eprintid: 1562 rev_number: 145 eprint_status: archive userid: 1 dir: disk0/00/00/15/62 datestamp: 2006-01-23 12:00:00 lastmod: 2020-02-12 21:50:20 status_changed: 2008-01-09 13:31:29 type: article metadata_visibility: show item_issues_count: 0 creators_name: Bowling, A creators_name: See-Tai, S creators_name: Ebrahim, S creators_name: Gabriel, Z creators_name: Solanki, P title: Attributes of age-identity ispublished: pub subjects: 6800 divisions: UCL keywords: age-identity, subjective age, self-perceived age, attitudes to ageing, ageing, QUALITY-OF-LIFE, ELDERLY PEOPLE, SUBJECTIVE AGE, OLD-AGE, HEALTH, SATISFACTION, POPULATION, MIDDLE, CARE abstract: Chronological age can be an unsatisfactory method of discriminating between older people. The lay concept of how old people actually feel may be more useful. The aim of the analyses reported in this paper was to investigate indicators of age-identity (or subjective age) among a national random sample of people aged 65 or more years living at home in Britain. Information was initially collected by home interview and a follow-up postal questionnaire 12-18 months later. The age that respondents felt was a more sensitive indicator than chronological age of many indicators of the respondents' health, psychological and social characteristics. Multiple regression analysis showed that baseline health and functional status, and reported changes in these at follow-up, explained 20.4 per cent of the variance in self-perceived age. Adding baseline mental health (anxiety/depression), feelings and fears about ageing at follow-up explained a further 0.8 per cent of the variance, making the total variance explained 21.2 per cent. It is concluded that measures of physical health and functional status and their interactions influenced age-identity. Mental health status and psychological perceptions made a small but significant additional contribution. date: 2005-07 date_type: published publisher: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X05003818 vfaculties: VFPHS oa_status: green language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green article_type_text: Article verified: verified_batch elements_source: Web of Science elements_id: 56822 doi: 10.1017/S0144686X0503818 lyricists_name: BOWLING, ANN lyricists_name: SEE TAI, SHARON lyricists_id: ABOWL13 lyricists_id: SASEE81 full_text_status: public publication: AGEING SOC volume: 25 number: 4 pagerange: 479 - 500 refereed: TRUE issn: 0144-686X citation: Bowling, A; See-Tai, S; Ebrahim, S; Gabriel, Z; Solanki, P; (2005) Attributes of age-identity. AGEING SOC , 25 (4) 479 - 500. 10.1017/S0144686X0503818 <https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X0503818>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1562/1/attributes.pdf