Age and Inflammation: Insights on "Age Three Ways" from Midlife in the United States Study

INTRODUCTION

Chronological age is a particularly well-known indicator of variability in systemic inflammation. Other pertinent aspects of age (or "age proxies") - subjective or epigenetic age - may offer nuanced information about age and inflammation associations. Using the Midlife in the United States Study, we explored how chronological, subjective, and epigenetic age were associated with inflammation. Further, we tested whether chronological age remained a unique predictor of inflammation after accounting for the variance of subjective and epigenetic age. Using an intersectionality framework, we also tested whether associations differed by race and gender.

METHOD

1,307 (85.39% White, 52.99% men) participants reported on their chronological and subjective age and provided blood from which epigenetic DNA and inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6, IL-8, fibrinogen, TNF-α, and E-selectin) were determined.

RESULTS

Linear regressions showed that being chronologically older was related to higher levels of inflammation. Being biologically older (higher epigenetic age or pace of aging) was also related to higher levels of all but IL-8. Subjective age was related to inflammatory biomarkers but only for people who identified their racial identity as White. Gender differences emerged, primarily with biological and chronological age. With all age indicators in one model, chronological age remained a unique indicator of inflammation in the sample, as similar to or a better predictor than biological age.

CONCLUSION

The current study provides a better scientific understanding of the relative association of chronological age versus subjective and epigenetic age on inflammation with evidence suggesting that chronological age provides novel information above and beyond other proxies of age.

Changes in Self-Perceptions of Aging Among Black and White Older Adults: The Role of Volunteering

OBJECTIVES

Given the health consequences of self-perceptions of aging (SPA), understanding how SPA change among Black and White older adults may shed light on racial disparities in late-life health. The current study is the first to assess whether Black older adults exhibit less favorable patterns of change in SPA than White older adults. We also tested whether the salubrious effect of volunteering on SPA would be particularly salient among Black older adults.

METHODS

A pooled sample of adults aged 50+ (N = 10,183; Black: n = 1,672, White: n = 8,511) from the Health and Retirement Study rated positive and negative SPA once every 4 years across 3 waves (2008/2010, 2012/2014, and 2016/2018). We assessed participants' reports on volunteering status in each wave.

RESULTS

Growth curve models revealed that positive SPA decreased over time whereas negative SPA increased. Black older adults reported more positive and less negative SPA at baseline and flatter time-related changes than their White counterparts. We found that volunteering was significantly associated with more positive and less negative SPA across waves, but this effect was only evident in White older adults.

DISCUSSION

Findings revealed vulnerabilities in White older adults as they experience and perceive age-related changes but also identified volunteering as a way to uniquely protect them. More research is needed to refine our understanding of racial disparities in the United States and help tailor interventions intended to maximize benefits to older adults from diverse backgrounds.

Association between older subjective age and poor sleep quality: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association of subjective age (SA) with sleep quality in an adult population.

METHODS

In the Korean Sleep and Headache Study, 2,349 participants (49.2% men; 48.1 ± 16.4 years old) were interviewed face-to-face using structured questionnaires between September and December 2018. SA was assessed by asking participants their perceived age in years and then compared with their chronological age (CA). Participants were assigned to three groups: feeling younger, feeling their age, and feeling older. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Association between SA and sleep quality was analyzed with multiple linear regression controlling for demographics, psychosocial, and sleep characteristics.

RESULTS

The group feeling older (n = 404, 17.2%; men, 58.2%; age, 46.5 ± 16.2 years) had worse sleep quality than the groups feeling younger and feeling their age (PSQI score, 4.3 ± 2.7, 3.8 ± 2.4, 3.4 ± 2.1, respectively, p <.001; prevalence of poor sleep quality, 29.0%, 18.4%, 13.5% respectively, p <.001). The association between SA and the PSQI score remained significant after adjusting for confounders (β = 1.05, 95% confidence interval 0.26, 1.83; p <.001). Stratified analyses by sex and CA showed that the association between SA and the PSQI score was significant only in women and in middle-aged and older group (aged 50-79), suggesting that sex and CA modified the association.

CONCLUSION

Age perception was associated with self-reported sleep quality, independent of CA. SA may be a useful marker that complements the conventional assessment of subjective sleep quality.

C-Reactive Protein, Subjective Aging, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease: A Mediation Model

OBJECTIVES

Negative self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and an older subjective age are associated with a greater likelihood of cardiovascular disease. We predicted that C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of stress-related inflammation, would mediate this relation.

METHOD

Data from up to 6 602 participants ages 50-101 in the Health and Retirement Study (2008-2018) were analyzed using logistic regressions with mediation. Subjective aging was assessed in 2008 or 2010, CRP was assessed 2 years later, and diagnosis of heart disease or stroke was assessed in the years from CRP measurement to 2018.

RESULTS

Significant indirect effects occurred in all models, indicating that negative SPA and older subjective age are associated with a greater likelihood of heart disease and stroke through elevated levels of the inflammatory marker CRP.

DISCUSSION

These findings suggest that psychological factors such as subjective aging impact cardiovascular health through physiological mechanisms, specifically markers of inflammation.

The Subjective Experience of Ageism: The Perceived Ageism Questionnaire (PAQ)

Ageism as perceived by older individuals has been recognized as a potential risk factor for physical and mental health. We aimed to develop a comprehensive scale that can quantify perceived ageism among aging individuals (55+), including both positive and negative stereotypes, prejudices, and discriminations. This effort resulted in an 8-item Perceived Ageism Questionnaire (PAQ-8), with good psychometric properties and a two-factor structure distinguishing a positive (3 items) and negative (5 items) subscale (Analysis 1; n = 500). This dimensionality was confirmed in a separate cross-validation sample (Analysis 2; n = 500). The subscales’ correlation patterns with individuals’ self-perceptions of aging and mental health variables (i.e., quality of life, mental well-being, depression, anxiety, loneliness and perceived stress) accorded with theoretical hypotheses and existing knowledge of the concept of ageism. The PAQ-8 can help to gather more standardized data of the level, role and impact of perceived ageism.

Self-Perceptions of Aging Moderate Associations of Within- and Between-Persons Perceived Stress and Physical Health Symptoms

OBJECTIVES

To examine how self-perceptions of aging (SPA) moderated within- and between-persons perceived stress associations with physical health symptoms.

METHODS

A community-dwelling sample of 103 adults (Meanage = 63, range = 52-88) participated in an online microlongitudinal study for 100 days (Noccasions = 7,064). Participants completed baseline surveys consisting of SPA, social connections, and demographics followed by 100 daily surveys including information about daily stress perceptions and physical health. Utilizing generalized multilevel models, we examined whether daily fluctuations and average levels of perceived stress over 100 days affected physical health symptoms and whether these associations varied by SPA.

RESULTS

Adults who had higher perceived stress, on average across 100 days, reported significantly more physical health symptoms compared to individuals with lower perceived stress on average (p < .05). On days when individuals reported higher perceived stress than their own average, they had a higher likelihood of reporting more physical health symptoms compared to days when their perceived stress was lower than their own average (p < .05). Further, SPA significantly moderated associations between both within- and between-persons perceived stress and physical health symptoms (ps < .05). Individuals with more positive SPA were less affected by high levels of perceived stress-both on average and on days when perceived stress was higher than their own average.

DISCUSSION

More positive SPA significantly dampened the impact of perceived stress, suggesting the importance of SPA as an individual characteristic within stress processes. Future work should examine how daily changes in SPA may exacerbate or mitigate the impacts of daily stress processes and health outcomes.

Relevance, resilience, and ageism: A bright future for occupational therapy and healthy ageing, Sylvia Docker Lecture 2021

Our core professional values have been enduring and remarkably relevant to decades past and times present. Our values ensure the currency of our professional contribution, our resilience, readiness, and adaptability, to meet the challenges as we move into the next decade and beyond. In this Sylvia Docker lecture, I draw on my career experience from practice and academic research to examine this premise. The social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic gave us all a picture of what our clients experience in an enduring way and the challenges of maintaining healthy lifestyles, meaningful occupations, and life roles. One of the greatest population challenges of this century is healthy ageing and the impact that ageism has on health. We live in a society that is ageist, and such cultural thinking impacts our beliefs and expectations as it does for older adults themselves. As occupational therapists, we strive to maintain our relevance, and we drive transformational change through using research-informed evidence-based approaches and adopting enablement programmes that meet the needs of people who are ageing. While prominent in enablement and therapeutic approaches, we are not immune to ageism. Being exposed to ageist views throughout our lives means, we internalise these and believe that ageing is a process of decline. Such self-perceptions and stereotyping impact the health of older people and influence the choices we make in our everyday practice. There are examples of emerging evidence and approaches that will meet these challenges and ways to re-frame ageist thinking. Occupational therapy values of working with people's strengths, what they can do, indicates we are well placed to engage and provide leadership in moving societal views. Addressing ageism requires self-reflection and action in order to be part of changing the narrative on ageing.

Attitudes toward aging, active coping, and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older Korean adults: How do they differ by age group?

BACKGROUND

Despite the adverse health outcomes of holding negative attitudes toward aging, little attention has been paid to these attitudes' role in mental health among the aging population.

OBJECTIVES

Drawing on the stress coping theory, this study examines whether negative attitudes toward aging and low levels of active coping are associated with greater depressive symptoms, and whether active coping attenuates the increased risk of depression caused by negative aging attitudes. We also investigate how these associations differ in middle-aged and older adults.

METHODS

A nationwide sample of 500 Koreans aged 55 or above was analyzed. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed separately by age groups to investigate the independent effects of attitudes toward aging and active coping as well as their interactive effects on depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Our findings showed that more negative attitudes toward aging were related to higher levels of depressive symptoms. There were age group differences in the independent and moderating effects of active coping. For the middle-aged, those with higher levels of active coping had fewer depressive symptoms, while no such significant association was found among older adults. On the contrary, active coping buffered the adverse effects of endorsing negative aging attitudes on depressive symptoms only for the older adult group.

LIMITATIONS

A causality cannot be inferred by our findings due to the cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provide some of the first insights into how one's aging attitudes and coping style may protect against the risk of depression and how it differs by age group.

Latent profile analysis of self-perceptions of ageing among Chinese community-dwelling older adults

BACKGROUND

Self-perceptions of ageing (SPA) is an important predictor for physical and mental health of older adults in successful ageing. SPA is mainly studied from negative or positive perspectives using variable-centred methodologies. The aim of the current study was to explore distinct profiles of SPA among Chinese community-dwelling older adults using a person-centred method and validate the SPA profiles by examining associations with psychological outcomes.

METHODS

Participants aged 65 and over were randomly divided into test and validation samples (n = 451, respectively). SPA was measured by the Brief Ageing Perceptions Questionnaire using latent profile analysis.

RESULTS

Three SPA profiles were identified. One adaptive subgroup was designated as 'Low ageing awareness and high positive control' (LAPC, 84.7% and 75% in both samples, respectively). Two maladaptive SPA subgroups were designated as 'Low positive consequences and control' (LPCC, 3.9% and 8.2% in both samples, respectively), and 'High ageing awareness and negative control' (HANC, 11.4% and 16.8% in both samples, respectively). Similar to negative/positive SPA, the HANC and LAPC subgroups showed the highest and lowest levels of depressive symptoms and cognitive decline. Low cognitive function was found in the LPCC subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the heterogeneity of older adults' SPA. SPA profiles may aid community healthcare providers in China to identify individuals with high risk of maladaptive SPA and to tailor targeted interventions for psychological health in later life. Distinct SPA profiles require different interventions targeting negative or positive control or both aspects. More positive control strategies might be beneficial for cognitive functioning in older adults from the LPCC subgroup.

Daily associations among aging perceptions, perceived health, and perceived stress in older adults

OBJECTIVES

Daily perceived stress is a key indicator of well-being across adulthood, but particularly for those experiencing age-linked challenges. Understanding how day-level factors most salient to the aging process are associated with daily stress levels can further elucidate the mechanisms involved. Here, we investigate two such age-salient factors-daily perceived health and day-level aging perceptions-on daily perceived stress in later life, with a particular interest in the potential role of aging perceptions as an emotion-focused coping resource.

METHOD

127 older adults (mean age 79) completed daily surveys reporting aging perceptions, perceived health, and perceived stress for 14 days, along with a global questionnaire. Multilevel models assessed the between-person and within-person influences of both daily aging perceptions and daily perceived health on day-level perceived stress.

RESULTS

Key findings: (a) days of worse perceived health are also days of higher perceived stress; (b) days of more negative aging perceptions are days of higher perceived stress; (c) these individual effects maintain significance when the other is controlled, and (d) these effects interact, so that perceived health is more strongly associated with perceived stress on days when aging perceptions are below a person's mean.

CONCLUSION

The moderating effect identifies aging perceptions as a potentially important resource for emotion-focused coping in later life, particularly for older adults experiencing stress associated with poorer perceived health.

Nine-year changes in self-reported problems with vision and hearing among older adults: do subjective age views matter?

OBJECTIVES

So far, little is known about linkages between subjective age views and long-term changes in vision and hearing.

METHOD

We examined the predictive role of two key measures of subjective age views (attitude toward own aging [ATOA]; aging-related cognitions comprising continuous growth, social loss, and physical decline) for changes in self-reported problems with vision and hearing over a period of up to 9 years. A subsample of the German Ageing Survey was used, consisting of 2,499 older adults.

RESULTS

Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms, we found that with increasing age, more favorable ATOA scores, as well as higher scores on continuous growth and lower scores on physical decline, were associated with fewer self-reported vision problems at baseline. With advancing age, more favorable ATOA scores were also related with fewer hearing problems at baseline. However, among individuals with an older baseline age, more favorable ATOA scores were associated with a steeper increase in vision problems. Higher scores on continuous growth were related with less increase in hearing problems, independent of age.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that subjective age views predict individuals' self-reported vision and hearing problems.

Perceived Stress Predicts Subsequent Self-Reported Problems With Vision and Hearing: Longitudinal Findings From the German Ageing Survey

Although stress is a risk factor for various diseases in later life, its role for sensory abilities in the second half of life has rarely been empirically addressed. We examined if perceived stress at baseline predicts self-reported difficulties with vision and hearing 3 years later. We also explored whether chronological age is a moderator of associations between stress and sensory difficulties. Our sample was derived from the German Ageing Survey and consisted of n = 5,085 individuals aged 40-95 years (M = 64.01 years, SD = 10.84 years). Controlling for baseline self-reported sensory functioning, socio-demographic indicators, self-rated health and chronic diseases, greater perceived stress at baseline predicted greater self-reported difficulties with vision and hearing 3 years later. The effect of stress did not vary by age. Our findings suggest that, from middle adulthood to advanced old age, stress is a risk factor for increases in self-perceived problems with vision and hearing.

Ageist Attitudes Are Associated with Will-to-Live and Moderated by Age, Medical Conditions and Attitudes toward Aging

The extent to which older adults’ ageist attitudes associate with their will-to-live has barely been studied. Moreover, whether this effect is moderated by older adults’ age, medical conditions, and attitudes toward their own aging has not been investigated. These associations were examined by two studies. Study 1 examined the relationship between ageist attitudes and will-to-live among individuals aged 48–97, and the moderating roles of age and medical conditions on this connection. Study 2 reassessed this connection in a new sample of older adults (people aged 60–94 years) and examined the moderating role of their attitudes toward aging in this regard. In line with the hypothesis of the first study, ageist attitudes and will-to-live were negatively associated among older adults with more medical conditions. In accordance with the hypotheses of study 2, the ageist attitudes and will-to-live connection was reconstructed, and when regressed on the ageist attitudes × attitudes toward aging interaction, it remained significant only among those with increased ageist attitudes. These findings demonstrate the negative effect that ageist attitudes may have on will-to-live, especially among the very old, and particularly when their health deteriorates, and support the utility of interventions aimed at increasing their will-to-live.

Volunteering Dynamics and Life Satisfaction: Self-Perceptions of Aging as a Buffer

OBJECTIVES

Research has extensively documented the concurrent benefits of being a volunteer (versus a non-volunteer), but little is known about older adults who once served as a volunteer but then stopped at some point in their lives (i.e., former volunteers). The current study tracked changes in older adults' overall life satisfaction and compared these changes among former volunteers, continuous volunteers, and continuous non-volunteers. We also examined whether self-perceptions of aging may serve as a long-term psychological buffer and protect former volunteers' life satisfaction after they quit volunteering.

METHOD

Data were from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2016). A pooled sample of participants age 50+ (N = 10,441) indicated volunteer behaviors every other year, and we identified volunteering dynamics based on their volunteering history across 4 waves (8 years). Participants reported on self-perceptions of aging and life satisfaction in the Leave Behind Questionnaire once every 4 years.

RESULTS

Continuous volunteers reported greater subsequent life satisfaction than former volunteers and continuous non-volunteers 4 years later, when we adjusted for their baseline life satisfaction. Yet, the difference between continuous volunteers and former volunteers was absent among participants with more positive self-perceptions of aging.

DISCUSSION

This study reveals a potential discontinuity in the benefits of volunteering as older adults transition out of their volunteer activities. Findings, however, also reveal individual differences by self-perceptions of aging, offering suggestive evidence that may refine interventions to prolong the benefits of volunteering.

Subjective Aging and Incident Cardiovascular Disease

OBJECTIVES

Subjective aging, including subjective age and self-perceptions of aging (SPA), predicts health-related outcomes in older adults. Despite its association with cardiovascular risk factors, little is known about the association between subjective aging and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the present study examined whether subjective age and SPA are related to the incidence of heart conditions and stroke.

METHODS

The sample comprises 10,695 participants aged 50-100 years from the Health and Retirement Study. Subjective age, SPA, demographic factors, and health-related behaviors, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes, and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline. Self-reported physician diagnosis of heart conditions and stroke were assessed biennially over up to 9 years of follow-up.

RESULTS

Controlling for demographic factors, an older subjective age and more negative SPA were related to a higher risk of incident heart conditions and stroke. Feeling older and holding negative SPA were associated with around 40% higher risk of experiencing heart conditions over time. An older subjective age and negative SPA were related to almost twofold and 30% higher risk of incident stroke, respectively. Health risk behaviors, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, and depressive symptoms accounted for part of the associations between subjective aging and heart diseases and stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with the literature on subjective aging and cardiovascular risk factors, this large prospective study indicates that an older subjective age and negative SPA increase the risk of incident stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

The Effects of Age Stereotypes on Physical and Mental Health Are Mediated by Self-perceptions of Aging

OBJECTIVES

Although the evidence linking views on aging (VoA) with aging outcomes is robust, little is known about how different types of VoA may interact to influence such outcomes. Therefore, this study examined two types of VoA, age stereotypes (AS), representing general VoA, and self-perceptions of aging (SPA), representing personal VoA. We operationalized SPA in terms of awareness of age-related change (AARC), distinguishing between gain- and loss-related SPA (e.g., awareness of positive and negative age-related changes, respectively). Based on theoretical reasoning, we hypothesized that AS would be an antecedent of SPA, and that the effect of AS on physical and mental health would be mediated by SPA.

METHOD

A total of 819 German and U.S. adults aged 40-98 completed a survey on VoA, physical health, and mental health at baseline and 2.5 years later. Structural equation modeling with latent variables was used to examine the effects of Time 1 AS (predictor) and Time 2 gain- and loss-related SPA (mediators) on physical and mental health outcomes.

RESULTS

As hypothesized, AS predicted later SPA. Loss-related SPA mediated the effect of AS on physical health; both gain- and loss-related SPA mediated the effect of AS on mental health.

DISCUSSION

Congruent with theoretical assumptions, our findings provide empirical support for a directional pathway by which AS shape later SPA. We conclude that AS and SPA may affect physical health outcomes more strongly than mental health outcomes. Studies that assess both types of VoA are needed to illuminate the pathways by which VoA influence aging outcomes.

Views on ageing: a lifespan perspective

Views on ageing (VoA) have special relevance for the ageing process by influencing health, well-being, and longevity. Although VoA form early in life, so far, most research has concentrated on how VoA affect later middle-aged and older adults. In this theoretical article, we argue that a lifespan approach is needed in order to more fully understand the origins of VoA, how they change over ontogenetic time, and how they shape development across the full breadth of the lifespan. We begin by explicitly linking VoA to fundamental principles of lifespan development. We review existing theories of VoA and discuss their respective contributions and limitations. We then outline a lifespan approach to VoA that integrates existing theories and addresses some of their limitations. We elaborate on three core propositions of a lifespan approach to VoA: (1) VoA develop as the result of a dynamic, ongoing, and complex interaction between biological-evolutionary, psychological, and social-contextual factors; however, the relative importance of different sources changes across the lifespan; (2) VoA impact development across the whole lifespan; however, different outcomes, mechanisms, and time frames need to be considered in order to describe and understand their effects; and (3) VoA are multidimensional, multidirectional, and multifunctional throughout life, but their complexity, meaning, and adaptivity change across the lifespan. We conclude with recommendations for future lifespan research on VoA.

Six Propositions against Ageism in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 and of dying from it increases with age. This statistical association has led to numerous highly problematic policy suggestions and comments revealing underlying ageist attitudes and promoting age discrimination. Such attitudes are based on negative stereotypes on the health and functioning of older adults. As a result, the lives of older people are disvalued, including in possible triage situations and in the potential limitation of some measures against the spread of the pandemic to older adults. These outcomes are unjustified and unethical. We develop six propositions against the ageism underlying these suggestions to spur a more adequate response to the current pandemic in which the needs and dignity of older people are respected.

Impact of self-perception of aging on mortality of older patients in oncology

OBJECTIVE

Several studies show that self-perception of aging (SPA) is a significant predictor of mental and physical health. In this study, we analyze the effect of SPA on mortality in the specific context of geriatric oncology.

METHODS

The sample constituted of 140 individuals aged 65 years and older suffering from a recent nonmetastatic cancer (breast, lung, gynecological, or hematological), followed up to 6 years. We used Cox proportional hazards model to assess the effect of SPA at baseline on mortality. It was adjusted for age, gender, educational and cognitive level, oncological information (the site and kind of cancer), number of comorbidities, and physical and mental health at baseline.

RESULTS

Patients were aged 73 years at diagnosis and were more often women (85.7%). Individuals with more negative SPA were 3.62 times more likely to die than those with a more positive SPA, with control of gender, age, education and cognitive level, mental and physical health, the category (breast, lung, gynecological, or hematological), and kind (initial or recurrence) of cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that SPA influence the mortality of older people in the particular context of oncology. Therefore, the need to change our attitudes toward aging and older people implied indirectly by these results is discussed.

Managing expectations: How stress, social support, and aging attitudes affect awareness of age-related changes

The degree to which social support (SS) moderates the effects of stress on self-perceptions of aging may depend on individual differences in general aging attitudes. We examined how stress, different types of SS, and general expectations regarding aging (ERA) affect awareness of age-related changes (AARCs). The sample included 137 adults (21-76 years; 56.2% women) who took an online survey on Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Regression analyses showed differential moderation of stress effects due to ERA and the SS measure (perceived and received) and function (emotional and instrumental). Received emotional SS was only associated with AARC losses, whereas perceived support-both emotional and instrumental-was associated with AARC gains and losses. Findings may help guide future work aimed at promoting health and well-being in adulthood.

Attitudes to ageing, biomarkers of ageing and mortality: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Objective

To investigate whether people with more positive attitudes to ageing are biologically younger as defined by leucocyte telomere length, accelerated DNA methylation GrimAge (AgeAccelGrim) and brain-predicted age difference, and whether these biomarkers explain relationships between attitudes to ageing and mortality.

Methods

We used linear regression to examine cross-sectionally attitudes to ageing (measured using the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire) and the three biomarkers in 758 adults, mean age 72.5 years, from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine longitudinally attitudes to ageing and mortality and the role of the biomarkers.

Results

More positive attitude to physical change was associated with younger biological age, as measured by AgeAccelGrim and brain-predicted age difference in age-adjusted and sex-adjusted models: for an SD higher score, AgeAccelGrim was lower by -0.73 (95% CI -1.03 to -0.42) of a year, and brain-predicted age difference was lower by -0.87 (1.51 to 0.23) of a year. Both associations were attenuated by adjustment for covariates and not significant after simultaneous adjustment for all covariates and correction for multiple testing. More positive attitudes to physical change were associated with lower mortality: for an SD higher score the age-adjusted and sex-adjusted HR (95% CI) was 0.66 (0.56 to 0.78). Adjustment for AgeAccelGrim or brain-predicted age difference attenuated this association slightly. It remained significant after adjustment for all covariates.

Conclusion

We found partial evidence that attitudes to ageing are linked with ageing biomarkers but they accounted for only a little of the association between attitudes and mortality.

Tenacious Goal Pursuit, Flexible Goal Adjustment, and Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Older Adult Couples

We aimed to examine the roles of tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA), mediated by positive self-perceptions of aging (PSA), in Chinese older couples' life satisfaction. Using a cross-sectional design, 245 Chinese older couples (age range: 55-93 years) completed measures of TGP, FGA, PSA, and life satisfaction. The results showed that (a) spousal interrelations existed for TGP and FGA; (b) TGP and FGA had significant actor effects on life satisfaction, with FGA having a stronger effect; (c) although the partner effect of FGA did not differ between husbands and wives, husbands' TGP was positively associated with wives' life satisfaction, but not vice versa; and (d) PSA mediated the effects of TGP and FGA on life satisfaction at the actor and partner levels. These results have implications for developing couple-based interventions to enhance successful aging, with a focus on promoting both partners' accommodative coping and positive age beliefs.

Active coping shields against negative aging self-stereotypes contributing to psychiatric conditions

RATIONALE

Psychiatric conditions are often falsely considered inherent to aging. We examined whether negative age stereotypes, which older individuals tend to assimilate from the environment across their lifespan, contributed to an increased risk of developing four psychiatric conditions, and, if so, whether this risk was reduced through active coping.

METHOD

The sample consisted of participants aged 55 years and older, free of the psychiatric conditions at baseline, drawn from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative sample. New cases of posttraumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder were assessed during three waves spanning a four-year period.

RESULTS

As predicted, participants holding more-negative age stereotypes were more likely to develop the psychiatric conditions, and their engagement in active coping reduced the risk of their developing these conditions.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that prevention and treatment efforts designed to reduce psychiatric conditions in later life may benefit from bolstering active coping as well as positive age stereotypes.

Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk gene

One of the strongest risk factors for dementia is the ε4 variant of the APOE gene. Yet, many who carry it never develop dementia. The current study examined for the first time whether positive age beliefs that are acquired from the culture may reduce the risk of developing dementia among older individuals, including those who are APOE ε4 carriers. The cohort consisted of 4,765 Health and Retirement Study participants who were aged 60 or older and dementia-free at baseline. As predicted, in the total sample those with positive age beliefs at baseline were significantly less likely to develop dementia, after adjusting for relevant covariates. Among those with APOE ε4, those with positive age beliefs were 49.8% less likely to develop dementia than those with negative age beliefs. The results of this study suggest that positive age beliefs, which are modifiable and have been found to reduce stress, can act as a protective factor, even for older individuals at high risk of dementia.

How do views on aging affect health outcomes in adulthood and late life? Explanations for an established connection

Personal views on aging, such as age stereotypes and subjective aging, can affect various health outcomes in later life. For the past 20 years or so, a large body of experimental and longitudinal work has provided ample evidence for this connection. Thus, it seems timely to better understand the pathways of this linkage. The majority of existing studies has either focused on age stereotypes or subjective aging. This theoretical paper provides a systematic comparison of major theoretical approaches that offer explanations through which different views on aging may affect health. After a short review of findings on the short- and long-term effects of different views on aging, we describe theoretical approaches that provide explanations of underlying mechanisms for the effect of both uni- and multidimensional views on aging on health outcomes. We compare the specific characteristics of these approaches, provide a heuristic framework and outline recommendations for future research routes. A better understanding of the impact of different views on aging on health outcomes is not only relevant for basic research in life-span developmental psychology, geropsychology and health psychology, it has also implications for intervention research and public health practices.