A New Multidimensional Questionnaire to Assess Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC). (26th February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brothers, Allyson; Gabrian, Martina; Wahl, Hans-Werner; Diehl, Manfred
• Is Part Of: Gerontologist. Volume 59:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: e141
• Page End: e151
• Publication Date: 2018-02-26
• Subjects: Measurement development -- Attitudes toward aging -- Self-perceptions of aging; Older people -- Periodicals; Older people -- United States -- Periodicals; 305.2605
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/gny006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-9013

Abstract

Abstract: Background and Objectives: This two-study article describes the development and evaluation of a multidimensional questionnaire based on the subjective aging construct Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC). AARC captures the inherent multidimensionality and complexity of aging attitudes, which are strongly linked to indicators of successful aging, including health and well-being. Research Design and Methods: In Study 1, we generated a large item pool related to subjective aging experiences and then evaluated the psychometric properties of a 189-item version of the AARC questionnaire in a sample of 396 adults aged 40–95 years. Based on findings from Study 1, we retained the best-performing items and arrived at a more parsimonious 50-item version (AARC-50). In Study 2, the psychometric properties of the 50-item version were examined in an expanded sample of 424 adults ages 40–98. Results: Factor analyses in Study 1 indicated a two-factor structure of the questionnaire, representing the awareness of positive (AARC-Gains) and negative (AARC-Losses) age-related changes across five behavioral domains. Confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 further supported this two-factor structure. In both studies, the AARC questionnaire demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including scale and item reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and predictive validity. Discussion and Implications: The availability of a reliable and valid assessment tool for measuring AARC-Gains and AARC-Losses allows researchers to capture detailed information about adults' positive and negative self-perceptions of aging across multiple behavioral domains, which are instrumental for promoting successful aging.