title: Examination of Associations Among Three Distinct Subjective Aging Constructs and Their Relevance for Predicting Developmental Correlates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined (a) the empirical associations among three subjective aging (SA) constructs: felt age, attitudes toward own aging (ATOA), and awareness of age-related change (AARC); (b) the moderating role of chronological age in these associations; and (c) the predictive relevance of the SA constructs with regard to two developmental correlates: functional health and satisfaction with life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 819 adults aged 40-98 years from the United States and Germany. Parallel multiple mediation, moderated mediation, and hierarchical regression analyses were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As hypothesized, AARC mediated the association between the global measures of SA (felt age and ATOA) and the developmental correlates. Specifically, more negative global subjective aging predicted more AARC losses, which predicted poorer health and well-being. Furthermore, this mediation pathway was moderated by chronological age, such that, with increasing age, greater AARC was more strongly related to poorer functional health (but not well-being). The multidimensional measure, AARC, accounted for a significant amount of the variance in the developmental correlates over and above the unidimensional SA constructs. A consistent pattern emerged supporting the role of domain specificity and valence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings support the need for conceptualizing SA across different behavioral domains and for distinguishing between positive and negative SA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
authors.forename: Allyson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brothers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miche
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Werner
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diehl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006803:Human Development / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D066233:Psychology, Developmental / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000379:methods
keywords: Attitudes toward aging; Developmental correlates; Subjective aging