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What Predicts Adjustment to Aging for the Younger-old and the Oldest-old?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

S. Von Humboldt
Affiliation:
Research Unit in Psychology and Health R&D, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
I. Leal
Affiliation:
Research Unit in Psychology and Health R&D, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract

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Introduction

Diverse factors may predict the adjustment to aging (AtA) of the younger-old and oldest-old adults’

Objectives

To build a structural model for exploring whether socio-demographic, health and lifestyle-related variables are predictors of AtA for both groups.

Methods

Research encompassed a community-dwelling sample, of 447 older adults aged 75 years and above (M = 86.27; SD = 6.78; range 75-100). Measures included demographics (sex, marital status, education, household, adult children, family‘s annual income, and self-reported spirituality), lifestyle and health-related characteristics (perceived health, recent disease, physical activity and leisure), and the Adjustment to Aging Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate a structural model of the self-reported AtA, encompassing all the above variables.

Results

Significant predictors for the younger-old are perceived health (β= .425; p< .001), leisure (β = .324; p< .001), professional status (β = .243; p< .001). Significant predictors for the oldest-old are self-reported spirituality (β = .816; p< .001), perceived health (β = .232; p< .001), and income (β = .233; p= .035). The variables explained respectively 64.5% and 61.6% of the variability of AtA, respectively.

Conclusions

Perceived health is the strongest predictor of AtA for the younger-old participants whilst self-reported spirituality is the strongest predictor of AtA for the oldest-old adults.

Type
Article: 1428
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2015
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