Older adults report more sadness and less jealousy than young adults in response to worry induction.

OBJECTIVES

The present study examined age differences in descriptions of the experience of worry and worry content.

METHOD

Twenty-eight older and 25 younger adults participated in an experimental manipulation of worry (i.e. 5-minute worry induction). Participants identified their three main worries and completed an emotion checklist before and after the induction.

RESULTS

After the induction, younger adults endorsed feeling fearful, impatient, and irritated, whereas older adults endorsed feeling tense or worrying. Older adults were more likely than younger adults to report feeling sad (χ(53) = 7.52, p = .01), whereas younger adults were marginally more likely to report feeling jealous (χ(53) = 4.34, p = .05). With regards to worry content, older adults worried more about community/world affairs (χ = 6.59, p = .01), whereas younger adults worried more about school (χ = 17.61, p < .001). Only age differences in worry about school remained significant after applying the Holm-Bonferroni correction.

CONCLUSION

Following a worry induction, older and younger adults endorsed a wide variety of negative affect beyond the typical emotions associated with worry. Greater sadness experienced by older compared with younger adults highlights the importance of considering negative affect states, particularly depression, when working with older adult worriers.