scholarly journals Receipt of Care and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life: The Importance of Self-Perceptions of Aging

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kwak ◽  
B. Ingersoll-Dayton ◽  
S. Burgard
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging

Volunteering, Self-Perceptions of Aging, and Mental Health in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Huo ◽  
Lisa M Soederberg Miller ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Siwei Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Panel Model ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Scholars argue that volunteering enhances social, physical, and cognitive activities that are increasingly valued as people age, which in turn improves older adults’ well-being via a host of psychosocial and neurobiological mechanisms. This study explicitly tested older adults’ self-perceptions of aging as a mechanism underlying the mental health benefits of volunteering. Research Design and Methods Using 2-wave data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008/2010 for Wave 1 and 2012/2014 for Wave 2), we analyzed reports from a pooled sample of older adults aged 65 or older (N = 9,017). Participants reported on demographic characteristics, volunteer work (did not volunteer, 1–99 h/year, 100+ h/year), self-perceptions of aging, and depressive symptoms. We estimated an autoregressive cross-lagged panel model. Results Volunteering for 100 h or more per year was associated with older adults’ more positive and less negative self-perceptions of aging in the subsequent wave (i.e., 4 years later), which in turn predicted fewer depressive symptoms. Discussion and Implications This study suggests the promising role of volunteering in shaping older adults’ self-perceptions of aging on a sustained basis and refines our understanding of the benefits volunteering brings. Findings shed light on future interventions aimed at improving older adults’ adjustment to age-related changes and lessening ageism in society.

There Is Still Time to Be Active: Self-Perceptions of Aging, Physical Activity, and the Role of Perceived Residual Lifetime Among Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 807-815
Author(s):  
Ann-Kristin Beyer ◽  
Maja Wiest ◽  
Susanne Wurm
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Residual Lifetime ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
Health Promotion Interventions ◽  
The Relationship

Self-perceptions of aging (SPA) are a resource in later life. As aging is accompanied with perceptions of the finitude of life, it is assumed that perceived residual lifetime may play a role in the relationship between SPA and health behavior. Among older adults aged 65 years and older, the present study tested whether the relationships between gain- and loss-related SPA and two kinds of physical activity are moderated by perceived residual lifetime. Data were based on 2.367 participants over a 3-year period. Participants with less gain-related SPA were less likely to walk on a regular basis; however, a longer residual lifetime compensated for this negative effect. In addition, participants did sports more often if they not only held less loss-related SPA but also perceived a longer residual lifetime. These results emphasize the importance of perceived residual lifetime in health promotion interventions targeting physical activity in older adults.

Chronic Illnesses and Depressive Symptoms Among Older People: Functional Limitations as a Mediator and Self-Perceptions of Aging as a Moderator

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1188-1204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jina Han
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Longitudinal Mediation ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Retirement Study

Objective: This research examined the mediation of functional limitations in the relationship between chronic illnesses and depressive symptoms among older Americans along with tests for the moderation of self-perceptions of aging. Method: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008, 2010, and 2012) were used. Longitudinal mediation models were tested using a sample of 3,382 Americans who responded to psychosocial questions and were over 65 years old in 2008. Results: Functional limitations mediated the linkage between chronic illnesses and depressive symptoms. Negative self-perceptions of aging exacerbated the effects of chronic illnesses on depressive symptoms. Discussion: Health care professionals should be aware of depressive symptoms in older adults reporting chronic illnesses and particularly in those reporting functional limitations. To decrease the risk of depressive symptoms caused by chronic illnesses, negative self-perceptions of aging may need to be challenged.

scholarly journals Perceived Ageism During the Covid-19-Crisis Is Longitudinally Related to Subjective Perceptions of Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E. Kornadt ◽  
Isabelle Albert ◽  
Martine Hoffmann ◽  
Elke Murdock ◽  
Josepha Nell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Measurement Occasion ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
Longitudinal Regression

Ageism in media and society has increased sharply during the Covid-19-crisis, with expected negative consequences for the health and well-being of older adults. The current study investigates whether perceived ageism during the crisis longitudinally affects how people perceive their own aging. In June 2020, N = 611 older adults from Luxembourg [aged 60–98 years, Mage(SD) = 69.92(6.97)] participated in a survey on their perception of the crisis. In October 2020, N = 523 participated in a second measurement occasion. Participants reported on perceived ageism during the crisis in different domains, their self-perceptions of aging and subjective age. In latent longitudinal regression models, we predicted views on aging at T2 with perceived ageism at T1, while controlling for baseline views on aging and covariates. Perceived ageism at T1 increased self-perceptions of aging as social loss and yielded a trend for physical decline, while there were no effects on subjective age and self-perceptions of aging as continued growth. Views on aging are powerful predictors of well-being and health outcomes in later life. Our data suggest that being the target of ageism during the crisis negatively affects older adults' self-perceptions of aging and this impact may be felt beyond the current crisis.

scholarly journals Married or Partnered Adults’ Self-Perceptions of Aging in Later Life: The Context of Gender

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 620-621
Author(s):  
Yijung Kim ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Shevaun Neupert ◽  
Kathrin Boerner
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Unexplored Area ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Marriage or other types of partnerships are consequential for health in later life, but its association to self-perceptions of aging remains a relatively unexplored area of research. This study used three waves of panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 4,315) to examine how changes in the health status and relationship quality over time contribute to self-perceptions of aging for married/partnered men and women. Multilevel models showed that women demonstrated more positive self-perceptions of aging than men, but there was no gender difference in how self-perceptions of aging became more negative over time. The findings on the main and moderating effects of health and relationship quality give evidence that changes across time, as well as average differences in individual characteristics, may affect self-perceptions of married/partnered men and women differently. The context in which gender shapes key aspects of life contributes to self-perceptions of aging in later life.

scholarly journals Advancing the Study of Subjective Age: More Seriously Considering Gender

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 556-556
Author(s):  
Shelbie Turner ◽  
Karen Hooker ◽  
Toni Calasanti
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Age Identity ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Socially-cued age expectations inform people’s subjective age - that is, how old they feel relative to their chronological age. Age-graded expectations are widely considered to be gendered, yet gender has not often been empirically examined as the scholarship on subjective age has developed. Because subjective age shapes the experiences a person has becoming and being an older adult, and is an important correlate of later life health, more seriously considering gender’s influence on subjective age is crucial to better understanding gender differences in older adults’ well-being. In our symposium we bring gender to the center of subjective age scholarship. Barrett, Michael, & Noblitt begin by establishing that subjective age research should portray gender as a social-level, rather than individual-level, characteristic. As a complement, Turner, Settersten, and Hooker illustrate how gender has or has not been included in the four theoretical domains of subjective age (self-perceptions of aging, old age stereotypes, age identity, and awareness of age related change), and offer insights into how gender might be included in future studies on each domain. We then shift to two papers presenting new empirical analyses on the role gender plays in subjective age. Kornadt shares how men and women’s commitment to certain social roles differentially informs their subjective age, while Settersten, Day, and Hagestad turn attention to a double standard of aging for women and men with evidence across Europe. Discussant Toni Calasanti closes by offering thoughts on the future of subjective age and gender scholarship, including considering gender beyond the binary.

Self-perceptions of aging and domain-specific health outcomes among midlife and later-life couples

2020 ◽  
pp. 089826432096626
Author(s):  
Meng Sha Luo ◽  
Lydia W. Li ◽  
Rita Xiaochen Hu
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Spousal Health ◽  
Health Domains ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Fixed Effects Regression

Objectives: This study places the self-perceptions of aging (SPA)-health link in the couple context and examines how changes in one’s own and spouse’s SPA influence multiple health domains and how such associations differ by gender. Methods: Fixed-effects regression models were estimated. Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement Survey ( N = 5972). Results: For both husbands and wives, almost all health domains declined when their own SPA became more negative. The spouse’s SPA were associated with one’s self-rated health, regardless of gender. Gender differences existed in some cross-spousal health effects; while the husband’s SPA were associated with his wife’s depressive symptoms, the wife’s SPA were associated with her husband’s physical disability, functional limitations, and chronic diseases. Discussion: The SPA–health association extends beyond the individual in married persons, demonstrating intertwined health trajectories in older couples. The detrimental effects of ageism might be underestimated if the spillover effects were not considered.

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