The Combined Effects of Daily Stressors and Major Life Events on Daily Subjective Ages

Abstract

Objectives: Stressors may be a contributing factor in determining how old an individual feels, looks, or would like to be. Currently, little research has been devoted to understanding the relationship between stressors and subjective age in older adults. We focus on the combined impact of major life-event stressors and daily stressors on multiple indicators of subjective age: felt age, ideal age, and look age. Furthermore, we examine the process by which daily stressors relate to subjective ages by testing whether positive affect, control, and negative affect mediate this relationship.

Method: Using a daily-diary design, the current study measured older adults' (60-96 years old) stressors, subjective ages, personal control, and affect.

Results: Felt, ideal, and look ages each demonstrated a unique pattern of interactions between daily stressors and major life-event stressors. Furthermore, our findings suggest that on the daily level, the relationship between stressors and felt age is mediated by negative affect but not by control and positive affect.

Discussion: Findings indicate the need to consider the broader contextual picture of stressors, as well as their differential impact on multiple indicators of subjective age.

Keywords: Affect; Control; Daily stressors; Stressful life events; Subjective age.