Background: Our subjective age (SA; how old we feel, look, act, and behave) can be a more accurate predictor of health and cognition than chronological age. While SA is mostly studied through a single-item, multidimensional measures may provide more nuanced insights. However, consistency in measurement approaches is needed to improve comparability between studies (see Klusmann et al., 2020 for a review) to better understand its impact on predicting indicators of healthy ageing.
Objective: Synthesise existing measures of multi-dimensional SA. Explore similarities and differences across disciplines and nations.
Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, psycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science were searched from inception until March 2023 for papers studying multi-dimensional SA (PROSPERO: CRD42021270014). All studies except qualitative studies and non-original research were included. Non-English texts were included to reduce language bias.
Results: 19,876 articles were screened by 3 independent reviewers and 228 references passed full-text screening. Measure use, types, sample demographics, and other results will be presented. Most studies were conducted in Western countries (e.g., Australia, US, UK, Europe) with some from Asia, Africa, and other regions. Across psychology, gerontology and business research, the most assessed dimensions were felt and look age from Kastenbaum et al.,’s (1972) and Barak & Schiffman’s (1981) measure with different responses and wording.
Conclusions: This presentation analyses and synthesises the existing multi-dimensional SA assessments worldwide to guide future studies in selecting an appropriate measure. A more focused measurement approach is needed to understand the nuances of SA which may open new research avenues.

Authors:
Shally Zhou, University of New South Wales; Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia
Brooke Brady, University of New South Wales; Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia
Lidan Zheng, University of New South Wales; Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia
Kaarin J. Anstey, University of New South Wales; Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Shally Zhou is a University Doctoral Student at University of New South Wales in Australia

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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