‘It is nothing more than a senior moment’: the moderating role of subjective age in the effect of change in memory on self-rated memory

Objective: The association between memory performance and self-rated memory is yet to be understood. More specifically, little is known about the factors that lie at the base of self-evaluations of memory in relation to actual changes in memory. In this study, we suggest that subjective age modifies the effect of objective change in memory on self-rated memory.

Method: We used two waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 4624) to examine whether subjective age moderates the effect of experienced changes in memory between T1 and T2 on self-rated memory at T2.

Results: Our results suggest that subjective age is a significant moderator of the effect of change in memory on self-rated memory. The effect is weaker among those with younger subjective age, and stronger for those with older subjective age.

Conclusion: While preserving a young subjective age is usually considered an adaptive strategy, it also has potential negative effects, masking changes in memory performance.     

Daily fluctuations in subjective age and depressive symptoms: the roles of attitudes to ageing and chronological age

Studies indicate that both subjective age—individuals’ perception of their own age as older or younger than their chronological age, and attitudes to ageing are related to physical and mental health. Less is known about the possible dual effect of these two constructs of subjective views of ageing. In the current study, 334 participants (aged 30–90, M?=?58.15) reported their daily subjective age and mental health along 14 consecutive days. Attitudes to ageing were measured at baseline. Results indicated that daily variation in subjective age was related to daily variation in depressive symptoms, such that people experienced more depressive symptoms at days they felt older. Furthermore, we found that attitudes to ageing (perceptions of losses, physical change, and psychological growth) moderated this relationship. The covariation between daily subjective age and daily depressive symptoms was stronger when attitudes to ageing were less favorable (e.g., high perceptions of losses and low psychological growth). The moderating effect of losses was especially prominent among older participants. This indicates that attitudes to ageing moderate the toll that feeling old takes on mental health, especially in older age. The results also emphasize the need to understand how different subjective views on ageing, measured in different time frames, operate interactively to shape individual’s daily experiences.

     

Loneliness and depressive symptoms: the moderating role of the transition into retirement

Objectives: The transition to retirement implies significant changes in daily routine and in the social environment. More specifically, it requires more self-directed efforts in order to stay socially engaged. Hence, for those who suffer from loneliness, the transition to retirement could result in increased depressive symptoms due to the lack of structured daily routine.

Methods: We used two waves of the Health and Retirement Study, and tested whether the transition to retirement between the two waves moderates the effects of loneliness on depressive symptoms.

Results: The transition to retirement moderated the effect of loneliness in wave 1 on depressive symptoms in wave 2, such that for those who retired, the effect was stronger in comparison to those who stayed employed.

Conclusions: Although many manage to easily transition into retirement, lonely older workers are at increased risk for maladjustment and the experience of depressive symptoms following retirement. This group could perhaps benefit from interventions aimed at increasing daily social interactions and establishing a socially satisfying routine.