Effects of subjective successful aging on emotional and coping responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Dannii Y Yeung, Edwin K H Chung, Alfred H K Lam, Alvin K K Ho, Dannii Y Yeung, Edwin K H Chung, Alfred H K Lam, Alvin K K Ho

Abstract

Background: Middle-aged and older adults are more vulnerable to hospitalization and mortality if they are infected with the COVID-19 virus. The present study investigates the longitudinal effects of subjective successful aging on middle-aged and older adults' emotional and coping responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and explores an underlying mechanism through perceived time limitation during the pandemic.

Methods: A sample of 311 Hong Kong Chinese middle-aged and older adults (Mage = 64.58, SD = 10.14, Range = 45-90 years) were recruited from an Adult Development and Aging Project and participated in a questionnaire study via an online platform or phone interview. Their levels of subjective successful aging, perceived time limitation, and emotional and coping responses to the pandemic were measured.

Results: The respondents who perceived themselves as more successful in aging process reported more positive and fewer negative emotions compared with their counterparts with lower levels of subjective successful aging. The mediation analysis showed that perceived time limitation could partially account for the effects of subjective successful aging on emotional and coping responses.

Conclusions: Findings of this study unveil the beneficial effects of subjective views of successful aging on emotional and coping responses to the pandemic through alleviating their perception of time limitation.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease; Emotional and coping responses; Perceived time limitation; Subjective perceptions of successful aging.

Conflict of interest statement

Dannii Yeung is an Editorial Board member for BMC Geriatrics. The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The mediation model on the relationships between subjective successful aging and five outcome variables through perceived time limitation. Note. Numbers in the figure indicate unstandardized regression coefficients. c’ denotes the direct effect of subjective successful aging on each outcome variable. The numbers in the parentheses represent the indirect effect of subjective successful aging on the outcome variable through perceived time limitation. The solid lines denote significant associations between variables at p < .05, whereas dashed lines represent non-significant associations. Age, sex, education level, work status, depression, perceived severity, and level of reduced social contact were statistically controlled as covariates in the mediation analysis. Goodness of fit of this mediation model: χ2 = 14.58 (df = 7, p = .04), CFI = .98, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .03. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001

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