title: Longitudinal associations between perceived age discrimination and subjective well-being: variations by age and subjective life expectancy.
abstract: Perceived age discrimination can have negative effects on one's subjective well-being (SWB). The response to age discrimination might differ based on age, and based on perceived longevity, or subjective life expectancy (SLE). These differential effects have not yet been prospectively examined within adult life span samples.
  
  
  
  We examined the association between perceived age discrimination at baseline (T1) and SWB at follow-up (T2), and the moderation effect of SLE. We compared differences in these effects between middle-aged and older adults. Analyses were based on participants who took part in the 2008 (T1) and 2011 (T2) assessments of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS; listwise N = 1534), a population-based representative sample of the German adult population. Participants were categorized as middle-aged (ages 40-64; n = 919) or older adults (ages 65-93; n = 615).
  
  
  
  Regression analyses indicated that T1 perceived age discrimination significantly predicts lower T2 SWB among middle-aged, but not among older adults, after adjusting for covariates and T1 SWB. There is a significant interaction between age discrimination and SLE for predicting SWB, only among middle-aged participants, suggesting that age discrimination predicts decreases in SWB for those reporting higher, but not lower levels of SLE.
  
  
  
  People in the transition from midlife to old age, who hold higher SLE, appear to be more vulnerable to age discrimination. This may be due to the experience of age discrimination as an 'off-time', or unexpected event for those in midlife who have a higher expectation to live longer.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social and Community Sciences , Ruppin Academic Center , Emek Hefer , Israel.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avidor
authors.affiliation: b School of Social Work , Bar Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ayalon
authors.affiliation: c Department of Gerontology and the Center for Research and Study of Aging, University of Haifa , Haifa , Israel.
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Palgi
authors.affiliation: d The Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences and the Music Department, Bar Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bodner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D063506:Ageism / Q000523:psychology*; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction
keywords: Age discrimination; subjective life expectancy; subjective well-being