Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Wolff, Julia K
• Schüz, Benjamin
• Ziegelmann, Jochen P
• Warner, Lisa M
• Wurm, Susanne

Titel

Short-Term Buffers, but Long-Term Suffers? Differential Effects of Negative Self-Perceptions of Aging Following Serious Health Events

Ist Teil von

• The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2017-05, Vol.72 (3), p.408-414

Ort / Verlag

US: Oxford University Press

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract Objectives: Large longitudinal studies show that negative self-perceptions of aging can be detrimental for health outcomes. However, negative self-perceptions of aging (i.e., associating aging with physical losses) might be adaptive because they prepare individuals for serious health events (SHEs), resulting in short-term positive effects as opposed to long-term negative effects on well-being and health. Method: Longitudinal data from 309 older adults (aged 65 and older) were analyzed. Short-term (6 months) and long-term (2.5 years) effects after a SHE of negative self-perceptions of aging on functional limitations (FLs) and negative affect (NA) were investigated. Results: Results show that in the case of a SHE, individuals with more negative self-perceptions of aging reported less NA after 6 months but more FLs after 2.5 years. In contrast, individuals with less negative self-perceptions of aging reported more NA in the short-run but less FLs later on. Discussion: People with more negative self-perceptions of aging may be mentally prepared for health events or may have habituated to health declines. Individuals with more positive self-perceptions, in contrast, may invest a lot in coping efforts immediately after the health event. Similarities to research on unrealistic optimism are discussed.