Xinyi Gwee1, Ma Shwe Zin Nyunt1, Ee Heok Kua1, Dilip V Jeste2, Rajeev Kumar3, Tze Pin Ng4. 1. Gerontological Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital System, Singapore. 2. Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the Departments of psychiatry and Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, CA. 3. Academic Unit of Psychological Medicine, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra, Australia. 4. Gerontological Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital System, Singapore. Electronic address: pcmngtp@nus.edu.sg.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Dimension-specific objective measures are criticized for their limited perspective and failure to endorse subjective perceptions by respondents, but the validity and correlates of a subjective global measure of successful aging (SA) are still not well established. We evaluated the reliability and validity of a self-rated analogue scale of global SA in an elderly Singaporean population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data analysis using a comprehensive questionnaire survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 489 community-dwelling Singaporeans aged 65 years and over. MEASUREMENTS: Self-rated SA on an analogue scale from 1 (least successful) to 10 (most successful) was analyzed for its relationship to criterion-based measures of five specific dimensions (physical health and function, mental well-being, social engagement, psychological well-being, and spirituality/religiosity), as well as outcome measures (life satisfaction and quality of life). RESULTS: Self-rated SA was significantly correlated to measures of specific dimensions (standardized β from 0.11 to 0.39), most strongly with psychological functioning (β = 0.391). The five dimension-specific measures together accounted for 16.7% of the variance in self-rated SA. Self-rated SA best predicted life satisfaction (R(2) = 0.26) more than any dimension-specific measure (R(2) from 0.05 to 0.17). Self-rated SA, vis-à-vis dimension-specific measures, was related to a different set of correlates, and was notably independent of chronological age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and medical comorbidity, but was significantly related to ethnicity. CONCLUSION: The self-rated analogue scale is a sensitive global measure of SA encompassing a spectrum of underlying dimensions and subjective perspectives and its validity is well supported in this study.
OBJECTIVE: Dimension-specific objective measures are criticized for their limited perspective and failure to endorse subjective perceptions by respondents, but the validity and correlates of a subjective global measure of successful aging (SA) are still not well established. We evaluated the reliability and validity of a self-rated analogue scale of global SA in an elderly Singaporean population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data analysis using a comprehensive questionnaire survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 489 community-dwelling Singaporeans aged 65 years and over. MEASUREMENTS: Self-rated SA on an analogue scale from 1 (least successful) to 10 (most successful) was analyzed for its relationship to criterion-based measures of five specific dimensions (physical health and function, mental well-being, social engagement, psychological well-being, and spirituality/religiosity), as well as outcome measures (life satisfaction and quality of life). RESULTS: Self-rated SA was significantly correlated to measures of specific dimensions (standardized β from 0.11 to 0.39), most strongly with psychological functioning (β = 0.391). The five dimension-specific measures together accounted for 16.7% of the variance in self-rated SA. Self-rated SA best predicted life satisfaction (R(2) = 0.26) more than any dimension-specific measure (R(2) from 0.05 to 0.17). Self-rated SA, vis-à-vis dimension-specific measures, was related to a different set of correlates, and was notably independent of chronological age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and medical comorbidity, but was significantly related to ethnicity. CONCLUSION: The self-rated analogue scale is a sensitive global measure of SA encompassing a spectrum of underlying dimensions and subjective perspectives and its validity is well supported in this study.
Authors: Michelle J Naughton; Robert L Brunner; Patricia E Hogan; Suzanne C Danhauer; Gretchen A Brenes; Deborah J Bowen; Beverly M Snively; Joseph S Goveas; Nazmus Saquib; Oleg Zaslavsky; Sally A Shumaker Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2016-03 Impact factor: 6.053
Authors: Anna A Rubtsova; Gina Wingood; Ighovwerha Ofotokun; C Christina Mehta; Deborah Gustafson; David E Vance; Anjali Sharma; Adaora A Adimora; Marcia Holstad Journal: AIDS Behav Date: 2021-06-11