Bashian Hannah M, Caskie Grace I L
Department of Education and Human Services, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.
Exp Aging Res. 2023 May-Jun;49(3):252-270. doi: 10.1080/0361073X.2022.2091329. Epub 2022 Jun 28.
Using Terror Management Theory and Social Identity Theory as frameworks, we examined whether the relationship of aging anxiety to compassion for and emotional distance from older adults was mediated by ageist attitudes and whether an older adult's health condition moderated these relationships.
Using an experimental design, 292 middle-aged adults (40-55 years) were assigned to read a description of an older adult with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), prostate cancer, or who was healthy.
The relationship of aging anxiety to compassion was mediated by ageist attitudes in both the AD and prostate cancer conditions. More ageist attitudes related to less compassion more strongly for unhealthy older adult conditions than for the healthy older adult condition as well as for the AD condition compared to the cancer condition. Ageist attitudes related to more emotional distance from the older adult with AD than the older adult with cancer.
Older adults with AD may evoke a stronger relationship of ageist attitudes with emotions toward older adults. These findings extend previous research by examining middle-aged participants, a population often serving as caregivers to their aging relatives.
以恐惧管理理论和社会认同理论为框架，我们研究了衰老焦虑与对老年人的同情及情感距离之间的关系是否由年龄歧视态度介导，以及老年人的健康状况是否调节了这些关系。
采用实验设计，将292名中年成年人（40 - 55岁）分配阅读关于患有阿尔茨海默病（AD）、前列腺癌或健康的老年人的描述。
在AD和前列腺癌两种情况下，衰老焦虑与同情之间的关系均由年龄歧视态度介导。与健康老年人状况相比，以及与癌症状况相比的AD状况下，更多的年龄歧视态度与对不健康老年人状况的同情减少之间的关联更强。年龄歧视态度与对患有AD的老年人的情感距离比与患有癌症的老年人的情感距离更大有关。
患有AD的老年人可能会引发年龄歧视态度与对老年人情感之间更强的关系。这些发现通过研究中年参与者（这一常为年迈亲属提供照料的人群）扩展了先前的研究。
