Does attitudes toward own aging explain more variance in aging-related outcomes than chronological age and subjective age? A meta-analysis

Abstract

Significant research efforts have been devoted to explaining why and how aging impacts employees’ attitudes and behaviors. However, age itself has been subject to a range of conceptualizations and measurements, which has resulted in a fragmented literature. Chronological age (CA) captures biological differences, and subjective age (SA) captures people’s perceptions of their own chronological aging. Not surprisingly, these constructs have different effects on aging-related outcomes. More recently, a relatively newer construct, attitudes toward own aging (ATOA), has gained research traction. In this study, we synthesize the empirical evidence concerning ATOA, and we establish criterion-related and incremental validity of ATOA using meta-analytical techniques. We found that ATOA not only predicted health, cognitive function, well-being, and self-efficacy, but also provided additional explanatory power regarding these aging-related outcomes above and beyond CA and SA. The theoretical and practical implications of these studies are discussed.