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Thesis

French

ID: <

10670/1.9vyob9

>

Where these data come from
Identification of the dispositional, cognitive and environmental determinants of subjective age with advancing age.

Abstract

Given the exponential increase in the number of people aged 60 and more, the identification of the factors associated with the reduction of chronic disease risk and the maintenance of quality of life with advancing age is a major public health concern. Evidence accumulates about the implications of subjective age, i.e., how old a person perceives him-/herself, for older individual’s global functioning and mortality risk. Therefore, it appears crucial to identify the factors contributing to individuals’ tendency to feel younger or older than their chronological age, i.e., a younger or older subjective age. Although this question has stimulated a great deal of research, the present doctoral dissertation aimed to expand existing knowledge on the contribution of dispositional, cognitive and environmental factors on subjective age. Building upon a five studies research program, this work revealed a stronger role of personality on subjective age with advancing age (study 1), whereas cognitive functioning is not reflected in this dimension (study 2), this result being completed by the finding of a younger subjective age among Alzheimer disease patients comparable to healthy older adults (study 3). In addition, this research reveals that downward social comparison, leading to a contrast with same-aged peers, induces an increased younger subjective age when it occurs in the physical domain but is ineffective in the cognitive domain (study 4), whereas the assimilation to same-aged peers, illustrated by increase of age-group identification, do not translate into a reduced younger subjective age in the physical domain (study 5). Thus, this doctoral dissertation contributes to existing literature and revealed that subjective age reflects in part psychological and environmental factors.

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