Individual images of aging and health in old age: How does a negative view on aging become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Objectives: Recently, a number of studies have provided evidence on long-term effects of self-perceptions of aging (SPA) on health. However, the mechanisms explaining this link still need to be better understood. This study therefore examined whether a negative SPA might impair the use of coping strategies.

Methods: A longitudinal study (PREFER) in N = 309 older people (65+) with multiple illnesses assessed SPA, coping strategies, health and serious health events.

Results: The SPA that aging is associated with physical losses can predict changes in the use of coping strategies for maintaining a healthy lifestyle (B = 0.17*). In case of a serious health event, this negative SPA leads to less adaptive reactions in terms of using coping strategies promoting healthy lifestyles (B = -0.11*).

Conclusions: The findings support the important role of SPA on health and suggest that a negative self-perception of aging impairs coping strategies that are important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.