The AgeSmart Inventory©: A Multifaceted Tool to Understand Age Bias.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Social Psychology
• Health Sciences

Background:

• Ageism is a pervasive global issue causing adverse health outcomes, social isolation, and workplace discrimination.
• Existing tools primarily quantify ageism, but there's a need for instruments promoting self-reflection and understanding of age-related values.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel inventory, the Ageism Self-Inventory (ASI), designed to facilitate introspective and collaborative thinking about age-directed values.
• To create a tool that moves beyond simple quantification to foster deeper understanding of individual biases.

Main Methods:

• A four-stage development process was employed, beginning with a literature review to identify 34 initial items.
• Focus group discussions refined the items, followed by psychometric testing on two large, representative U.S. samples (N=513 and N=507).
• Factor and conceptual analyses guided the revision process, resulting in the final 35-item ASI.

Main Results:

• The final ASI comprises 35 statements, with 22 items statistically linked to four distinct domains.
• Six items relate to identity, and seven conceptually important items were retained despite not aligning with statistical findings.
• The inventory is structured to avoid providing a numerical score, emphasizing qualitative insights.

Conclusions:

• The ASI serves as a valuable tool for introspection and reflection on individual values and judgments concerning age.
• It can empower individuals and groups to develop tailored strategies for addressing and mitigating age biases.
• This approach supports a more nuanced understanding and proactive management of ageism in various societal contexts.