[Aging negative stereotypes and their relationship with sociodemographic variables over 65 elderly]

The aim of the present study was to determine whether there are any associations between the degree of belief in negative stereotypes of aging in 65- to 96-year-old and the following sociodemographic variables: gender, age, marital status and educational level.

The sample consisted of 757 non-institutionalized people divided into four age groups. Gender was homogeneously distributed in all groups. During an interview, the participants responded to a questionnaire that was organized in two parts. The first part collected data on age, educational level, gender and marital status. The second part consisted of a scale of negative stereotype of aging (Cuestionario de Estereotipos Negativos hacia la Vejez [CENVE]), with three factors: health, social-motivational and character-personality.

Significant differences were found in relation to age but not in relation to gender. In relation to the health factor, participants aged more than 80 showed weaker stereotypes than the remaining age groups. In relation to the social-motivational factor, the older the participants, the stronger the negative stereotypes in relation to a decrease in interests in life. Persons with lower educational level scored higher on the health and character-personality factors of the CENVE.

The results are discussed in relation to their potential applications in psychosocial interventions.