Analysing correlates for the younger-old and the oldest-old: Adjustment to aging

Abstract

IntroductionDiverse factors may predict the adjustment to aging (AtA) of the younger-old and oldest-old adults’.ObjectivesTo build a structural model for exploring whether socio-demographic, health and lifestyle-related variables are predictors of AtA for both groups.MethodsResearch encompassed a community-dwelling sample, of 447 older adults aged 75 years and above (M = 86.27; SD = 6.78; range 75–100). Measures included demographics (sex, marital status, education, household, adult children, family‘s annual income, and self-reported spirituality), lifestyle and health-related characteristics (perceived health, recent disease, physical activity and leisure), and the Adjustment to Aging Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate a structural model of the self-reported AtA, encompassing all the above variables.ResultsSignificant predictors for the younger-old are perceived health (β = .425; P < .001), leisure (β = .324; P < .001), professional status (β = .243; P < .001). Significant predictors for the oldest-old are self-reported spirituality (β = .816; P < .001), perceived health (β = .232; P < .001), and income (β = .233; P = .035). The variables explained respectively 64.5% and 61.6% of the variability of AtA, respectively.ConclusionsPerceived health is the strongest predictor of AtA for the younger-old participants whilst self-reported spirituality is the strongest predictor of AtA for the oldest-old adults.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.