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06:58
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
'Help me! I'm old!' How negative aging stereotypes create dependency among older adults
Genevieve Coudin1, Theodore Alexopoulos
1Universite Paris Descartes, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
Aging & Mental Health
|May 19, 2010
Summary
Negative aging stereotypes harm older adults, increasing loneliness and reducing risk-taking and health. This highlights the impact of social environments on aging individuals
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Gerontology
- Stereotype Research
Background:
- Negative stereotypes about aging can influence older adults' self-perception and behavior.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for addressing dependency in aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of negative aging stereotypes on loneliness, risk-taking, subjective health, and help-seeking behavior in older adults.
- To demonstrate the detrimental effects of negative stereotypes on self-evaluation and functioning.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with older adults (n=57 and n=60).
- Experiment 1: Activated positive, neutral, or negative stereotypes to assess effects on loneliness and risk-taking.
- Experiment 2: Examined stereotype activation's impact on subjective health, extraversion, and help-seeking behavior.
Main Results:
- Negative stereotype activation led to increased loneliness.
- Participants showed reduced risk-taking, lower subjective health, and decreased extraversion.
- Negative stereotypes also increased help-seeking behavior.
Conclusions:
- Activating negative aging stereotypes has widespread detrimental effects on older individuals' self-evaluation and functioning.
- These findings contribute to understanding the iatrogenic effects of social environments on aging individuals, potentially increasing dependency.
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