title: Future time perspective and awareness of age-related change: Examining their role in predicting psychological well-being.
abstract: This study examined how 2 distinct facets of perceived personal lifetime-future time perspective (FTP) and awareness of age-related change (AARC)-are associated with another, and how they may interact to predict psychological well-being. To better understand associations among subjective perceptions of lifetime, aging, and well-being, we tested a series of models to investigate questions of directionality, indirect effects, and conditional processes among FTP, AARC-Gains, AARC-Losses, and psychological well-being. In all models, we tested for differences between middle-aged and older adults, and between adults from the United States and Germany. Analyses were conducted within a structural equation modeling framework on a cross-national, 2.5-year longitudinal sample of 537 community-residing adults (age 40-98 years). Awareness of age-related losses (AARC-Losses) at Time 1 predicted FTP at Time 2, but FTP did not predict AARC-Gains or AARC-Losses. Furthermore, future time perspective mediated the association between AARC-Losses and well-being. Moderation analyses revealed a buffering effect of awareness of age-related gains (AARC-Gains) in which perceptions of more age-related gains diminished the negative effect of a limited future time perspective on well-being. Effects were robust across age groups and countries. Taken together, these findings suggest that perceived age-related loss experiences may sensitize individuals to perceive a more limited future lifetime which may then lead to lower psychological well-being. In contrast, perceived age-related gains may function as a resource to preserve psychological well-being, in particular when time is perceived as running out. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University.
authors.forename: Allyson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brothers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Aging Research, Heidelberg University.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gabrian
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Aging Research, Heidelberg University.
authors.forename: Hans-Werner
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diehl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D013995:Time; D014481:United States