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Negative aging stereotypes in U.S. military veterans: results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2024

Michael F. Georgescu Open the ORCID record for Michael F. Georgescu [Opens in a new window] ,
Ian C. Fischer Open the ORCID record for Ian C. Fischer [Opens in a new window] ,
May A. Beydoun  and
Robert H. Pietrzak
Michael F. Georgescu*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
Ian C. Fischer
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
May A. Beydoun
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD, USA
Robert H. Pietrzak
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Michael F. Georgescu, National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Center, National Institute on Aging, Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd. Suite 100, 04B119, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Email: michael.georgescu@nih.gov
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Abstract

U.S. military veterans are an average 20 years older than non-veterans and have elevated rates of certain health conditions. While negative aging stereotypes have been linked to increased risk for various health conditions, little is known about the prevalence and correlates of these stereotypes in this population. Using data from a nationally representative sample of 4,069 U.S. veterans surveyed between 11/19 and 3/20, we examined (1) the current prevalence of negative aging stereotypes related to physical, mental, and cognitive health and (2) sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial factors associated with these stereotypes. Multivariable regression and relative weight analyses were conducted to identify independent correlates of negative aging stereotypes. Results revealed that 82.3%, 71.1%, and 30.0% of veterans endorsed negative aging stereotypes related to physical, cognitive, and emotional health, respectively. Older age (36.6% relative variance explained), grit (23.6%), and optimism (17.5%) explained the majority of the variance in negative age stereotypes related to physical aging; grit (46.6%), openness to experiences (31.5%), and older age (15.1%) in negative age stereotypes related to cognitive aging; and emotional stability (28.8%), purpose in life (28.8%), and grit (25.3%) in negative age stereotypes related to emotional aging. This study provides an up-to-date characterization of the prevalence and correlates of negative aging stereotypes in U.S. veterans. Results underscore the importance of targeting key correlates of negative aging stereotypes, such as lower grit, as part of efforts to promote health and functioning in this population.

Keywords

negative aging stereotypesemotional stabilitygritcognitive functioning
Type
Brief Report
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 36 , Special Issue 9: Issue Theme: Social Determinants of Health , September 2024 , pp. 838 - 843
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Psychogeriatric Association

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Footnotes

Robert H. Pietrzak had full access to the data used in this manuscript.

References

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