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Do we all perceive experiences of age discrimination in the same way? Cross-cultural differences in perceived age discrimination and its association with life satisfaction

Author

Listed:
  • M. Clara P. de Paula Couto

    (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

  • Jana Nikitin

    (University of Vienna)

  • Sylvie Graf

    (Czech Academy of Sciences)

  • Helene H. Fung

    (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Thomas M. Hess

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Shyhnan Liou

    (National Cheng Kung University)

  • Klaus Rothermund

    (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

Abstract

Age discrimination is pervasive in most societies and bears far-reaching consequences for individuals’ psychological well-being. Despite that, studies that examine cross-cultural differences in age discrimination are still lacking. Likewise, whether the detrimental association between age discrimination and psychological well-being varies across contexts remains an open question. In this study, therefore, we examined cross-cultural differences in perceived experiences of age discrimination and their detrimental association with a specific indicator of psychological well-being, which is life satisfaction. The sample was drawn from the Ageing as Future study and comprised 1653 older adults (60–90 years) from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the USA. Participants self-reported their experiences of age discrimination and their life satisfaction. Findings indicated that participants from Hong Kong and Taiwan reported experiences of perceived age discrimination more often than participants from the Czech Republic, Germany, and the USA. Furthermore, experiences of age discrimination were negatively associated with life satisfaction. Cultural context moderated this relation: We found a smaller detrimental association between perceived experiences of age discrimination and life satisfaction in Eastern cultures, that is, in contexts where such experiences were perceived to be more prevalent. These findings highlight the importance of examining age discrimination across cultures. Experiences of age discrimination are clearly undesirable in that they negatively affect psychological well-being. Our results indicate that a higher self-reported prevalence of perceived age discrimination in the samples studied weakens this negative association. We discuss these findings in terms of adaptation (versus sensitization) in response to discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Clara P. de Paula Couto & Jana Nikitin & Sylvie Graf & Helene H. Fung & Thomas M. Hess & Shyhnan Liou & Klaus Rothermund, 2023. "Do we all perceive experiences of age discrimination in the same way? Cross-cultural differences in perceived age discrimination and its association with life satisfaction," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:20:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-023-00790-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-023-00790-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Liat Ayalon & Klaus Rothermund, 2018. "Examining the utility of national indicators of relative age disadvantage in Europe," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 189-197, June.
    2. Christin-Melanie Vauclair & Sibila Marques & Maria L. Lima & Christopher Bratt & Hannah J. Swift & Dominic Abrams, 2015. "Subjective Social Status of Older People Across Countries: The Role of Modernization and Employment," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 70(4), pages 650-660.
    3. Tetyana P Shippee & Lindsay R Wilkinson & Markus H Schafer & Nathan D Shippee, 2019. "Long-Term Effects of Age Discrimination on Mental Health: The Role of Perceived Financial Strain," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 74(4), pages 664-674.
    4. Catherine E. Harnois & João L. Bastos & Salma Shariff-Marco, 2022. "Intersectionality, Contextual Specificity, and Everyday Discrimination: Assessing the Difficulty Associated With Identifying a Main Reason for Discrimination Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Respondents," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 51(3), pages 983-1013, August.
    5. E-Shien Chang & Sneha Kannoth & Samantha Levy & Shi-Yi Wang & John E Lee & Becca R Levy, 2020. "Global reach of ageism on older persons’ health: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-24, January.
    6. Alison L Chasteen & Michelle Horhota & Jessica J Crumley-Branyon & Derek Isaacowitz, 2021. "Overlooked and Underestimated: Experiences of Ageism in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(7), pages 1323-1328.
    7. Klaus Rothermund & Verena Klusmann & Hannes Zacher & Alexandra M Freund, 2021. "Age Discrimination in the Context of Motivation and Healthy Aging," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(Supplemen), pages 167-180.
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