Older Subjective Age Research Articles

Sexual abuse, pubertal timing, and subjective age in adolescent girls: A research note

This study investigated whether sexually abused adolescent girls were more likely than non-abused girls to have experienced early pubertal maturation and to feel older than their peers (i.e. to have an older subjective age). The sample (ranging in age from 12 to 19 years) consisted of 22 sexually abused girls who were referred by clinical agencies or who identified themselves on a questionnaire as sexually abused. The abused sample was matched on several demographic variables to 22 non-abused girls attending school. All girls completed questionnaires measuring their subjective age and age at menarche (pubertal timing). Sexually abused girls were more likely to be early maturers than were non-abused girls; they also felt significantly older than did their non-abused chronological agemates. Future research should consider further the empirical links among pubertal timing, subjective age, and sexual abuse.

Clinical diagnoses and disability of cognitively impaired older persons as predictors of stress in their carers.

Aspects of the caring relationship are often promoted as more important than the clinical features of the care recipient in predicting caregiver wellbeing. However, studies of consequences of caring for cognitively impaired people seldom include detailed measures of the diagnostic profile and disability of the care recipient. Ninety community-living elderly persons with cognitive impairment were clinically assessed for severity on a range of illnesses. Their disability was examined via informant reports. Informants (88% of whom were primary carers) provided information on the behaviour and personality of the subject and reports of their own (informant) wellbeing. Using multiple regression, features of the subjects' clinical profile (severity of diseases, disability, behavioural problems and personality change) were examined as predictors of informant wellbeing. After controlling for subject clinical profile, we explored the additional associations between informant stress measures and other descriptors of the subject, caregiver and their relationship. The subjects' clinical characteristics, in particular disability and disturbed behaviour, were strong predictors of caregiver wellbeing, accounting for most of the explained variance. After control for the subjects' clinical profile, few of the sociodemographic, caregiver or relationship variables examined had any influence on caregiver outcome measures. The exceptions were caregiver time demands, older subject age and self-identification as primary carer. Coresidence was not associated with caregiver distress. Clinical characteristics of the care recipient are determinants of caregiver wellbeing, while socio-demographic, caregiver and relationship characteristics are less influential.