The relationship between attitudes to aging and physical and mental health in older adults

Abstract

The promotion of successful aging is increasingly becoming important in aging societies. Having positive attitudes to aging may contribute to healthier mental and physical outcomes in older adults. Overcoming negative stereotypes of aging through change at the societal and individual level may help to promote more successful aging.

Ageism in Mental Health Assessment and Treatment of Older Adults

“…Two crosssectional studies have pointed to the link between more positive attitudes toward ageing and less depression (Bryant et al 2012), which has also been found in relation to subsyndromal depressive symptoms (Chachamovich et al 2008). Moreover, a recent study of over 2000 older military veterans in the U.S. has found that those who had more negative stereotypical perceptions of their own ageing, reported a higher frequency of psychiatric symptoms, in comparison with those who had fewer negative stereotypical perceptions of ageing (Levy et al 2014).…”

Validation and utility of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire: Links to menopause and well-being trajectories

“…When factors are highly correlated, they will inevitably relate to external constructs in less discrete ways, so the unique contribution of each factor is more difficult to identify. Because attitudes to ageing are highly relevant to health and well-being [3,4], better articulated factors enable a more precise identification of which subscales underlie these relationships.…”

“…The physical change and psychological growth domains are positively worded with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes, whereas the psychosocial loss scale is negatively worded, with higher scores indicating a more negative attitude. Following Bryant and colleagues' protocol [3], we defined mean subscale scores > 3 for psychological growth and physical loss, and <3 for psychosocial loss, as indicating a positive attitude to ageing, with the remaining range indicating a negative attitude on the respective subscale.…”

“…Longitudinal data has demonstrated that those with a positive attitude to their experience of ageing lead a healthier lifestyle, and are less prone to morbidity and mortality relative to those with a negative attitude to ageing [1,2]. Moreover, a positive attitude is linked to happiness, satisfaction with life and a sense of fulfilment among older adults [3], but less is known about the potential benefits of feeling good about ageing during midlife-when ageing typically begins to become more personally relevant [4]. Midlife women in particular may be influenced by their attitude to ageing.…”

“…The AAQ measures three theoretically distinguishable facets of ageing attitudes: psychosocial loss, physical change and psychological growth associated with age. The AAQ has been found to predict a diverse range of health and well-being benefits among older adults [3,14], however it has not been validated or applied to women in midlife who are beginning to experience the ageing process, which is the first aim of this study.…”