Prediction of subjective age, desired age, and age satisfaction in older adults: Do some health dimensions contribute more than others?

Abstract

Of all the variables that have been shown to contribute to subjective age, health variables typically explain the greatest proportion of variance, with poorer health related to feeling older than one's chronological age. Despite the significant contribution of health to subjective age, little research has explored the relative importance of different dimensions of health to subjective age. The primary aim of the present study was to examine the relative importance of various physical, mental, social, and emotional dimensions of health, as well as satisfaction with health, to measures of subjective age, desired age, and satisfaction with age in a sample of 875 older men and women. The results indicated that: (1) certain combinations of health dimensions and satisfaction with health accounted for relatively large proportions (20—36%) of the variance in subjective age and satisfaction with age but not desired age; (2) subjective age and satisfaction with age were explained by different combinations of health dimensions; and (3) the health predictors of subjective age and satisfaction with age differed somewhat for men and women and for young-old and old-old groups.