and age as between- and within-person predictors of vision and hearing. Covariates were sex, socioeconomic status, suspected dementia, chronic physical diseases, and depression. Significant within-person age effects indicated that vision and hearing declined over time, and ATOA became less favorable over time. At the between-person level, we found that participants with a more favorable ATOA exhibited better hearing, but not better vision, at baseline. Between-person associations of vision and hearing with ATOA were not significant. At the within-person level, there was only one significant effect across all models: On measurement occasions when individuals’ vision was better, they also reported more favorable ATOA. This association was stronger among older individuals. Improving prevention and treatment of vision loss could thus help older adults to maintain positive views on their own aging.

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Self-Perceptions of Aging and Control of Life in Late Adulthood: Between-Person and Within-Person Associations

Cited by 9 publications

References 36 publications

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Perception of Aging Among Older Adults

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Perception of Aging Among Older Adults

Exploring Lifestyle Activities to Reduce Internalized Ageism: Self-Efficacy as a Mediator Between Exercise, Volunteering, Computer Use, and Self-Perceptions of Aging

Between-person and within-person associations among sensory functioning and attitude toward own aging in old age: Evidence for mutual relations.

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