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Accelerated increase and relative decrease in subjective age and changes in attitudes toward own aging over a 4-year period: results from the Health and Retirement Study

Author

Listed:
  • Ehud Bodner

    (Bar-Ilan University
    Bar-Ilan University)

  • Liat Ayalon

    (Bar-Ilan University)

  • Sharon Avidor

    (Ruppin Academic Center)

  • Yuval Palgi

    (University of Haifa)

Abstract

The passage of time may force people to adjust their subjective age in response to changes in their attitudes toward own aging (ATOA). Although positive associations have been found between well-being and both positive ATOA and younger subjective age, the relationships between changes in these measures have not been examined yet. We expected (1) a decrease in positive ATOA to be associated with an accelerated increase in subjective age and (2) an increase in positive ATOA to be associated with a relative decrease in subjective age. Participants were individuals and their spouses, aged 50 and over, recruited by the Health and Retirement Study, who provided responses to a question concerning one’s subjective age in 2008 and 2012 (n = 4174). A change in subjective age over the two waves was regarded as (1) an accelerated increase if it was greater than 5 years (36.2 % of the sample); (2) a relative decrease (39.1 %), if it was less than the 3 years; (3) no change if it did not comply with criteria 1 or 2 (24.7 %). A decrease in positive ATOA over the two waves resulted in an accelerated increase in subjective age, and an increase resulted in a relative decrease in subjective age. Older age and more physical impairments and depressive symptoms in 2012 compared with 2008 were associated with an accelerated increase in subjective age. Our findings emphasize the consequences ATOA might have on subjective age experiences, and the need to improve them.

Suggested Citation

  • Ehud Bodner & Liat Ayalon & Sharon Avidor & Yuval Palgi, 2017. "Accelerated increase and relative decrease in subjective age and changes in attitudes toward own aging over a 4-year period: results from the Health and Retirement Study," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 17-27, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:14:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-016-0383-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-016-0383-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anna Kleinspehn-Ammerlahn & Dana Kotter-Grühn & Jacqui Smith, 2008. "Self-Perceptions of Aging: Do Subjective Age and Satisfaction With Aging Change During Old Age?," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 63(6), pages 377-385.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Alaina N. English & Jennifer A. Bellingtier & Shevaun D. Neupert, 2019. "It’s “the Joneses”: the influence of objective and subjective socioeconomic status on subjective perceptions of aging," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 121-128, March.
    3. Tomáš Doseděl & Tereza Menšíková & Lucie Vidovićová, 2020. "Scaling Down the PGCM Scale to Assess Views on Ageing More Efficiently: Finding a New Alternative," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-12, December.

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