Ikääntyneiden henkilöiden itsearvioidun stressinhallintakyvyn yhteys koettuun ikään: selittääkö terveydentila yhteyttä?
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Subjective age is a personal experience assessed in relation to chronological age. Older adults’ subjective age is typically younger than their chronological age. Many factors, such as health status, experiences of aging, and societal norms, are associated with subjective age. Stress-coping ability, in turn, is a characteristic that reflects one’s ability to deal with with life’s adversities, and holds important meaning for subjective age. The aim of this study was to examine the association between older adults self-rated stress-coping ability and subjective age, as well as to determine whether health status explains the association. This cross-sectional study is based on data collected during 2017–2018 as part of the Active Ageing – Resilience and External Support as Modifiers of the Disablement Outcome (AGNES) -study. The participants (n = 954) were individuals aged 75, 80 and 85 who lived independently in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland. Subjective age was assessed by asking whether the participants perceived their mental age to be younger, the same as, or older than their chronological age. Subjective age was classified into two categories by combining the groups same as chronological age and older subjective age. Self-rated stress-coping ability was measured with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) shortened version on a scale 0 (weak) – 40 (high) stress-coping ability. Self-rated health was assessed using a five-category question, which was reclassified for analysis into three categories on a scale of 1 (poor or very poor), 2 (moderate), and 3 (good or very good). Sex, age, years of education, cognitive functioning, perceived stress and perceived age discrimination was used as background variables. Binary logistic regression was used as the main analysis method. Most of the participants (69,5 %) perceived their subjective mental age to be younger than their chronological age. Participants who rated their stress-coping ability higher, had a significantly higher probability of having a mentally younger subjective age compared to those with lower self-rated stress-coping ability (OR = 1,04; 95 % CI = 1,01–1,07; p = 0,005). Participants with a mentally younger subjective age had, on average, 1,17 points higher stress-coping ability scores on the CD-RISC-scale compared to those who perceived their mental age as the same as or older than their chronological age (p <0,001). Participants who rated their health as good or very good were more likely to feel younger than their chronological age compared to those who rated their health as poor or very poor (OR = 2,47; 95 % CI = 1,26–4,85; p = 0,009). Self-rated health, however, did not explain the association between self-rated stress-coping ability and subjective age. The study suggested that older adults living independently at home often perceive themselves as younger than their chronological age. Stress-coping ability was independently associated with subjective age, regardless of health status or background variables. Stress-coping ability may act as a buffer against adversity, supporting maintenance of a younger subjective age over a longer period. In the future, more research is needed on the subjective age of Finnish older adults and the factors associated with it.
Author: Laine, Sanna
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7000996884