Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden in healthy older adults. Associated factors
María Del Sequeros Pedroso-Chaparro1, María Márquez-González2, Carlos Vara-García1
1Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Spain.
Methods:
Participants were 317 community-dwelling people over 60 years without cognitive or functional limitations. A path model that explores the role of self-perceived burden in the relationship between negative self-perception of aging, perceived control, depressive symptoms and guilt associated with self-perception as a burden was analyzed.
Results:
The model presented excellent fit to the data, explaining 41% of the depressive symptomatology and 45% of guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden. Negative self-perceptions of aging, lower sense of control, and a perception of being a burden were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden.
Discussion:
This study documents potential correlates of psychological distress in older adults with no explicit physical or cognitive problems, suggesting paths through which feelings of guilt for perceiving oneself as a burden may be reported by this population.
Related Concept Videos
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Self-Serving Bias
Beck's Cognitive Therapy
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
Factors Affecting Perception
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
Fundamental Attribution Error

