Integrating objective and subjective criteria in examining successful aging

Background  Previous studies of successful aging stressed the need of incorporating older adults’ perception when assessing aging experiences (Phelan & Larson, 2002; Rowe & Kahn, 2015). However, only few studies included both subjective and objective criteria in the examination of successful aging. Factors contributing to subjective and objective successful aging remain unknown. This study therefore adopts a two-dimensional model (Pruchno et al. 2010), incorporating both criteria, to examine individual characteristics and health behaviours on successful aging. It also compares the psychological well-being of successfully aged individuals with their counterparts. Methods  Data from 364 Chinese older adults (71.7% female; M_age = 70.19 years, SD = 7.38) who completed a survey on Adult Development and Aging were analysed. Nine indicators of objective success (six physical functional abilities, pain intensity, number of chronic diseases, cognitive function) and two indicators of subjective success (adaptive to age-related changes, age successfully) were measured. Results  Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify successfully aged older adults using both subjective and objective criteria. Half of the sample were found to meet the two sets of criteria (i.e., successful agers). Binomial logistics regression showed that individual characteristics (age, gender, education) and health behaviours (spiritual growth-related activity, physical activity) distinguished successful agers from those who did not, χ2 = 112.41, df = 16, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .38. Independent t-tests indicated that successfully aged older adults exhibited greater sense of control, higher resilience and subjective well-being, and fewer depressive symptoms and utilization of outpatient services than those who were not (all ps < .05). Discussion  Findings of this study advance the previous research by incorporating both objective and subjective criteria in examining successful aging. As compared to their counterparts, successfully aged individuals exhibited better psychological well-being and fewer utilization of outpatient services.