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Related Experiment Videos

Successful aging.

G E Vaillant1, K Mukamal

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02115, USA. gvaillant@partners.org

The American Journal of Psychiatry
|June 1, 2001
PubMed
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Successful aging in later life can be predicted by adolescent and early adult factors. Personal control over lifestyle choices significantly influences biopsychosocial health outcomes, even more than uncontrollable factors like depression.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Prospective aging studies traditionally begin with middle-aged adults, overlooking adolescent and early life influences.
  • Key factors such as premature death, childhood variables, and alcohol abuse have been underrepresented in aging research.
  • The concept of successful aging is increasingly recognized as achievable, moving beyond its historical perception as an oxymoron.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate predictors of successful aging by following adolescent cohorts over 60 years.
  • To examine the influence of both controllable and uncontrollable factors on aging outcomes from early life into late adulthood.
  • To assess the impact of personal control on biopsychosocial health in individuals aged 70-80.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Longitudinal study of two adolescent cohorts (n=569) for 60 years, including physical and psychosocial assessments.
  • Collected predictor variables before age 50, categorized into uncontrollable (e.g., parental social class, depression) and controllable (e.g., alcohol abuse, exercise) factors.
  • Assessed successful aging outcomes at ages 70-80 using objective measures (physical health, mortality, social support, mental health) and self-rated measures (daily living activities, life enjoyment).

Main Results:

  • Multivariate analysis indicated that factors identified before age 50 could predict aging quality at ages 70-80.
  • When personal control variables were accounted for, major depression emerged as the primary uncontrollable predictor affecting both subjective and objective aging.
  • Adolescent and early adult lifestyle choices significantly correlate with successful aging trajectories.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals possess greater personal control over their biopsychosocial health post-retirement than previously understood.
  • Early life and controllable lifestyle factors play a crucial role in determining successful aging.
  • Interventions focusing on controllable factors in adolescence and early adulthood may promote healthier aging.