Future Time Perspective and Well-Being in Chinese Older Adults: Moderating Role of Age Stereotypes

Abstract

Through this cross-sectional study, we aimed to examine the association between future time perspective (FTP) and well-being among older adults, with age stereotypes as a moderator. The participants, 333 Chinese older adults (60–88 years), completed measures related to FTP, age stereotypes, and well-being. The results showed that opportunity and limitation emerged as two subcomponents of FTP, and their effects on well-being depended on older adults’ negative age stereotypes. Specifically, for older adults holding less negative age stereotypes, FTP-opportunity and FTP-limitation had a positive effect on well-being, whereas for older adults holding more negative age stereotypes, FTP-opportunity’s positive effect became stronger and FTP-limitation’s positive effect became weaker and even detrimental. These results indicate that certain qualifiers should be taken into account when considering the relationship between FTP and well-being. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of the role of FTP in older adults’ well-being.

Ageism and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review

“…31% ( n = 4/13) adopted conceptual frameworks to explain and verify the association between ageism and psychological health. Stereotype internalization theory ( Bai et al, 2016 ), stress process model ( Kim, 2015 ), minority stress theory ( Lyons et al, 2018 ), and stereotype embodiment theory ( Zhang et al, 2019 ) were used as theoretical grounds to support the ageism and psychological health link.…”

“…We also found the measurement of ageism to be insufficient. Among our identified studies, Kim et al (2015) , Lee and Kim (2016) , and Lyons et al (2018) used Palmore (2001) ’s ageism measure, and Zhang et al (2018) and Zhang et al (2019) used the Levy’s et al (2004) Image of Aging Scale. Palmore’s (2001) measure and Levy’s et al (2004) measure assess ageism from different perspectives.…”

“…While Palmer examined discrimination experienced by older adults, the Images of Aging Scale by Levy et al (2004) could be completed by respondents of any age and asked to rate the degree to which the words or phrases are representative of older adults. That is, Zhang et al (2018) and Zhang et al (2019) adopted and revised ageism scales that were specifically designed to measure the attitudes of younger people toward older people. Similarly, Bai et al (2016) employed a measure of “perceptions of aging as a burden” to examine internalized ageism of older adults.…”

Social Network Size and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Future Time Perspective Among Community-Dwelling Retirees

“…Participants rated each item on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ). The Chinese version of the FTP demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity (Zhang et al, 2019). In the present sample, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the two sub-dimensions were 0.85 and 0.70, respectively.…”

Psychological Factors That Suppress Help-Seeking among Middle-Aged and Older Adults Living Alone

“…The difficulty that middle-aged and older men who live alone experience in recognizing their need for help suggests that they are not thinking enough about the future. An individual’s perception of the future, referred to as future time perspective (FTP), has been shown to be correlated with well-being [ 24 ] and life satisfaction [ 25 ] among middle-aged and older adults. FTP is also strongly correlated with planning for life after retirement; that is, individuals who are high on FTP tend to be more involved in planning for post-retirement life [ 26 , 27 ].…”