Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics, and Social Sciences of Health, University of Cologne, Albertus Magnus Platz, 50923, Cologne, Germany.
a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2021 Nov;54(Suppl 2):93-100. doi: 10.1007/s00391-021-01971-y. Epub 2021 Oct 1.
People in very old age (VOA) are expected to be confronted with particularly negative stereotypes. These influence societally shared behavior towards and judgements about them. Such external evaluations of individuals' lives are considered a crucial part of their quality of life (QoL).
The present study elaborated a) the societal appreciation perceived by people in VOA and b) the stereotypes about people in VOA held by stakeholders from key societal areas. The aim was to discuss possible connections between these external standards and individual life results.
A parallel mixed methods design was employed. Cross-sectional data from a representative survey of people aged 80 years and older (n = 1863) were analyzed by means of χ-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests to examine differences in perceived societal appreciation (PSA) by characteristics of the person, their biography, and current lifestyle. Linear regression models were used to investigate the impact of these characteristics on PSA. Regarding stereotypes about people in VOA, semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from key societal areas (n = 22) were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The quantitative and qualitative findings were juxtaposed for comparison.
PSA was predicted by health-related variables and productive activities. Several societal stakeholders highlighted that age-related losses pose challenges on very old individuals, their families, and society, whereas remaining potentials in VOA can and should be used for the benefit of others; however, stakeholders' perceptions differed by the extent of their professional contact with (very) old people. Different pathways were proposed through which the observed stereotypes and determinants of PSA might be connected (e.g., stereotype internalization).
Our study illustrates the relevance of external standards for individual QoL and highlights the need for a normative perspective in the discussion about QoL and its enhancement.
非常高龄的人（VOA）预计将面临特别负面的刻板印象。这些刻板印象影响着社会对他们的共同行为和判断。这种对个人生活的外部评价被认为是他们生活质量（QoL）的重要组成部分。
本研究阐述了 a）VOA 人群感知到的社会认可，以及 b）来自关键社会领域利益相关者对 VOA 人群的刻板印象。目的是讨论这些外部标准与个人生活结果之间可能存在的联系。
采用平行混合方法设计。通过 χ 检验和 Kruskal-Wallis 检验对代表 80 岁及以上人群的代表性调查（n=1863）的横断面数据进行分析，以检验个人特征、传记和当前生活方式对感知到的社会认可（PSA）的差异。使用线性回归模型研究这些特征对 PSA 的影响。关于对 VOA 人群的刻板印象，对来自关键社会领域的利益相关者（n=22）进行了半结构化访谈，并使用定性内容分析对访谈进行了分析。将定量和定性发现并列进行比较。
PSA 由与健康相关的变量和生产性活动预测。一些社会利益相关者强调，与年龄相关的损失给非常高龄的个人、他们的家庭和社会带来了挑战，而 VOA 中剩余的潜力可以而且应该为他人的利益而利用；然而，利益相关者的看法因与（非常）老年人的专业接触程度而异。提出了不同的途径，通过这些途径，观察到的刻板印象和 PSA 的决定因素可能会相互关联（例如，刻板印象内化）。
我们的研究说明了外部标准对个人 QoL 的重要性，并强调了在讨论 QoL 及其增强时需要从规范的角度出发。
