Self-Perceptions of Aging in the Context of Challenging Experiences: Patterns of Risk and Resilience

Thursday, November 3, 2022

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: 203 CC

CE: 1.5

Chair(s)

HG

Hannah Giasson, PhD

Assistant Professor
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, United States

Co-Chair(s)

RK

Rachel Koffer, PhD

Assistant Professor
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Discussant(s)

JS

Jacqui Smith, PhD, FGSA

Prof.
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

HG

Hannah Giasson, PhD

Assistant Professor
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, United States
RK

Rachel Koffer, PhD

Assistant Professor
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Rita Hu, MSW

Doctoral Candidate
School of Social Work, Department of Psychology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Shannon Mejía, PhD

Assistant Professor
Kinesiology and Community Health
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois, United States

Self-perceptions of aging have important implications for health and well-being in later life. Early life experiences, cultural and societal notions about age, and one’s present health and situational context may contribute to one’s expectations and perceptions of their own aging (e.g., Levy, 2009; Diehl et al., 2014; 2021). However, self-perceptions of aging may also predict people's responses in the face of current or future challenges. This symposium takes a closer look at self-perceptions of aging in the context of different types of life challenges. Hu and Larkina discuss early life informal caregiving experiences as antecedents of negative self-perceptions of aging in later life. Koffer and Giasson discuss how ten-year longitudinal associations between subjective age and future loneliness differ among current caregivers and non-caregivers. Mejia and colleagues discuss the role of self-perceptions of aging in adaptation to life following a fall, highlighting potential protective effects of positive self-perceptions of aging and sense of control. Finally, Giasson and colleagues discuss positive self-perceptions of aging as predictors of preventive health behavior and resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Jacqui Smith will conclude the session with an integration of common themes, practical implications, and future research directions that emerge from the four studies.

Learning Objectives:

Integrate knowledge about antecedents and outcomes associated with self-perceptions of aging when developing research questions and drawing conclusions about trajectories of health and well-being in later life
Discuss potential contributions of challenging life experiences in shaping self-perceptions of aging, as well as the role that self-perceptions of aging may play in predicting how people respond and adapt to challenges
Compare positive and negative self-perceptions of aging in relation to their associations with determinants of late-life health, well-being, and resilience

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Positive Self-Perceptions of Aging as Predictors of COVID-Related Preventive Behavior and Resilience
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Hannah L. Giasson, PhD – Arizona State University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Subjective Age and Future Loneliness: Comparing Caregivers and Non-Caregivers Across Ten Years
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Rachel E. Koffer, PhD – Arizona State University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Possible Selves through Caregiving: Caregiving History's Effects on Self-Perceptions of Aging
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Rita X. Hu, MSW – University of Michigan
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Subjective Experiences of Aging and Physical Activity in the Years That Precede and Follow a Fall
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Shannon T. Mejía, PhD – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign