Physical health correlates of attitudes toward aging in the elderly

Attitudes toward aging were assessed in three groups of elderly men (age 65-85), including: hospitalized veterans, veteran outpatients, and a group of non-hospitalized "healthy" veteran volunteers, using the Rosencranz and McNevin Semantic Differential Scale. Social objects rated included an "old man", a "young man", and the participant, himself, ("self"). Attitudes toward "old men" were significantly more negative than attitudes toward "young men" in all three groups. In addition, significant group by "object-rated" interactions were obtained on the autonomous/dependent and instrumental/ineffective dimensions of this scale. These interactions were attributable to a more negative "self" rating by the hospitalized group. These results suggest that within the population studied, older persons in poor health tend to view themselves more like the stereotyped "old person" than do healthy old people, who tend to perceive themselves as being more like a "young person".