[Body image and physical well-being in old age]

The present paper examined the connection between a negative body image and body complaints in N = 788 persons above 60 years of age from the general population. From a psychosomatic view, it is to be expected that psychological adjustment problems to the aging body are accompanied by physical complaints. A cluster analysis resulted in a group of older people with a strongly negative body image and a high degree of body complaints. This group is mainly formed by women, persons in high age, elderly alone living and persons with little social support. A second cluster includes persons with a positive body image and few body complaints. These are mainly younger persons, men, persons with a high degree of social support and older people living in a partnership. A further cluster includes persons with a very negative body image, however, with few body complaints. These persons are younger and more often live in a partnership, compared to the elderly with negative body image and a high degree of body complaints. A fourth cluster represents persons with a low degree of a negative body image and few body complaints. Their vitality and physical well-being, however, are also low. The study confirms that body complaints are partly determined by the body image. Sex, life in partnership and social support are risk or protective factors, respectively.