META-ANALYSIS OF AARC AND EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

Abstract

Associations of awareness of age-related change (AARC) with emotional and physical well-being and cognitive functioning were synthesised in a systematic review with a correlational random-effects meta-analysis. Twelve studies were included in the review, nine exploring the association between AARC and emotional well-being and eleven exploring the association between AARC and physical well-being. No study explored the association between AARC and cognition. There is evidence of weak associations between higher level of AARC gains and better emotional well-being and between higher level of AARC losses and both poorer emotional well-being and poorer physical well-being. There was no association between AARC gains and physical well-being. There is some indication that AARC gains and losses can play a role in emotional well-being and that AARC losses are associated with physical well-being but these associations are weak. Due to the limited number of studies and their high heterogeneity, interpretation of these results remains unclear.