Successful ageing: a study of age identity among Chinese older adults

Abstract

Age identity has long been considered a more meaningful and accurate reflection of the aging process than chronological age. However, it is still a mostly unexplored concept among Chinese older adults. What are the correlates of age identity from the perspective of a multidimensional, culturally-shared model of aging? How do Chinese older adults describe their age identities, and are there any recent related trends? Does the adaptive value of youthful age identity in later life, which promotes well-being and successful aging, also exist in the Chinese context?

Six studies using quantitative methods were devised to answer the above questions. Data were drawn from the three waves of the Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China (SSAPUR), with Study I using data from the 2006 SSAPUR, Study II using data from the 2000, 2006, and 2010 SSAPURs, and Studies III-VI using 4-year-panel data from the 2006 and 2010 SSAPURs.

Study I examined correlates of age identity among Chinese older adults (N = 18,925). The findings reveal that multidimensional age markers, including chronological age, number of chronic conditions, widowhood, loss of both parents, and perceived onset of forgetfulness were all positively associated with age identity. Among these, perceived onset of forgetfulness was the strongest predictor.

Study II investigated how Chinese older adults describe their age identities, and whether or not there have been any trends over the most recent decade (N = 20,166 in 2000; N = 19,922 in 2006; N = 19,874 in 2010). The findings reveal that old age is perceived to start at around the chronological age of 60 years, but that women are perceived as becoming old four years earlier than men. The findings also indicate that a majority of Chinese older adults reported feeling old. Nevertheless, there has been a general upward trend for increasingly higher percentages of them to report not feeling old over the recent years.

Study III determined the effect of age identity on subjective well-being among Chinese older adults (N = 11,306). The findings indicate that a baseline youthful age identity is associated with better subjective well-being. Study IV investigated the impact of age identity on physical functioning among Chinese older adults (N = 11,366), and its findings indicate that a baseline youthful age identity is related to better physical functioning. Study V examined the impact of age identity on productive engagement, including paid work and volunteering among Chinese older adults (N = 11,473). The findings indicate that relative to abaselineold age identity, a baseline youthful age identity is associated with higher odds of productive engagement. On the basis of Studies III-V, Study VI explored the impact of age identity on a multidimensional conceptualization of successful aging among Chinese older adults (N = 10,070), and its findings indicate that a baseline youthful age identity is associated with higher odds of successful aging.

The practical and theoretical implications of the present research are discussed in this thesis, along with its limitations and recommendations for future research.