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Successful Aging and Subjective Aging: Toward a Framework to Research a Neglected Connection.
Serena Sabatini1, Fiona Rupprecht2, Roman Kaspar3
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
The Gerontologist
|May 20, 2024
Summary
Subjective aging, how individuals perceive their aging process, is a key predictor of health and quality of life. This research extends successful aging frameworks to include subjective aging as a crucial antecedent.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychology of Aging
- Public Health
Background:
- Subjective aging (SA) research has grown significantly, demonstrating its predictive power for health, quality of life, and functioning in later life.
- The established literature on successful aging (SA) has largely overlooked the role of subjective aging.
- Rowe and Kahn's (1997) influential framework defines successful aging through avoiding disease, maintaining function, and life engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an extended framework of successful aging that integrates subjective aging.
- To examine subjective aging as a key antecedent to the three core criteria of successful aging.
- To review empirical evidence linking subjective aging concepts to successful aging outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of empirical studies on subjective aging.
- Conceptual integration of subjective aging into Rowe and Kahn's successful aging model.
- Discussion of psychological, behavioral, and physiological mechanisms linking SA and successful aging.
Main Results:
- Subjective aging consistently predicts all three criteria of successful aging: disease avoidance, functional maintenance, and life engagement.
- Evidence supports subjective aging as a significant antecedent to successful aging.
- Mechanisms include psychological, behavioral, and physiological pathways linking subjective and successful aging.
Conclusions:
- Subjective aging should be incorporated into successful aging frameworks.
- Interventions promoting positive aging perceptions can facilitate successful aging at individual and societal levels.
- Understanding the interplay of subjective aging across the lifespan and historical time is crucial.
Keywords:
Developmental outcomesHealth-enhancing behaviorsHealthy agingMentalSelf-perceptions of agingcognitive healthphysicalMore Related Videos
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