Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel.
Department of Music, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 23;18(13):6736. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18136736.
The extent to which older adults' ageist attitudes associate with their will-to-live has barely been studied. Moreover, whether this effect is moderated by older adults' age, medical conditions, and attitudes toward their own aging has not been investigated. These associations were examined by two studies. Study 1 examined the relationship between ageist attitudes and will-to-live among individuals aged 48-97, and the moderating roles of age and medical conditions on this connection. Study 2 reassessed this connection in a new sample of older adults (people aged 60-94 years) and examined the moderating role of their attitudes toward aging in this regard. In line with the hypothesis of the first study, ageist attitudes and will-to-live were negatively associated among older adults with more medical conditions. In accordance with the hypotheses of study 2, the ageist attitudes and will-to-live connection was reconstructed, and when regressed on the ageist attitudes × attitudes toward aging interaction, it remained significant only among those with increased ageist attitudes. These findings demonstrate the negative effect that ageist attitudes may have on will-to-live, especially among the very old, and particularly when their health deteriorates, and support the utility of interventions aimed at increasing their will-to-live.
老年人的年龄歧视态度与其生存意愿之间的关系几乎没有被研究过。此外，这种影响是否受到老年人年龄、健康状况和对自身衰老态度的调节，尚未得到调查。这两个研究考察了这些关联。研究 1 考察了 48-97 岁个体的年龄歧视态度与生存意愿之间的关系，以及年龄和健康状况对这种联系的调节作用。研究 2 在新的老年样本（60-94 岁）中重新评估了这种联系，并研究了他们对衰老态度在这方面的调节作用。与第一项研究的假设一致，在有更多健康状况的老年人中，年龄歧视态度与生存意愿呈负相关。与研究 2 的假设一致，当将年龄歧视态度×对衰老的态度的交互作用回归时，只有那些年龄歧视态度增加的人才与年龄歧视态度和生存意愿的联系保持显著。这些发现表明，年龄歧视态度可能对生存意愿产生负面影响，尤其是在非常年老的人群中，尤其是当他们的健康状况恶化时，这支持了旨在增加他们的生存意愿的干预措施的效用。
