Modeling Successful Aging Over Time in the Context of a Disaster

Positing that successful aging (SA) has independent, yet related components that are both objective and subjective, we examine how the indicators of SA change over time and how exposure to a disaster affects the developmental course of SA.

Data were gathered from 5,688 people aged 50-74 years living in New Jersey who participated in baseline telephone interviews between 2006 and 2008 and then were reassessed up to four times over the following 9 years. Multilevel mixed effects models were used to examine change in objective and subjective SA over time and to evaluate the impact of Hurricane Sandy on SA.

Over the 9-year period, controlling for age, gender, education, and income, average levels of both subjective SA and objective SA declined. People exposed to Hurricane Sandy experienced sharper declines in subjective SA and indicators of objective SA (pain and functional ability) than people not exposed.

Findings have important implications for expanding our conceptualization of SA, clarifying the measures used to understand SA, and the importance of accounting for the effects of disasters on SA.