Table 5.
Summary of Results (Interventions between Ageism and Psychological Well-being).
| Author (year) | Sample | Interventions (Hypothesis) | Measures | Method | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garstka et al. (2004) | Older adults aged 64–91 years recruited from the community (n=60) | By promoting a sense of inclusion (support), group identification can partially alleviate the negative effects of perceived discrimination on well-being | Age group identification is measured by five age group identity items using a 7-point Likert scale Cronbach’s α: 0.82 (1) I like being a member of my age group, (2) I am proud to be a member of my age group, (3) my age group membership is central to who I am (4) I believe that being a member of my age group is a positive experience, and (5) I have a clear sense of my age group identity and what it means to me | Structural equation modeling | After the addition of age group identification, the total effect of perceived age discrimination on well-being lessened (β = −.36, p < .05) |
| Kim (2015) | Older adults aged 65 and overdrawn from the health and retirement study (n=3991) | Self-perception of aging and purpose in life can be a potential pathway that mediates between perceived ageism and depression | (1) self-perception of aging: The Philadelphia Geriatric Center morale scale Cronbach’s α: 0.72 (2) purpose in life: measured based on a multi-dimensional model of psychological well-being constructed by Ryff (1989) Cronbach’s α: 0.76 | Hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation modeling | (1) the results of the regression perceived ageism on depression (β = .017, p = .197), disappeared when self-perception of aging was included, and was marginally significant when purpose in life was entered (β = .022, p = .095) (2) the results of structural equation modeling the impact of the indirect path from perceived ageism to depressive symptoms mediated by self-perception of aging (β = .112, p < .001) the impact of the indirect path from perceived ageism to depression mediated by purpose in life through self-perception of aging (β = .012, p = .048) |
| Kim et al. (2015) | Respondents who reported ageism experiences (n=390) | Emotional reactions and coping responses can alleviate or exacerbate the impact of ageism on depressive symptoms | (1) emotional reactions (mediator): 16 items, including feeling hurt, angry, sad, frustrated, humiliated, discouraged, terrified, foolish, or ashamed. Cronbach’s α: 0.901 (2) coping responses (moderator): Problem-focused (taking formal action, confrontation, seeking social support) and emotion-focused (passive acceptance, emotional discharge). Cronbach’s α: 0.627 to 0.851 | Hierarchical multiple regression (A bootstrap procedure) | (1) after including emotional reactions, ageism did not predict depressive symptoms (β: −0.01, p > 0.05) (2) none of the coping strategies significantly buffered the association between ageism and depression |
| Sabik (2013) | European American and African American women in 60s (N=244) | Body esteem would mediate the relationship between perceptions of age discrimination and psychological well-being | Body esteem: The appearance esteem (10 items) and weight esteem (8 items) subscales from the body esteem scale Cronbach’s α: 94 | Structural equation modeling | Body esteem partially mediated the association between perceptions of age discrimination and psychological well-being (indirect effect: β = −0.047, p <.05) the effect of age discrimination on psychological well-being decreased (direct impact = β −.29 -> β −.24) |
| Zhang et al. (2018) | Recruited participants aged 60 or over from 17 neighborhoods in Beijing, China (n=279) | NAS 1 would weaken the positive effect of PAS 2 on the well-being of those people with low levels of flexible goal adjustment (FGA³) | FGA³ was measured using the 15-item FGA³ scale (Brandtstädter and Renner, 1990)—5-point Likert scale | Hierarchical multiple regression (interaction) | The interaction term of PAS 2 × NAS 1 × FGA³ was significant in predicting well-being (β = .19, p < .01) the positive effect of PAS 2 on well-being declined for those participants with low FGA³ condition, but the effect remained the same for individuals with high FGA³ |
1NAS: Negative Age Stereotypes.
2PAS: Positive Age Stereotypes.
3FGA: Flexible Goal Adjustment.