title: Lower prevalence of psychiatric conditions when negative age stereotypes are resisted.
abstract: Older military veterans are at greater risk for psychiatric disorders than same-aged non-veterans. However, little is known about factors that may protect older veterans from developing these disorders. We considered whether an association exists between the potentially stress-reducing factor of resistance to negative age stereotypes and lower prevalence of the following outcomes among older veterans: suicidal ideation, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants consisted of 2031 veterans, aged 55 or older, who were drawn from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative survey of American veterans. The prevalence of all three outcomes was found to be significantly lower among participants who fully resisted negative age stereotypes, compared to those who fully accepted them: suicidal ideation, 5.0% vs. 30.1%; anxiety, 3.6% vs. 34.9%; and PTSD, 2.0% vs. 18.5%, respectively. The associations followed a graded linear pattern and persisted after adjustment for relevant covariates, including age, combat experience, personality, and physical health. These findings suggest that developing resistance to negative age stereotypes could provide older individuals with a path to greater mental health.
authors.affiliation: Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Electronic address: becca.levy@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Becca R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Corey E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Pilver
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pietrzak
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D063506:Ageism / Q000523:psychology*; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Age stereotypes; Aging; Anxiety; Mental health; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Stress; Suicide; Veterans