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Cited by 151Aging and Gerontology ResearchDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAging, Health, and Disability

Subjective Age and Cognitive Functioning: A 10-Year Prospective Study

Stephan, Yannick, Caudroit, Johan, Jaconelli, Alban, Terracciano, Antonio·2014·The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
DOI 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.03.007
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Abstract

Objectives The present study examines whether subjective age (i.e., how old or young individuals feel) is associated with cognitive functioning and tests potential mediators of this association. Design Data from the two waves of measurement of the Midlife in the United States survey were used, with assessments conducted at the first wave in 1994-1995 and at the second wave in 2004-2006. Participants A total of 1,352 men and women aged from 50 to 75 years at baseline (M: 59.32; SD: 6.72). Measurements Subjective age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and the covariates sex, age, education, marital status, and disease burden were assessed at baseline to predict episodic memory and executive function measured 10 years later. Results Multiple regression analysis revealed that a younger subjective age at baseline was prospectively associated with better episodic memory and executive function. Bootstrap analysis indicated that the association of subjective age with episodic memory and executive function was partially mediated by BMI and frequency of physical activity respectively. Conclusion Even after accounting for chronological age and other risk factors for cognitive decline, such as disease burden and sedentary lifestyle, the subjective experience of aging predicts cognitive functioning in old age.

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  • People who have experienced age discrimination tend to see themselves as older than they are, a belief associated with many negative health outcomes.

    “People who have experienced age discrimination tend to see themselves as older than they are, a belief associated with many negative health outcomes, including worse mental health, lower exercise frequency, increased risk of hospitalization, decreased cognitive functioning, poorer functional health, and increased risk of mortality”

    From Centering Age Inequality: Developing a Sociology-of-Age Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Stephan et al. 2013

    The Results (p. 4) associate a younger subjective age with better memory and executive functioning, and the introduction (p. 2) reports links with well-being, physical functioning, health, and longevity. But the paper does not show that experiencing age discrimination makes people feel older; the Discussion (p. 6) instead describes feeling younger as a possible response to negative age stereotypes. It also does not address hospitalization. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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Authors
Stephan, Y., Caudroit, J., Jaconelli, A., & Terracciano, A.
Affiliations
  • Lyon 1 Université (FR)
  • Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
  • Florida State University (US)
ORCID
Venue
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-11
Volume
22
Issue
11
Pages
1180-1187
ISSN
1064-7481 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jagp.2013.03.007
OpenAlex
W2122189610
Cited by
151
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5
FWCI
10.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
Keywords
subjective age, cognitive function, episodic memory, executive function, body mass index, physical activity, mediation, middle-aged adults, aging, cognitive decline
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Aged, Aging, Cognition, Educational Status, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motor Activity, Sex Factors, Body Mass Index, Marital Status, Executive Function, Self Report, Memory, Episodic

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