Why Do Older Men Report Low Stress Ratings? Findings from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study

Abstract

We examined the interplay between three explanatory hypotheses for why older adults appear to rate their problems as less stressful than do younger adults: age-related differences in personality, in types of problems, and in the appraisal process-specifically, the number of primary stress appraisals. A sample of 1054 men from the Normative Aging Study (mean age = 65.02; range = 45 to 92) were interviewed about a problem in the past week. Personality did not mediate the effect of age on stress ratings. While general hassles and health problems both increased with age, they had opposite influences on stress ratings. Accounting for covariates, older men reported fewer appraisals, and the number of appraisals mediated the association between age and stress ratings. We found no moderating effects of problem type on these processes. Thus, lower stress ratings for everyday problems in later life may result from developmental changes in primary appraisal processes.

Effects of stress on health and aging: Two paradoxes

“…This does not seem to be due either to personality changes with age, or to the types of problems they face. Rather, we believe that older adults' greater experience with many types of problems gives them a more balanced perspective on their daily stressors (Boeninger et al 2009). …”

“…For example, one older man in one of our NAS studies remarked that he used to get upset about little things, but now that he has high blood pressure, he can't afford to anymore (Aldwin, Sutton, Chiara, et al 1996). Older adults may be less likely to appraise situations as problematic (Boeninger et al 2009), which might account for both their lower levels of reported stress and sometimes better physical profiles under stress.…”

Do hassles and uplifts change with age? Longitudinal findings from the VA Normative Aging Study.

“…Thus, older adults appear less likely to appraise situations as problems, and are more likely to use minimalist strategies that deflect or decrease negative arousal (see Aldwin, 2007). Boeninger et al (2009) tested the appraisal part of this hypothesis and found that nearly all of the variance in older men’s ratings of the stressfulness of problems was due to age differences in primary appraisal processes concerning the type of problem the hassle posed (e.g., harm, threat loss, challenge, threat to others, or annoyance). Older men reported fewer appraisals of particular events, suggesting that they may be more likely to keep problems from multiplying across domains (Pearlin, Mullan, Semple, & Skaff, 1990), thus decreasing stress.…”

Stress and Aging: A Biological Double Jeopardy?

“…Specifi c types of major or chronic stressors may be more likely to occur in later life, including the death of social network members, disability and serious health conditions faced by the self and others, the loss of social connections due to role loss, relocation, or the health status of social network members or the self, and caregiving for a disabled or ill spouse (e.g., Boeninger, Shiraishi, Aldwin, & Spiro, 2009;Folkman, Lazarus, Pimley, & Novacek, 1987;Glass, Kasl, & Berkman, 1997). Financial stressors may also be common in later adulthood.…”