Abstract
BackgroundA questionnaire assessing awareness of positive and negative age-related changes (AARC gains and losses) was developed in the US and Germany. We validated the short form of the measure (AARC-10 SF) and the cognitive functioning subscale from the 50-item version of the AARC (AARC-50) questionnaire in the UK population aged 50 and over.MethodsData from 9410 participants (Mean (SD) age = 65.9 (7.1)) in the PROTECT cohort were used to explore and confirm the psychometric properties of the AARC measures including: validity of the factor structure; reliability; measurement invariance across men and women, individuals with and without a university degree, and in middle age, early old age, and advanced old age; and convergent validity with measures of self-perception of aging and mental, physical, and cognitive health. We explored the relationship between demographic variables (age, sex, marital status, employment, and university education) and AARC.ResultsWe confirmed the two-factor structure (gains and losses) of the AARC-10 SF and the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale. Both scales showed good reliability and good convergent validity for AARC losses, but weak convergent validity for AARC gains. For both scales metric invariance was held for the two subgroups defined by education level and age. For the AARC-50 subscale, but not for the AARC-10 SF, strong invariance was also held for the two subgroups defined by sex. Age, sex, marital status, employment, and university education predicted AARC gains and losses.ConclusionsThe AARC-10 SF and AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale identify UK individuals who perceive age-related changes in their mental, physical, and cognitive health.
Highlights
A questionnaire assessing awareness of positive and negative age-related changes (AARC gains and losses) was developed in the US and Germany
This study aims to: (a) confirm the two-factor structure and internal consistency of the Awareness of age-related change (AARC)-10 10-item questionnaire assessing awareness of agerelated changes (SF) [1] and the 50-item questionnaire assessing awareness of agerelated changes (AARC-50) cognitive functioning subscale [8]; (b) explore measurement invariance for the AARC-10 SF and for the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale among subgroups defined by sex, education level, and age; (c) explore construct validity of the AARC-10 SF and the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale by quantifying the associations of the AARC-10 SF with assessments of subjective aging experiences, physical, mental, and cognitive health and of the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale with assessments of subjective aging experiences and cognitive health; and (d) explore whether demographic variables predict scores on the AARC-10 SF and AARC-50 cognitive subscale gains and losses
Tables, and show the results of simple regressions with each demographic variable as a predictor of AARC gains and losses measured with the AARC 10-SF and the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale. This was the first study exploring psychometric properties of the AARC-10 SF and the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale in the UK population. We found that both scales are valid and reliable measures of AARC gains and AARC losses in the UK population aged 50 and over, that can be used in correlational studies and in studies comparing AARC across men and women, across individuals with and without a university degree, and across middle age, early old age, and advanced old age
Summary
A questionnaire assessing awareness of positive and negative age-related changes (AARC gains and losses) was developed in the US and Germany. We validated the short form of the measure (AARC-10 SF) and the cognitive functioning subscale from the 50-item version of the AARC (AARC-50) questionnaire in the UK population aged 50 and over. AARC refers to “a person’s state of awareness that his or Sabatini et al BMC Geriatrics (2020) 20:359 functioning domain is potentially useful for detecting early stages of cognitive decline. AARC captures awareness of both positive (AARC gains) and negative (AARC losses) age-related changes and acknowledges that AARC gains and losses can coexist, even in the same behavioral domain [5]. In the full 50-item version, out of the 50 items, half represent perceived gains and half perceived losses. There are five gain- and loss-related items representing each of the five theorized domains. The AARC50 questionnaire has been shown to have good reliability in a sample of US residents aged between 42 and 98 years old [8], with Cronbach’s alpha (α) coefficients ranging from .73 to .89 across all ten subscales
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