1 NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
2 West Health Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Res Aging. 2019 Jul;41(6):523-548. doi: 10.1177/0164027518824291. Epub 2019 Jan 16.
To evaluate the role of contact with older adults in explaining expectations about aging and attitudes toward own aging.
A representative sample of 3,026 U.S. adults aged 30-89 years completed a survey online or by telephone. The survey assessed types of contact with older adults, anticipated need for help during aging, and attitudes toward their own aging.
Relative to older adults' (65+ years) need for help with finances, activities of daily living, social support, and health care during aging, 30- to 64-year-old adults overestimated their expected need for help. Contact with dependent older adults was associated with greater overestimation. Diverse types of contact with older adults were associated with increased positivity toward one's own aging.
Aging expectations may be ameliorated by exposure to diverse exemplars of aging. Future research should quantify effects of exposure types on both negative and positive attitudes toward own aging.
评估与老年人接触在解释对衰老的期望和对自身衰老态度方面的作用。
一项针对美国 30 至 89 岁成年人的代表性样本，通过在线或电话方式完成了一项调查。该调查评估了与老年人接触的类型、预期衰老时所需的帮助，以及对自身衰老的态度。
与老年人（65 岁及以上）在财务、日常生活活动、社会支持和医疗保健方面的衰老时的帮助需求相比，30 至 64 岁的成年人高估了自己的预期帮助需求。与依赖型老年人的接触与高估程度增加有关。与老年人的各种类型的接触与对自身衰老的更积极态度有关。
接触不同的衰老范例可能会改善衰老预期。未来的研究应该量化接触类型对自身衰老的消极和积极态度的影响。
