Development of a short form of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ)

Laidlaw, Ken, Kishita, Naoko ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8453-2714, Shenkin, Susan D. and Power, Michael J. (2018) Development of a short form of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33 (1). 113–121. ISSN 0885-6230

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Abstract

Objectives: The original 24-item Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) is well-established as a measure of attitudes to aging, comprising domains of Psychosocial Loss (PL), Physical Change (PC), and Psychological Growth (PG). This paper presents a new 12-item short form Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ-SF). Methods: The original field trial data used to develop the AAQ-24 were used to compare 6-,9- and 12-item versions of AAQ-SF (Sample 1, n = 2,487) and to test the discriminative validity of the selected 12-item AAQ-SF (Sample 2, n = 2,488). Data from a separate study reporting on the AAQ-24 (sample 3, n = 792) verified analyses. Results: The 12-item AAQ-SF reported adequate internal consistency in both Sample 1 (PL α = .72, PC α = .72, and PG α = .62) and Sample 3 (PL α = .68, PC α = .73, and PG α = .61). The AAQ-SF functioned consistently with the profile of the AAQ-24 in that subscales in both formats of this measure discriminate between respondents on key parameters such as depression, subjective health status, and overall quality of life in Sample 2. Sample 3 also demonstrated the AAQ-SF can detect the differences in attitudes toward aging between individuals experiencing anxiety and depression and those without psychological symptoms. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the structure of the AAQ-SF mirrors that of the original 24-item AAQ. Conclusions: The AAQ-SF is a robust measure of attitudes toward aging, which can reduce respondent burden when used within longer questionnaire batteries or longitudinal research.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: aging,attitudes,stereotypes,lifespan development,successful aging,quality of life
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Dementia & Complexity in Later Life
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 27 Jan 2017 02:11
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2023 01:54
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/62206
DOI: 10.1002/gps.4687

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