Особенности представления о старении у мужчин и женщин в периоды средней и поздней взрослости

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the necessity for scientific substantiation and development of methods aimed at improving the quality of life in the old age. The research purpose is to study the peculiarities of the perception of aging by men and women during middle and late adulthood. The study hypothesizes that peculiarities of the age perception by men and women are manifested in the idea of the causal role of aging in the context of changes in health, as well as in the emotional attitude towards aging. The gender and age specificity manifests itself in terms of positive and negative effects of aging, as well as in the changes caused by aging and the determination of its causes. Participants: 217 respondents aged 30-68 (nmale= 57; nfemale= 123) living in different regions of the Russian Federation. The sample is represented by 4 age groups: from 30 to 45 years old (n = 37); from 46 to 55 years old (n = 51); from 56 to 59 years old (n = 52); from 60 to 68 years old (n = 77). Methods (tools): to assess the perception of aging, the “Aging perception questionnaire” was used (E. Sexton, B. L. King-Kallimanis, K. Morgan, H. McGee as adapted by K. M. Krupina, M. D. Petrash, D. I. Golubitskaya, O. Y. Strizhitskaya). Results: the research has revealed significant differences in the manifestation degree of the parameter ‘determination of the causes of aging’ with its greater representation in the sample of men. The study has found the influence of the gender and age factor on the parameter ‘determination of the causes of aging’. Main conclusions: the causal role of aging for one’s own life is manifested to a greater extent in men rather than in women. The peculiarities of perceiving aging for male and female subsamples are manifested in different emotional attitudes towards aging, in the possibility of controlling one’s own life and the consequences of aging, as well as in determining the causes of aging. Practical significance: the data obtained can be implemented in psychological counseling in order to form a positive perception of aging. Taking into account the gender and age specifics of the perceiving aging can contribute to the construction of the productive old age stage and the subsequent improvement of the quality of life in old age.