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Ageism in an Aging Society: The Role of Knowledge, Anxiety about Aging, and Stereotypes in Young People and Adults

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  • Anna Rosa Donizzetti

    (Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, 80133 Napoli NA, Italy)

Abstract

The progressive aging of society, caused by profound demographic changes, brings with it the necessity of confronting the subject of biases against the elderly. Ageism, in fact, can influence society’s attitudes regarding this population, in addition to impacting the self-perception of elderly people. This, in turn, has consequences for positive outcomes during the aging process. The current research aims to investigate the simultaneous relationships between knowledge, age, anxiety about aging, and stereotypes toward the elderly, as well as their predictive roles with respect to ageism. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 886 participants, with an average age of 35.8 years (Standard Deviation—SD = 14.2), predominantly female (64.8%). Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed, along with structural equation modeling. Based on the analyses conducted, anxiety about aging and knowledge are antecedents for stereotypes, which in turn, together with the other variables, influence ageism. Increased education about the aging process could help reduce anxiety and stereotypes against the aging among those who are most responsible for prejudice against the elderly. Knowledge of the antecedents of prejudice toward the elderly is fundamental to promoting positive attitudes toward them.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Rosa Donizzetti, 2019. "Ageism in an Aging Society: The Role of Knowledge, Anxiety about Aging, and Stereotypes in Young People and Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-11, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:8:p:1329-:d:222470
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    1. Nardi Steverink & Gerben J. Westerhof & Christina Bode & Freya Dittmann-Kohli, 2001. "The Personal Experience of Aging, Individual Resources, and Subjective Well-Being," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 56(6), pages 364-373.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Peggy Palsgaard & Christian A. Maino Vieytes & Natasha Peterson & Sarah L. Francis & Lillie Monroe-Lord & Nadine R. Sahyoun & Melissa Ventura-Marra & Lee Weidauer & Furong Xu & Anna E. Arthur, 2022. "Healthcare Professionals’ Views and Perspectives towards Aging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, November.
    4. Lotte P. Brinkhof & Sanne de Wit & Jaap M. J. Murre & Harm J. Krugers & K. Richard Ridderinkhof, 2022. "The Subjective Experience of Ageism: The Perceived Ageism Questionnaire (PAQ)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-21, July.
    5. Marta Podhorecka & Anna Pyszora & Agnieszka Woźniewicz & Jakub Husejko & Kornelia Kędziora-Kornatowska, 2022. "Empathy as a Factor Conditioning Attitudes towards the Elderly among Physiotherapists—Results from Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-11, March.
    6. Anna Rosa Donizzetti & Martine Lagacé, 2022. "COVID-19 and the Elderly’s Mental Illness: The Role of Risk Perception, Social Isolation, Loneliness and Ageism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-15, April.
    7. Carolina Fernández-Jiménez & Joaquín F. Álvarez-Hernández & Darío Salguero-García & José M. Aguilar-Parra & Rubén Trigueros, 2020. "Validation of the Lasher and Faulkender Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) for the Spanish Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-10, June.

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