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Emotions influence processes of learning and thinking in all people. However, there is a lack of studies in the field of emotion research including people with intellectual disabilities (ID) addressing the existing diversity. The present study investigates the emotional competence of people with ID (N = 32). The first aim was to assess the emotional development using the Scale of Emotional Development (SEED). Based on these insights, the second objective was to replicate existing findings, validating the emotional reaction of people with ID to pictures of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) based on self-reports. In an additional pilot-like analysis, the third aim was to investigate if these self-reported emotional reactions match the emotions expressed in their faces using the automated and video-based facial expression analysis software ‘Affectiva (Affdex SDK)’. In the present study, the self-reported emotional reactions of participants with ID were in line with previous research. In addition, the present study shows the general potential of this innovative approach of using and applying commercially available automated emotion recognition software for the field of special needs and social science.

Commercial conversational agents (CAs) bear the promise of low threshold accessibility for individuals with limited digital competencies. This applies not only for healthy aging older adults but also for specific subgroups such as those with life-long intellectual disabilities (ID).This scoping review aims to synthesize the current evidence on benefits and challenges of CAs for older adults with and without ID. In doing so, we hope to inform future research as well as practical decision-making in the context of CAs as potential quality of life enhancers for older adults with various competence levels.A literature search was conducted in form of a scoping review. A total of 841 publications were screened for benefits and challenges of CAs, resulting in an extraction of 18 articles targeting healthy aging older adults (60 years+) and 5 articles targeting older adults with ID (50 years+) for synthesis.The existing evidence suggests that CAs come with more benefits than challenges, e.g., general ease of use, easier information access, and feelings of companionship. Higher perceived agency due to using a CA seems to be a specific issue for older adults with ID. Challenges concern mostly learning how to use a CA and privacy concerns.The results indicate that CAs can serve as quality of life enhancers both in healthy aging adults and in older adults with ID; nevertheless, thoughtful preparation is necessary, especially in relation to learning needs, capabilities present and privacy concerns.HINTERGRUND: Kommerzielle konversationelle Agenten (KAs) versprechen eine niedrigschwellige Zugänglichkeit für Personen mit eingeschränkten digitalen Kompetenzen. Dies gilt für gesund alternde ältere Menschen, aber auch für bestimmte Untergruppen wie Ältere mit lebenslanger geistiger Behinderung (gB). ZIEL: Dieses Scoping-Review zielt auf eine Synthese der aktuellen Forschung zu Nutzen und Herausforderungen von KAs für ältere Menschen mit und ohne gB ab. Damit soll eine Grundlage für Forschung und Praxis im Zusammenhang mit KAs als potenziellen Verstärkungsfaktoren für die Lebensqualität älterer Menschen mit verschiedenen Kompetenzniveaus geschaffen werden.Die Literaturrecherche wurde in Form eines Scoping-Reviews durchgeführt. Es wurden insgesamt 841 Publikationen gesichtet und 18 Artikel zu gesund alternden älteren Menschen (≥ 60 Jahre) sowie 5 Artikel zu älteren Menschen mit gB (≥ 50 Jahre) in die Synthese eingeschlossen.Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass KAs mehr Vorteile als Herausforderungen mit sich bringen, z. B. insgesamt eine einfache Nutzung, ein leichterer Zugang zu Informationen sowie das Gefühl von Gesellschaft. Eine höhere Wahrnehmung von Handlungsmacht aufgrund der KA-Nutzung scheint ein spezielles Ergebnis für ältere Menschen mit gB zu sein. Herausforderungen betreffen das Erlernen der Nutzung eines KA und Bedenken hinsichtlich der Privatsphäre.KAs können die Lebensqualität sowohl bei gesund alternden Erwachsenen als auch bei älteren Erwachsenen mit gB verbessern. Dennoch ist eine sorgfältige Vorbereitung erforderlich, insbesondere in Bezug auf die Lernbedarfe, vorhandene Fähigkeiten sowie Bedenken zur Privatsphäre.

Background and Objectives Advanced old age is a life stage with a high likelihood of age-related loss experiences. However, little is known about remaining gain experiences and their relation with perceived losses and health correlates in community-dwelling very old adults. Moreover, virtually nothing is known in this regard about the experiences of individuals in long-term care settings. First, we strived to establish the normative course of age-related gains and losses in advanced old age. Second, we examined whether such gain/loss perceptions in advanced aging moderated health correlates. Research Design and Methods Data came from the nationally representative survey “Old Age in Germany D80+” conducted in 2020/2021. The sample comprised 10,578 individuals aged 80 to 106 years, including 587 individuals in long-term care. We used the multidimensional Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC) questionnaire and moderated regression to analyze associations with late-life health and functioning correlates. Results Levels of AARC-Gains were higher than those of AARC-Losses across most of the age range. Long-term care residents showed more AARC-Losses and fewer AARC-Gains compared to community-dwelling adults and contributed significantly to an overall negative balance of more losses than gains in those aged 90 years or older. Regarding functional health and autonomy, negative age effects were amplified by AARC-Losses, but buffered by AARC-Gains. A more positive ratio of gains-to-losses predicted better health and functioning. Discussion and Implications Findings suggest that the loss aspect of development in very late life might have been overstated in the existing literature. Perceived gains and losses are of critical importance for the understanding of health correlates in very old age.

A large body of empirical evidence has accumulated showing that the experience of old age is "younger," more "agentic," and "happier" than ever before. However, it is not yet known whether historical improvements in well-being, control beliefs, cognitive functioning, and other outcomes generalize to individuals' views on their own aging process. To examine historical changes in such views on aging, we compared matched cohorts of older adults within two independent studies that assessed differences across a two-decade interval, the Berlin Aging Studies (BASE; 1990/1993 vs. 2017/2018, each n = 256, Mage = 77) and the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS; 1995/1996 vs. 2013/14, each n = 848, Mage = 67). Consistent across four different dimensions of individuals' subjective views on aging (age felt, age appeared, desired age, and attitudes toward own aging) in the BASE and corroborated with subjective age felt and subjective age desired in the MIDUS, there was no evidence whatsoever that older adults of today have more favorable views on how they age than older adults did two decades ago. Further, heterogeneity in views on aging increased across two decades in the MIDUS but decreased in BASE. Also consistent across studies, associations of views on aging with sociodemographic, health, cognitive, and psychosocial correlates did not change across historical times. We discuss possible reasons for our findings, including the possibility that individual age views may have become increasingly decoupled from societal age views. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

This study examined trajectories of awareness of age-related change (AARC; DiehlWahl, 2010) across 2 years in a large representative sample of very old adults. We also examined the predictive role of health, functional status, cognitive functioning, and engagement with life for AARC change. The initial sample comprised 1,863 individuals aged 80 years or older. Of the 1,612 individuals recontacted 2 years later, 912 took part in the follow-up. Measures included the AARC-Short Form, assessing perceived AARC Gains and AARC Losses. Measures of multimorbidity and functional health, a cognitive screening test, and indicators of engagement with life (e.g., leisure activity) were examined as predictors of AARC change, using semi-cross-lagged fixed effects modeling. Higher overall levels of AARC Gains were observed compared to AARC Losses for all but respondents aged 90 years or older. Intra-individual levels of AARC Gains decreased significantly over the 2-year period, whereas a significant increase was found for AARC Losses. AARC Losses across time were predicted by loss of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) independence, but not by change in multimorbidity, cognitive performance, or engagement with life. One indicator of engagement with life, reduced leisure activity, predicted smaller AARC Gains at wave 2. These results were robust in models controlling for potential reverse causation. These findings suggest that a significant increase in perceived AARC Losses appears to be an inherent characteristic of very old age. Very old age may be a stage in life in which changes in multimorbidity and cognitive performance no longer impact individuals' views on aging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic might have affected older adults' personal and general views on aging (VoA) because they were frequently, particularly during the early phase of the pandemic, portrayed as a homogeneous, vulnerable group in the media and in public debates. Also, their higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease progression as well as other pandemic-related stressors and restrictions might have impacted how older adults perceive their own aging. In this study, it was examined to which extent middle-aged and older adults' personal and general VoA changed due to the pandemic by distinguishing between normative age-graded change across multiple measurement occasions and potentially pandemic-specific history-graded change. Multiple VoA indicators (personal VoA: attitude toward own aging, subjective age, awareness of age-related change [gains and losses]; general VoA: domain-specific age stereotypes) of 423 German adults aged 40 years and older were assessed across three prepandemic measurement occasions (2012, 2015, and 2017) and one occasion after the pandemic's outbreak (summer 2020). Normative age-graded changes and pandemic-specific changes were estimated and compared using longitudinal multilevel regression analyses. Both perceived age-related gains and age-related losses decreased between 2012 and 2017, but increased thereafter between 2017 and 2020. Further, the overall change trend toward less positive attitude toward own aging slowed down from 2017 to 2020. There was also a slight trend toward younger subjective ages from 2017 to 2020. For most age stereotypes, pandemic-specific trends indicated a shift toward more negative stereotypes. These findings suggest that pandemic-specific changes in VoA are multidirectional, comprising perceptions of both losses and gains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Higher awareness of positive age-related changes (AARC gains) is related to better mental health, whereas higher awareness of negative age-related changes (AARC losses) is related to poorer mental and physical health. So far perceived gains and losses have been explored separately, but people report gains and losses concurrently in varying degrees, and different profiles of gains and losses may be differentially associated with health. We identified profiles of gains and losses and explored whether different profiles differed in physical, mental, and cognitive health. We used cross-sectional data from the PROTECT study (N = 6192; mean (SD) age = 66.1 (7.0)). Using latent profile analysis, a four-class solution showed the best model fit. We found that 45% of people perceived many gains and few losses (Class 1); 24% perceived moderate gains and few losses (Class 2); 24% perceived many gains and moderate losses (Class 3); 7% perceived many gains and many losses (Class 4). Analysis of variance and Chi-squared tests showed that Class 1 had relatively better physical, mental, and cognitive health, followed by Classes 2, 3, and 4. Experiencing one’s ageing to a high degree as gain may be related to better health only when individuals interpret ageing as involving low levels of loss across several life domains. Risk in terms of poorer health emerged in those who perceived high losses. Considering gains and losses in parallel, rather than separately, may lead to a more fine-tuned understanding of relations with health.

Objectives We addressed two questions: (1) Does advanced cancer in later life affect a person’s awareness of time and their subjective age? (2) Are awareness of time and subjective age associated with distress, perceived quality of life, and depression? Methods We assessed patients suffering terminal cancer (OAC, n = 91) and older adults free of any life-threatening disease (OA, n = 89), all subjects being aged 50 years or older. Results Older adults with advanced cancer perceived time more strongly as being a finite resource and felt significantly older than OA controls. Feeling younger was meaningfully related with better quality of life and less distress. In the OA group, feeling younger was also associated to reduced depression. Perceiving time as a finite resource was related to higher quality of life in the OA group. Discussion Major indicators of an older person’s awareness of time and subjective aging differ between those being confronted with advanced cancer versus controls.

As older adults have frequently been portrayed as one homogeneous and vulnerable risk group in public debates and in the media immediately after the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a general shift toward less favorable attitude toward own aging (ATOA) might have resulted. In contrast, individuals may feel younger than before the pandemic, reflecting a psychological mechanism to avoid identifying themselves with the old age "risk group." We investigate 12-year trajectories of ATOA and subjective age among middle-aged and older German adults based on assessments between 2008 and Summer 2020 (N = 7,730; age in 2008: 40-93 years, M = 62.41). Based on longitudinal multilevel regression models, we found that for ATOA, a model including a potentially "pandemic-driven" change component between 2017 and 2020 in addition to an overall linear change between 2008 and 2020 revealed a better fit than a linear change model without that additional change component. Mean-level decline in ATOA between 2017 and 2020 was five times steeper in such a model than in a linear change model that did not include an additional 2017-2020 change component. The extent of intraindividual ATOA change between 2017 and 2020 varied interindividually, but for more than 99% of the sample, particularly among those with poorer self-rated health, ATOA became less favorable. There was very limited evidence for a pandemic-specific change in subjective age. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the early phase of the pandemic might have caused a change toward less favorable ATOA, whereas it did not affect subjective age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Der Einsatz von Robotik in der Pflege alter Menschen wird weiterhin kontrovers diskutiert. In diesem Beitrag versuchen wir, ein möglichst rationales Bild der existierenden Forschungs-Ist-Situation zu zeichnen. Im ersten Teil geben wir einen Überblick zur derzeitigen gesellschaftlichen und forschungsbezogenen Positionierung von Robotik für Ältere. Im zweiten Teil synthetisieren wir Befunde zu robotischen Assistenzsysteme in den drei Bereichen Mobilitätsunterstützung, Selbstpflege und Alltagsvollzüge sowie Sozial-Emotionalität. Wir schließen mit einer Diskussion zur Zukunft des Feldes und der dabei aus unserer Sicht zentralen Rolle von hochwertiger Outcome- und Evaluations-Forschung. Supplementary Information Zusatzmaterial online: Zu diesem Beitrag sind unter 10.1007/s41906-021-1156-x für autorisierte Leser zusätzliche Dateien abrufbar.

ObjectivesThis study aims to estimate the association of the often, in daily clinical practice, used biological age-related biomarkers high-sensitivity troponin-T (hs-TnT), C reactive protein (CRP) and haemoglobin (Hb) with all-cause mortality for the purpose of older patient’s risk stratification in the emergency department (ED).DesignExploratory, prospective cohort study with a follow-up at 2.5 years after recruitment started. For the predictors, data from the hospital files including the routinely applied biological age-related biomarkers hs-TnT, CRP and Hb were supplemented by a questionnaire.SettingA cardiological ED, Chest Pain Unit, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.ParticipantsN=256 cardiological ED patients with a minimum age of 70 years and the capability to informed consent.Primary outcome measuresThe primary outcome of this study was all-cause mortality which was assessed by requesting registry office information.ResultsAmong N=256 patients 63 died over the follow-up period. Positive results in each of the three biomarkers alone as well as the combination were associated with increased all-cause mortality at follow-up. The number of positive age-related biomarkers appeared to be strongly indicative of the risk of mortality, even when controlled for major confounders (age, sex, body mass index, creatinine clearance and comorbidity).ConclusionsIn older ED patients, biomarkers explicitly related to biological ageing processes such as hs-TnT, CRP and Hb were to a certain degree independently of each other as well as combined associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Thus, they may have the potential to be used to supplement the general risk stratification of older patients in the ED. Validation of the results in a large dataset is needed.

Views on aging (VoA) are meaningful predictors of well-being, health, cognitive impairment, and mortality. One underlying pathway could be that negative VoA promote perceived stress. However, little is known about the role of stress perceptions as an antecedent of personal VoA. In this study, we therefore investigated the longitudinal reciprocal association between perceived stress and three established constructs representing personal VoA: (a) subjective age; (b) attitude toward own aging (ATOA); and (c) aging-related cognitions comprising social loss, physical decline, and continuous growth. We also examined whether these associations are moderated by chronological age. Two adjacent measurement occasions (2014 and 2017) of the German Ageing Survey with 4,588 individuals aged between 40 and 95 years were analyzed. Cross-lagged models controlling for VoA and perceived stress at baseline, chronological age, subjective health, depressive symptoms, education, gender, region of residence, and year of individual study entry revealed significant reciprocal longitudinal relations between VoA and perceived stress. For three of the five VoA indicators, the pathway from perceived stress to subsequent VoA was of the same magnitude as the reversed pathway. With increasing chronological age, ATOA was less strongly associated with subsequent stress perceptions. Moreover, the impact of higher perceived stress on an older subjective age was weaker with advancing age. In conclusion, the trend in prior subjective aging research to conceptualize stress in midlife and old age exclusively as a consequence of VoA needs reconsideration, as higher perceived stress levels also seem to be a risk factor for less favorable personal VoA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Objectives Previous research on subjective age (SA), that is, how young or old a person feels relative to their chronological age, has shown that older adults tend to feel younger than they are (by about 15%–20%), but the extent of this effect depends, in part, on their health. However, as most of the studies have been conducted in Western countries, it is unclear how well these results generalize to culturally different samples. Objectives, therefore, were to examine SA in middle-aged and older adults from a very low-income setting in rural Burkina Faso, to examine associations between SA and health/quality of life-related measures, and to compare findings with Western studies. Methods Representative, cross-sectional sample of N = 3,028 adults (≥40 years, recruited in 2018) from north-western Burkina Faso. Data included questionnaires on depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life scale, including subjective health) as well as performance-based and objective health-related measures (Community Screening Instrument for Dementia as cognitive screening, walking speed). Results Respondents felt on average 3% younger (SD = 0.13) than their chronological age, with 48% (95% confidence interval: 0.46–0.50) feeling younger—27 percentage points lower than seen in representative Western studies. Lower depression, better walking speed, cognition, and quality of life were all associated with younger SA. Discussion Middle-aged and older adults in Nouna felt less young than similar age groups in Western studies. One of the reasons may be that youthfulness is less of a value outside Western cultures. As in Western studies, parts of the variation in SA can be explained by health parameters.

The concept Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC) is defined as a person’s awareness that their behavior, level of physical, cognitive and social performance, and ways of experiencing life have changed as a consequence of having grown older, and not because of disease. Objective: A psychometric study investigating evidence of construct validity and internal consistency of the Portuguese version of the AARC Short Scale was carried out. Method: A convenience sample of 387 individuals aged≥60 years with no deficit suggestive of dementia were recruited at venues frequented by older persons and at households. Participants answered the Portuguese version of the scale, along with questionnaires collecting sociodemographic and frailty variables and self-rated health based on personal criteria and relative to peers. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses derived a structure with two orthogonal factors representing the latent variables gains and losses, invariant for age group, thus replicating the original scale. The factors explained a large proportion of item variability (58.6 to 51.8%) and exhibited high loadings (0.886 to 0.432) and good communality [0.787 for item 4 (better sense of what is important) and 0.369 for item 6 (less energy)]. The hypotheses of covariance between the new instrument and the parallel measures of frailty and self-rated health were confirmed. The levels of internal consistency were high (α>0.700). Conclusion: Evidence confirmed the factor and convergent (construct) validity and internal consistency of the new scale in Portuguese. RESUMO. O reconhecimento de ganhos e perdas associados ao envelhecimento desempenha papel regulador em relação ao self e às atitudes sociais quanto à velhice. Objetivo: Investigar indicadores de validade de construto, consistência interna e validade convergente da Awareness of Age-Related Change Short Scale (AARC) traduzida para o português. Método: Um total de 387 indivíduos de 60 anos ou mais compuseram amostra de conveniência que respondeu à versão do estudo AARC Short Scale em português, e a medidas de fragilidade, autoavaliação de saúde e caracterização sociodemográfica. As explorações de validade de construto foram mediadas por análises fatoriais exploratórias (com rotação Varimax e oblíqua/Promax), e confirmatórias (método de equações estruturais para variáveis latentes); as de consistência interna, pelo teste de Cronbach e as de validade convergente, pelas correlações entre os itens da escala, fragilidade e saúde autorreferida. Resultados: A estrutura de dois fatores, ganhos e perdas, as cargas e a comunalidade dos itens da escala em português foram altas e similares nas análises fatoriais exploratórias e confirmatórias, e similares à versão original. Foi rejeitada a hipótese de correlação entre os fatores e confirmada a de invariância do construto às idades; consistência interna da escala e dos fatores indicada por índices α>0,700; fragilidade e saúde autorreferida correlacionaram-se negativamente com a pontuação na escala e em ganhos, e positivamente em perdas. Conclusões: Foram observadas evidências de validade de construto, consistência interna e validade convergente da versão do AARC Short Scale em português, para aplicação em amostras com características similares às desse estudo.

Subjective age, that is the age people feel in relation to their chronological age, can vary on a day-to-day and even momentary basis. Previous long-term and daily-diary studies have shown that elevated stress covaries with older subjective age. However, it is an open question whether such links can also be observed at the momentary level within a given day and go beyond self-reports of stress. Moving ahead, we investigated how two indicators of stress (self-reported: perceived stress; physiological: salivary cortisol) are associated with the age people feel on a momentary basis. We examined data from 118 older (

Work is an important developmental context in adulthood, yet little is known about how it contributes to personality trajectories in midlife. The present study examines how subjectively perceived work environment (autonomy, innovation, social integration, stress) and objectively measured work activities (activities related to information and people, physical/manual activities) are related to levels of Big Five personality traits at age 44 and to change over 20 years.We analyzed four-wave longitudinal data from N = 374 participants (born 1950-1952; MAt baseline, subjective perceptions of work environments showed a higher number of significant associations with personality than objective work activities. Over time, small declines in neuroticism and extraversion and small increases in agreeableness and conscientiousness were observed, which were largely independent of work characteristics.Our findings show slight changes in most Big Five traits from age 44 to 64, which were mostly unrelated to work characteristics. More research is needed to uncover the sources and dynamics of personality trait change in midlife and the role of work for personality trajectories.

Age simulation suits (ASS) are widely used to simulate sensory and physical restrictions that typically occur as people age. This review has two objectives: first, we synthesize the current research on ASS in terms of the observed psychological and physical effects associated with ASS. Second, we analyze indicators able to estimate the validity of ASS in simulating “true” ageing processes. Following the PRISMA guidelines, eight electronic databases were searched (BASE, Cinhal, Cochrane, Google Scholar, ProQuest, PsychINFO, Pubmed, and Web of Science). Qualitative and quantitative studies addressing effects of ASS interventions regarding psychological outcomes (i.e., empathy, attitudes) or physical parameters (i.e., gait, balance) were included. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was applied for quality assessment. Of 1890 identified citations, we included 94 for full-text screening and finally 26 studies were examined. Publication years ranged from 2001 to 2021. Study populations were predominantly based on students in health-related disciplines. Results suggest that ASS can initiate positive effects on attitudes toward (dweighted = 0.33) and empathy for older adults (dweighted = 0.54). Physical performance was significantly reduced; however, there is only little evidence of a realistic simulation of typical ageing processes. Although positive effects of ASS are supported to some extent, more diverse study populations and high-quality controlled designs are needed. Further, validation studies examining whether the simulation indeed reflects “real” ageing are needed and should build on reference data generated by standardized geriatric assessments or adequate comparison groups of older adults.Prospero registration: 232686.

Alterwerden ist heute zu einer vollig neuen Erfahrung geworden, sowohl in positiver als auch in herausfordernder Hinsicht. Auf der einen Seite haben wir historisch gesehen die funktional und kognitiv leistungsfahigste Kohorte von Alteren vor uns, die zudem vollig neue Ideen dazu besitzt, wie sie ihr Altern gestalten mochte. Auf der anderen Seite wird die Phase der „unhealthy life expectancy“ immer langer und die Korrelation von schweren Erkrankungen wie Krebs mit dem Alterwerden verstarkt sich aufgrund des sehr langen, aber auch zunehmend fragiler werdenden sehr spaten Lebens immer mehr. Vor diesem Hintergrund fokussiert dieser Beitrag das subjektive Erleben des eigenen Alterwerdens. Vorgestellt werden Messmethoden zum subjektiven Altern, Ergebnisse zum Verlauf des subjektiven Alterns uber die Lebensspanne und im spaten Leben sowie zur Bedeutung des subjektiven Alterns fur die Voraussage wichtiger gesundheitlicher Endpunkte. Die wenigen Befunde zur Rolle des subjektiven Alternserlebens bei alteren Krebspatient*innen werden zu einigen praktischen Empfehlungen verdichtet.

Little is known about historical shifts in subjective age (i.e., how old individuals feel). Moving beyond the very few time-lagged cross-sectional cohort comparisons, we examined historical shifts in within-person trajectories of subjective age from midlife to advanced old age. We used cohort-comparative longitudinal data from middle-age and older adults in the German Ageing Survey (N = 14,928; ~50% female) who lived in Germany and were between 40 and 85 years old when entering the study. They provided up to seven observations over 24 years. Results revealed that being born later in historical time is associated with feeling younger by 2% every birth-year decade and with less intraindividual change toward an older subjective age. Women reported feeling younger than men; this gender gap widened across cohorts. The association of higher education with younger subjective age became weaker across cohorts. Potential reasons for the subjective-rejuvenation effect across cohorts are discussed. Bundesministerin für Frauen, Familien und Jugend https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011090

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Die COVID-19-Pandemie stellt Bewohner von Altenpflegeeinrichtungen, deren Angehörige bzw. Besucher ebenso wie Mitarbeitende vor große Herausforderungen. Viruseindämmende Maßnahmen wirken sich stark auf das Wohlbefinden der betroffenen Personengruppen aus. Material und Methode Systematische Literatursuche nach Studien zu psychosozialen Folgen der Pandemie für Bewohner, deren Angehörige bzw. Besucher sowie Mitarbeitende und Zusammenführung der Ergebnisse mittels narrativer Synthese. Ergebnisse Es wurden 756 Studien gesichtet, davon 15 Arbeiten eingeschlossen. Die Daten wurden zwischen Februar und Juni 2020 mit Teilnehmenden aus 14 Ländern erhoben. Es wurden v. a. Einsamkeit, Trauer und Depressivität, aber auch Angst, als häufige Reaktionen der Bewohner auf die Kontakt- und Besuchsrestriktionen berichtet. Bewohner mit kognitiven Einschränkungen litten stärker unter den Auswirkungen, auch wenn es gegenteilige Hinweise gibt. Angehörige bzw. Besucher berichteten ebenfalls von einer Zunahme ihrer Einsamkeit und einer reduzierten Lebensqualität. In den Befragungen der Mitarbeitenden schildern diese Angst vor einer Infektion sowohl bei sich als auch bei den Bewohnern. Infizierte Mitarbeitende in den USA äußerten Wut darüber, nicht ausreichend geschützt worden zu sein. Darüber hinaus berichteten Mitarbeitende von einer erheblichen Mehrbelastung. Schlussfolgerung Infolge der Pandemie und der ergriffenen Maßnahmen wurden negative psychosozialen Folgen bei Bewohnern, deren Angehörigen bzw. Besuchern und den Mitarbeitenden berichtet. Die abzuleitenden Unterstützungsbedarfe der 3 Personengruppen sind unterschiedlich und sollten bei zukünftigen Maßnahmen hinsichtlich der Pandemie stärker mitevaluiert werden.

Objectives Previous research supports that subjective views on aging (VoA), such as older subjective age (SA) and negative attitudes toward own aging (ATOA), go along with negative outcomes. A differentiated treatment of health and disease as antecedents of VoA is largely lacking. Therefore, our objective was to estimate the relationship between generally framed physical, affective, and cognitive health as well as specific diseases and VoA, operationalized both as SA and ATOA. Methods Data were drawn from the ActiFE Ulm study for which a representative sample of community-dwelling older people (65–90 years) was recruited at baseline. Follow-ups were conducted 7.7 years (median) after recruitment (N = 526). Health- and disease-related data at baseline, based on established assessment procedures for epidemiological studies, were regressed on VoA (1-item SA indicator, 5-item ATOA scale) measures at follow-up. Results Reported severity of affective health problems such as depression was the strongest general risk factor for both older SA and negative ATOA. Also, some but not all major diseases considered were associated with VoA. Notably, back pain predicted negative ATOA, while cancer was associated with older SA. Rheumatism was linked with more negative ATOA along with higher SA. Throughout analyses, explained variance in ATOA was considerably higher than in SA. Discussion Affective health problems, such as depression, should be regarded as a major correlate of subjective aging views. Interestingly, diseases do not have to be life-threatening to be associated with older SA or negative ATOA.

This study addressed two questions: (1) Does advanced cancer in later life affect a person’s awareness of time and their subjective age? (2) Are awareness of time and subjective age associated with distress, perceived quality of life, and depression? We assessed patients with terminal cancer (OAC, n = 91) and older adults with no life-threatening disease (OA, n = 89). All participants were age 50 or older. OAC perceived time as being a more finite resource and felt significantly older than OA controls. Feeling younger was significantly related with better quality of life and lower levels of distress. In the OA group, feeling younger was also associated with reduced depression. Perceiving time as a finite resource was related to higher quality of life in the OA group. Indicators of an older person’s awareness of time and subjective aging differ between those with advanced cancer versus controls without a terminal disease.

Insights into the short-term dynamics and micro-longitudinal consequences of subjective age can drive our understanding of its long-term mechanisms across adulthood. Using data from 80 newly retired individuals (aged 59 to 76 years; 59% women) collected on 21 days, we made use of a recent methodological advance—multilevel dynamic structural equation modeling. As possible same-day correlates and micro-longitudinal consequences of subjective age, we investigated physical activity, step number, sleep quality, affect, and stress, which were either assessed via wearables (FitBit Charge HR) or daily diaries. Analyses suggest a weak autoregression of subjective age, indicating that how old one feels is determined via daily rather than lasting experiences. Indeed, there were significant same-day relations to all suggested correlates. The one effect lasting across several days was from an older subjective age on subsequent negative affect—a potential short-term mechanism contributing to the detrimental long-term influence of an older subjective age.

Wearables provide new opportunities to promote physical activity also among older adults but data on effectiveness and user friendliness are rare.The effects of a comprehensive self-regulative intervention on moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and number of steps were examined using commercially available activity trackers. Acceptance regarding the devices was analysed in various domains.In this study 80 older adults (mean = 67.03 years, standard deviation = 3.97 years; 59% women) wore a Fitbit Charge HR for 21 days including a baseline, a postintervention and a follow-up week. The intervention comprised feedback, goal setting and planning and 50% of the participants were additionally randomized to a role model component. Social cognitive predictors based on the health action process approach (HAPA) and user experience were assessed via questionnaires.The MVPA increased by an average of 19 min per week and steps by 1317 per day. An additional benefit of the role model component could be observed for MVPA. In the follow-up, the intervention effect was still significant for the number of steps, while MVPA dropped back to baseline. Multilevel models including HAPA variables explained small but significant amounts of variance in MVPA (8% within-person, 26% between-person) and steps (11% within-person, 12% between-person). User experience was rated as very high.Providing an intervention based on established behavior change techniques and self-monitoring via wearables seems to be effective for increasing physical activity among older adults. The HAPA variables seem to play a limited role to explain activity levels. Acceptance of wearables can be expected to be high.HINTERGRUND: Wearables bieten Potenziale zur Förderung körperlicher Aktivität bei Älteren, jedoch sind Studien, die Effektivität und Nutzerfreundlichkeit gemeinsam betrachten, begrenzt.Es werden Effekte einer umfangreichen selbstregulativen Intervention zur Förderung körperlicher Aktivität auf Basis kommerzieller Aktivitätstracker sowie deren Akzeptanz und Bewertung untersucht.In dieser Studie trugen 80 Personen (M = 67,03; SD = 3,97; 59 % Frauen) ein Fitbit Charge HR für insgesamt 21 Tage, einschließlich einer Baseline, einer Post-Interventions- und einer Follow-up-Woche. Die Intervention umfasste Bausteine wie Zielsetzung und Planung, zusätzlich wurden 50 % randomisiert einer Rollenmodell-Komponente zugeordnet. Sozial-kognitive Prädiktoren nach dem Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) und Bewertung der Wearables wurden über Fragebögen erfasst.Moderat bis intensive körperliche Aktivität (MVPA) erhöhte sich nach der Intervention um 19 min/Woche und die Schrittzahl um 1317 pro Tag. Ein Zusatznutzen des Rollenmodell-Ansatzes zeigte sich für MVPA. Im Follow-up blieb der positive Effekt für die Schrittzahl signifikant, während MVPA auf das Baseline-Niveau zurückfiel. Multilevel-Modelle inklusive der HAPA-Variablen („health action process approach“) erklärten kleine aber signifikante Varianzanteile (MVPA: 8 % „within-person“, 26 % „between-person“; Schritte: 11 % „within-person“, 12 % „between-person“). Die Bewertungen (z. B. Nutzerfreundlichkeit) fielen sehr positiv aus.Die Intervention auf Basis etablierter Behavior Change Techniken und Self-Monitoring durch Wearables konnte die körperliche Aktivität steigern, wobei Assoziationen zu HAPA-Variablen teilweise bestätigt wurden. Die Akzeptanz und Bewertung der Wearables kann als sehr gut eingestuft werden.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in profound changes of individuals’ everyday lives. Restrictions in social contacts and in leisure activities and the threatening situation of a spreading virus might have resulted in compromised well-being. At the same time, the pandemic could have promoted specific aspects of psychosocial well-being, e.g., due to intensified relationships with close persons during lockdown periods. We investigated this potentially multidimensional and multi-directional pattern of pandemic-specific change in well-being by analyzing changes over up to 8 years (2012-2020) in two broad well-being domains, hedonic well-being (life satisfaction) and eudaimonic well-being (one overarching eudaimonic well-being indicator as well as environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, and self-acceptance), among 423 adults who were aged 40-98 years in 2012. By modelling longitudinal multilevel regression models and allowing for a measurement-specific intra-individual deviation component from the general slope in 2020, i.e. after the pandemic outbreak, we analyzed potential normative history-graded changes due to the pandemic. All mean-level history-graded changes were nonsignificant, but most revealed substantial interindividual variability, indicating that individuals’ pandemic-related well-being changes were remarkably heterogeneous. Only for personal growth and self-acceptance, adding a pandemic-related change component (and interindividual variability thereof) did not result in a better model fit. Individuals with poorer self-rated health at baseline in 2012 revealed a pandemic-related change toward lower life satisfaction. Our findings suggest that not all well-being domains - and not all individuals - are equally prone to “COVID-19 effects”, and even pandemic-associated gains were observed for some individuals in certain well-being domains.