Kuball Tim, Jahn Georg
Department of Psychology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Wilhelm-Raabe-Str. 43, 09120, Chemnitz, Germany.
Eur J Ageing. 2024 May 23;21(1):18. doi: 10.1007/s10433-024-00810-4.
Beyond objective indicators of social status (e.g., income or education), the subjective social status (SSS; i.e., the self-assessed position in a social hierarchy) is associated with psychological well-being and physiological functioning. Existing research has focused on older adults' current status evaluations, neglecting perceived temporal stability or change in SSS which can further impact self-perception and emotional well-being. In the present study, we examined older adults' (N = 191; mean age = 73.5) SSS with regard to their past, present, and future. Examining SSS for multiple time-points allowed us to identify profiles representing trajectories of status from the past to the future by conducting latent profile analysis. Furthermore, we tested associations of the identified trajectory-profiles with aging anxiety and negative affect. Results showed that, on average, participants anticipated higher future status losses than they had experienced in the past, regardless of age. In the more nuanced profile analysis, we identified four trajectory-profiles: A high (17%), a moderate (57%), and a low perceived social status (14%) trajectory, as well as a profile representing a perceived decrease in status (12%). While a lower status was associated with more aging anxiety and negative affect, most aging anxiety and negative affect was found for profiles representing a low initial status-level and a perceived decrease in status. Findings implicate that social status comparisons with others but also status comparisons with past- and future-selves are relevant for older adults. The discussion highlights the benefits of improving or stabilizing subjective assessments of status in later adulthood.
除了社会地位的客观指标（如收入或教育程度）外，主观社会地位（SSS；即在社会等级制度中的自我评估地位）与心理健康和生理功能相关。现有研究主要关注老年人当前的地位评估，而忽视了主观社会地位的感知时间稳定性或变化，而这可能会进一步影响自我认知和情绪健康。在本研究中，我们考察了191名老年人（平均年龄 = 73.5岁）在过去、现在和未来的主观社会地位。通过进行潜在剖面分析，考察多个时间点的主观社会地位使我们能够识别代表从过去到未来地位轨迹的剖面。此外，我们测试了所识别的轨迹剖面与衰老焦虑和消极情绪之间的关联。结果表明，无论年龄大小，参与者平均预期未来的地位损失要高于他们过去所经历的。在更细致的剖面分析中，我们识别出四种轨迹剖面：高地位（17%）、中等地位（57%）、低感知社会地位（14%）轨迹，以及代表感知地位下降的剖面（12%）。虽然较低的地位与更多的衰老焦虑和消极情绪相关，但大多数衰老焦虑和消极情绪出现在代表低初始地位水平和感知地位下降的剖面中。研究结果表明，与他人的社会地位比较以及与过去和未来自我的地位比较对老年人来说都是相关的。讨论强调了在成年后期改善或稳定地位主观评估的益处。
