The influence of region and era on the subjective age perception of the elderly

Abstract

When asked about their subjective age, middle-aged and older adults generally report that they perceive themselves to be 10-20 % younger than their calendar age.It has been pointed out that it may serve as a convenient indicator of individual wellness among the older adults.This study examined regional and era differences in subjective age perception among the older adults using the Proportional Discrepancy Score (PDS), which is expressed as the ratio of subjective age to calendar age, as an index.In Study 1, we compared the subjective age of 117 urban residents (urban group) and 148 rural residents (rural group) aged 65 years or older.The urban group showed no difference from that of the rural group in PDS values, but there were significant differences in the distribution of PDS sizes.The PDS in the urban group was almost normally distributed around a class perceived to be 10-15 % younger than calendar age, while in the rural group it was distributed around a class not perceived to be younger than calendar age and a class perceived to be 30 % younger.In Study 2, we investigated whether there were any differences in subjective age perception over a 14-year period for 285 residents of the same rural area.As a result, there was a significant difference in PDS values but no difference in the distribution pattern of PDS sizes.This difference was due to a shift in subjective age perception towards younger people over the 14year period.These results confirmed that subjective age perception is not only an indicator that sensitively reflects the characteristics of the area in which the elderly live but is also influenced by the era in which the elderly lived.

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