Subjective age from childhood to advanced old age: a meta-analysis
The present meta-analysis analyzed how the gap between subjective age and chronological age changes across the life-span and whether the size of this gap varies across regions of the globe. In addition, we tested for sources of the national differences. A systematic search in electronic databases (P...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
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| In: |
Psychology and aging
Year: 2021, Volume: 36, Issue: 3, Pages: 394-406 |
| ISSN: | 1939-1498 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/pag0000600 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000600 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpag0000600 
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| Author Notes: | Martin Pinquart & Hans-Werner Wahl |
| Summary: | The present meta-analysis analyzed how the gap between subjective age and chronological age changes across the life-span and whether the size of this gap varies across regions of the globe. In addition, we tested for sources of the national differences. A systematic search in electronic databases (PsycInfo, Medline, Google Scholar, PSYNDEX) and cross-referencing identified 294 studies (with mean age ranging from 8 to 105 years) that were included in random-effects meta-analyses. While children felt about 3 years or 34% older than their chronological age, older adults (60+ years) felt, on average, between 10.74 and 21.07 years or 13%-18% younger. Associations between chronological age and the size of proportional differences between subjective and chronological were best described as a quadratic relationship, while associations with the size of absolute differences could also be described as a linear relationship. The widening of the gap between subjective age and chronological age across adulthood was found in all continents. Although adults reported a relatively younger subjective age across the globe, these differences were strongest in North America, Western Europe, and Australia/Oceania, and weakest in Africa. The regional differences disappeared after statistically controlling for national levels of individualism-collectivism, power distance, preference for young people rather than older adults, and quality of life of older people. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 16.06.2021 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1939-1498 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/pag0000600 |