Examining subjective views of the aging process in older adults: a systematic review following the COSMIN methodology
How can we identify and assess views on aging in older adults?
Subjective Views of Aging (VoA) have attracted increasing attention in the literature, as their VoA components have a significant impact on various health well-being outcomes, and longevity in older adults. This systematic review, published in BMC Geriatrics, followed the PRISMA guidelines and the recent COSMIN methodology to identify, classify, and evaluate the psychometric properties of instruments measuring both general and personal VoA in older adults. It also analyzed how these VoA instruments addressed views of age-related cognitive changes with aging. Systematic analysis identified 77 validation studies and 26 instruments: 13 instruments assessing generalized VoA -such as beliefs, stereotypes, and attitudes toward aging - and 13 instruments assessing personal VoA - such as subjective or felt age, self-perceptions of aging, awareness of age-related changes, and attitudes toward one’s own aging process. However, the content analysis of the instruments revealed that the subjective views of cognitive changes with aging are still scarcely examined within the broader construct of views on aging. The methodological quality assessment of the measurement properties highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each VoA instrument, identifying the most robust and valid tools for assessing the different components of the subjective aging. In conclusion, this review provides a comprehensive summary of available instruments for assessing subjective views on aging, underscoring their clinical and practical utility in promoting healthy and active aging -especially among older adults at risk of pathological aging.
Authors: Enrico Sella, Elena Carbone, Riccardo Domenicucci, Maria Letizia Tanturri, Antonio Paoli, Erika Borella
Paper: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-06472-w
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