Comparison of Aging Anxiety and Ageism Attitudes Among Young and Middle Adults

Considering the increasing rate of elderly population around the world, it becomes important to better understand the concepts related to aging. The aim of this research is to compare aging anxiety and ageism attitudes among young and middle adults. The sample of the study consists of a total of 526 participants aged 20-39 (n = 263) and 40-60 (n = 263). In the study, the Sociodemographic Information Form, Ageism Attitude Scale (YATÖ) and Aging Anxiety Scale were applied to the participants. The level and direction of the relationship between the scales were examined with the Pearson Correlation method. In addition, independent samples t-Test and ANOVA test were used to compare the scale scores according to demographic variables. According to the findings of the research, statistically significant differences were detected between aging anxiety and ageism attitudes of young and middle adults due to their age differences. Aging anxiety and fear of aging-related loss have been found to be higher in middle adults. It has been observed that ageist attitudes are higher in young adults. It was found that there are significant differences in the aging anxiety and ageism attitudes of young and middle adults according to sociodemographic characteristics. It was determined that male participants had higher anxiety about aging than female participants, married participants had higher positive discrimination attitudes towards the elderly, and single participants had a higher fear of aging. It is thought that the current study will contribute to the literature by presenting data from different age groups, which are seen to be relatively less researched on the subject.