DO PERSONALITY TRAITS PREDICT CHANGES IN OPTIMAL AGING? LONGITUDINAL FINDINGS FROM VA NORMATIVE AGING STUDY. (16th November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nath, R; Aldwin, C; Choun, S; Kurth, M; Spiro, A
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 2(2018)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 926
• Page End: 926
• Publication Date: 2018-11-16
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy031.3444
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: This study examined age-related changes in optimal aging among older men, and several personality traits (i.e., optimism, neuroticism, extraversion) as predictors of optimal aging classes. The sample consisted of 1, 422 men from the Veterans Affairs' Normative Aging Study (Spiro & Bossé, 2001), who provided 5, 173 observations (M = 2.73, SD = 1.53, range = 1 – 8) between 1987 and 2010. In 1987, the men were aged 42 to 87 (M = 61.58, SD = 7.73). Using group-based multi-trajectory modelling (Nagin, Jones, Passos, & Tremblay, 2016) to jointly model patterns of changes in both life satisfaction and functional impairment (as indicators of optimal aging), we found four classes. The impaired aging class (5% of the sample) had high, stable functional impairment and low, stable life satisfaction. In contrast, successful aging (18%) had the opposite characteristics. Both the normal (24%) and optimal (53%) aging classes had increasing functional impairment and decreasing life satisfaction, but the optimal class had much higher life satisfaction. Significant personality differences were found among the classes. The impaired class had the highest neuroticism and the lowest extraversion and optimism, while the opposite was seen in successful aging. Importantly, neuroticism and optimism differentiated between the normal and optimal classes. This study demonstrated both plasticity and heterogeneity in changes in functional health and life satisfaction with age, with personality playing an important role in determining the patterns of aging.