Shinan-Altman Shiri, Werner Perla
1 Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
2 Department of Community Mental Health, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel.
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2019 Jan;88(1):3-21. doi: 10.1177/0091415017752941. Epub 2018 Jan 23.
The present study evaluates discrepancies in subjective age as reported by middle-age persons (aged 44-64 years) in comparison to older adults (aged 65 years and older), using a multidimensional definition of the concept. A convenience sample of 126 middle-aged and 126 older adults completed subjective age measures (felt age, desired age, and perceived old age), attitudes toward older adults, knowledge about aging, and sociodemographic questionnaires. Overall, participants reported feeling younger than they actually were and wanting to be younger than their chronological age. Perceived mean for old age was about 69 years. Discrepancies in felt age and desired age were significantly larger for the older group compared to the middle-aged group. Regarding perceived old age, compared to the younger group, older adults reported that old age begins at an older age. Findings suggest that middle-aged and older adults' perceptions regarding themselves and regarding old age in general are independent and need, therefore, separate research and practical attention.
本研究采用该概念的多维定义，评估了中年人群（44 - 64岁）与老年人（65岁及以上）报告的主观年龄差异。选取了126名中年人和126名老年人组成的便利样本，完成了主观年龄测量（感觉年龄、期望年龄和感知老年）、对老年人的态度、衰老知识以及社会人口统计学问卷。总体而言，参与者报告感觉自己比实际年龄年轻，并且希望比实际年龄更年轻。感知到的老年平均年龄约为69岁。与中年组相比，老年组在感觉年龄和期望年龄上的差异显著更大。关于感知老年，与年轻组相比，老年人报告老年开始的年龄更大。研究结果表明，中年人和老年人对自己以及对一般老年的认知是独立的，因此需要分别进行研究和实际关注。
