Measurement and Prediction of Aging Anxiety

Lynch, Scott M.

doi:10.1177/0164027500225004

Cited by 135 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Similarly, George and Whitehouse (2007) noted that 'nowhere has our insecurity about ageing been made more manifest than in Western culture's collective fear of AD' (p. 343). We argue that DW might not only overlap with health worry/health anxiety but also with ageing anxiety, a construct investigated within gerontological research (e.g., Lynch 2000). We therefore conceptualise DW and ageing anxiety as overlapping yet distinct constructs: Whereas ageing anxiety involves concerns about age-related declines in various domains, including health and physical functioning, financial well-being, changes in physical appearance and cognitive abilities (Lynch 2000), we argue that DW is more strongly focused on (but not limited to) concerns about memory decline, as well as concerns about losing one's identity (Barrett and Robbins 2008).…”

Section: Defining Dwmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dementia worry: a psychological examination of an unexplored phenomenon

et al. 2012

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According to recent surveys, dementia worry (DW) is a widespread phenomenon in mid-life and old age, at least in Western populations. DW has been shown to be only loosely related to sociodemographic factors. Unfortunately, the concept of DW has found only very little conceptual and empirical attention in previous research. In this conceptual review, we take (mostly) a psychological approach to DW. First, we define DW as an emotional response to the perceived threat of developing dementia. We then conceptualise DW as a hybrid, combining elements of ageing anxiety and health anxiety. On the population level, we argue that the high prevalence of DW may be reflective of the increasing awareness of dementia in times of increasing ''dementia encounters', widespread misperceptions of risks and consequences of dementia and a perceived lack of coping resources. Finally, we propose that DW may affect a range of important behaviours, such as how people interpret evidence of their own or others' age-related cognitive changes, how they interact with people with dementia, how they anticipate and plan for their future, how they engage in screening and prevention behaviours and how they exploit healthcare resources. We conclude with suggestions for future research, including a further in-depth investigation of psychological and micro-/ macrosocial factors associated with DW.

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Section: Defining Dwmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dementia worry: a psychological examination of an unexplored phenomenon

et al. 2012

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“…This pattern is generally supported by the small literature on aging anxiety. 1 Research tends to find that women experience more anxiety about their own aging than do men (Abramson & Silverstein, 2006;Cummings, Kropf, & DeWeaver, 2000;Lynch, 2000); however, it should be noted that a few studies-employing smaller, nonrandom samples-fail to find gender differences (Kafer, Rakowski, Lachman, & Hickey, 1980) or report more concerns among men (Lasher & Faulkender, 1993;Watkins, Coates, & Ferroni, 1998).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Multiple Sources of Women's Aging Anxiety and Their Relationship With Psychological Distress

Barrett

Robbins

2008

J Aging Health

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“…The main therapeutic function of Rollo May's (1961) existential approach is to help the client confront normal anxiety, which is an unavoidable part of the human condition. The existential view of personality structure emphasizes the depth of experiences at any given moment, and the existential therapist does not spend a great deal of time in therapy helping the client to recover a personal past (M. R. Thomas, 1990).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%