Explaining cognitive decline in late adulthood is a major research area. Models using personality traits as possible influential variables are rare. This study tested assumptions based on an adapted version of the Openness-Fluid-Crystallized-Intelligence (OFCI) model. The OFCI model adapted to late adulthood predicts that openness is related to the decline in fluid reasoning (Gf) through environmental enrichment. Gf should be related to the development of comprehension knowledge (Gc; investment theory). It was also assumed that Gf predicts changes in openness as suggested by the environmental success hypothesis. Finally, the OFCI model proposes that openness has an indirect influence on the decline in Gc through its effect on Gf (mediation hypothesis). Using data from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516, 70-103 years at T1), these predictions were tested using latent change score and latent growth curve models with indicators of each trait. The current findings and prior research support environmental enrichment and success, investment theory, and partially the mediation hypotheses. Based on a summary of all findings, the OFCI model for late adulthood is suggested.

Health conditions such as higher disease burden, pain, or lower functional health are associated with poorer self-rated health (SRH) in older age. Poorer SRH, in turn, is a predictor of morbidity and mortality. Personality traits are associated with SRH as well, but little is known about the interaction of personality and health conditions. In the present preregistered analyses, we used five annual waves of the Health, Aging and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study (N = 5,823, M age = 63.09, SD = 2.01) to investigate the associations of personality (neuroticism and conscientiousness) and physical health indices (disease burden, pain, and functional limitations) with levels and change in SRH. In addition, we tested Personality × Health interaction effects. We found that higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness were related to lower levels of SRH, but not to change in SRH after controlling for the health indices. Personality did not moderate the effect of health indices on levels and change in SRH. Exploratory analyses showed that high scores of neuroticism may augment the association of increased pain and functional limitations with declines in SRH. Additional studies with other samples are needed to test if this result can be replicated. Taken together, our findings provide only weak evidence for interaction effects of personality and physical health factors on SRH. More research is needed to understand the interplay of physical and psychological factors in shaping individual SRH.

Feeling younger than one's chronological age is associated with various beneficial health outcomes. However, apart from these direct health effects, little is known about the role of subjective age as a potential "buffer" and compensatory resource that might counteract the detrimental effect of health risk factors. We investigated whether the effect of perceived stress as a major health risk factor on change in functional health is smaller among individuals who feel younger. Additionally, we analyzed whether this "stress buffer effect" of subjective age varies by chronological age. Longitudinal data from the German Ageing Survey comprising 3 years (2014-2017) were used (N = 5,039; mean age at baseline: M = 63.91 years, SD = 10.80 years, range 40-95 years). Latent change score models revealed that, controlling for baseline functional health as well as for sociodemographic variables, greater perceived stress was associated with a steeper decline in functional health. This effect increased in size with advancing chronological age. Moreover, a younger subjective age was associated with a less steep decline in functional health. Subjective age additionally exhibited a stress buffer effect: Among individuals who felt younger, the association of greater perceived stress with steeper functional health decline was weaker. This stress buffer effect of subjective age became larger with increasing age. Our findings thus suggest that, particularly among older adults, a younger subjective age might help to buffer functional health decline, not only by directly affecting functional health, but also by compensating and counteracting the detrimental effect of stress on functional health.

Functional health declines with advancing age, which is supposedly the consequence of both normal, “primary aging” as well as of mortality-related, “tertiary aging” processes. To better understand the independent effects of both processes, we investigated how age and time to death relate to changes in functional health over up to 12 years. Additionally, adopting the disablement process model for an end-of-life perspective, we investigated if both age and time to death moderate associations of information processing speed and subjective well-being with functional health. Data from the German Ageing Survey were used. Our sample consisted of 578 participants who had died between 2002 and 2016 (mean age at death: 76.59 years, range 45–95 years). Information processing speed was measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. The well-being indicators assessed were positive affect and depressive symptoms. Based on longitudinal multilevel regression models, we found that functional health significantly decreased over time in study. Approaching death was a stronger predictor of functional health decline than was chronological age. Regarding moderation effects, controlling for gender, education, and multimorbidity, individuals closer to death at baseline revealed stronger associations of both depressive symptoms and information processing speed with baseline functional health, whereas these associations were not moderated by chronological age. Our findings suggest that change in functional health is more strongly affected by time to death than by chronological age. Moreover, there may be a growing importance of cognitive resources and well-being for functional health with advanced “tertiary aging,” but not with progression of “primary aging.”

Abstract. A novel personality inventory is presented in this article, named the Berlin Multi-Facet Personality Inventory. This new instrument is an adaptation of items from the International Personality Item Pool ( Goldberg, 2006 ) aimed at a more comprehensive set of Big Five facets. This tool has been developed to comprise a large number of nonredundant facets below each of the Big Five domains. Two language versions of the same inventory have been developed (English and German) and tested for measurement invariance in order to facilitate international usability. In addition to the construction of the inventory, this work presents first evidence for the psychometric quality of its scores in two different populations across two different studies. The inventory is freely available online.

Mit steigendem Alter berichten Frauen und Männer eine zunehmend eingeschränkte funktionale Gesundheit, und sie bewerten ihre Gesundheit weniger positiv: Die funktionale Gesundheit, das heißt die selbstständige Mobilität und die allgemeine Alltagskompetenz, nimmt mit zunehmendem Alter ab. Auch die individuelle subjektive Bewertung der eigenen Gesundheit verschlechtert sich mit zunehmendem Alter, sie nimmt aber über den Alternsverlauf von 40 bis 90 Jahren insgesamt weniger stark ab als die funktionale Gesundheit. Frauen berichten zwar eine stärker eingeschränkte funktionale Gesundheit als Männer-und das im Alternsverlauf mit zunehmenden Maße-, aber subjektiv bewerten Frauen und Männer ihre Gesundheit ähnlich über die gesamte zweite Lebenshälfte: Frauen haben bereits im Alter von 40 Jahren eine schlechtere funktionale Gesundheit als Männer, und dieser Geschlechterunterschied nimmt mit steigendem Alter zu. Dagegen unterscheiden sich Frauen und Männer weder im Alter von 40 Jahren noch im Alternsverlauf hinsichtlich ihrer subjektiven Gesundheit. Frauen und Männer bewerten ihre Gesundheit demnach subjektiv ähnlich, obwohl sie sich in ihrer funktionalen Gesundheit unterscheiden. Später Geborene kommen voraussichtlich mit einer besseren funktionalen Gesundheit ins höhere Alter als früher Geborene: In der ersten Hälfte des fünften Lebensjahrzehnts haben früher geborene Kohorten eine durchschnittlich bessere funktionale Gesundheit als später geborene Kohorten. Dies gilt für Frauen und Männer gleichermaßen. Im höheren Alter werden jedoch Frauen und Männer später geborener Kohorten voraussichtlich eine bessere funktionale Gesundheit und eine geringere Abnahme der funktionalen Gesundheit aufweisen als die Frauen und Männer früher geborener Kohorten. Dagegen unterscheidet sich bei der subjektiven Gesundheit weder das mittlere Ausgangsniveau mit Anfang 40 noch der Alternsverlauf zwischen den untersuchten Geburtskohorten, dies gilt für Frauen und Männer.

Abstract. We investigated whether information-processing speed and accommodative coping moderate associations of age and pain with 9-year functional health trajectories. Our sample consisted of 5,254 participants of the German Ageing Survey aged 40 years and older ( M = 62.33 years) who participated in up to four measurement occasions. After controlling for sex, chronic diseases, and education, our longitudinal multilevel regression models revealed that the association of older age and higher pain severity with lower functional health was weaker in individuals with higher processing speed. The relationship between pain and functional health was weaker in individuals with higher scores on accommodative coping. Our findings suggest that processing speed and accommodative coping may be important compensatory resources buffering negative associations of age and pain with functional health.

Health conditions such as higher disease burden, pain or lower functional health are associated with poorer self-rated health (SRH). Whether these associations are moderated by psychosocial factors such as personality traits has rarely been investigated so far. In the present pre-registered analyses, we used five annual waves of the Health, Aging and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study (n = 5,823, M(age) = 63.09, SD = 2.01) to investigate effects of personality (neuroticism and conscientiousness) and physical health indices (disease burden, pain, functional limitations), as well as their interaction, on levels and change in SRH. Higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness were related to lower levels of SRH. These associations remained significant when controlling for the health indices. However, personality was not significantly related to change in SRH after controlling for the health indices, and personality did not moderate the effect of health indices on levels and change in SRH. When taking change in health indices into account, we found that increases in pain and functional limitations were more strongly associated with declines in SRH for those with high neuroticism. Our findings suggest that higher neuroticism may impair the ability to cope with increasing pain and functional limitations in later life.