采用年齡認同問卷、流調中心用抑郁量表、焦慮自評量表和生活滿意度量表對646位老年人進行問卷調查,考察我國老年人年齡認同的特征及其與心理健康之間的關系。結果表明:(1)老年人感覺自己比實際年齡年輕的人數比例為55.7%,平均年輕4.07年。實際年齡和自評健康對老年人的年齡認同有顯著影響。(2)回歸分析結果表明,在控制了性別、受教育水平、自評健康等變量后,年齡認同仍然對老年人的心理健康有顯著影響,表現在對其焦慮和抑郁情緒有顯著的負向預測作用,對其生活滿意度水平有顯著的正向預測作用。綜上,我國老年人年齡認同存在年輕化偏向,而且這種年輕化偏向程度越強,老年人的焦慮和抑郁情緒越少,生活滿意度水平越高。這意味著可以采取適當干預措施促使老年人保持年輕化的年齡認同,這可能將有助于改善老年人的心理健康狀況。

To investigate the characteristics of age identity among Chinese older adults and its relationship with mental health, four questionnaires(Age Identity Questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale,Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale) were administered to 646 older adults. The findings suggested that: 1) 55.7% of the participants reported feeling younger than their actual age and the discrepancy was about 4.07 years. Actual age and self-rated health had a significant impact on older adults ′ age identity. 2)Regression analyses revealed that, older adults′ mental health was significantly affected by age identity, after controlling for gender, education, and self-rated health. To be exact, older adults ′ anxiety and depression were weakened by age identity, but their life satisfaction level was strengthened by age identity. To sum up, Chinese elder adults showed younger bias. The younger older adults′ age identity was, the less anxiety and depression they had, but the higher life satisfaction level. All our findings suggested that appropriate measures can be taken to enable older people to remain a younger age identity, which may be helpful to improve the mental health status of the elderly.