Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS)

Abstract

The Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) is a specialized psychometric instrument designed to measure an individual’s level of anxiety about aging and the prospect of becoming old. Developed originally by Lasher in 1987, and later refined and published by Lasher and Faulkender in 1993, the scale consists of 20 items distributed across four distinct factors. It utilizes a Likert-type response format ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The AAS is widely used in gerontological and psychological research to understand and quantify age-related fears, providing crucial insights into predictors of well-being and attitudes toward older adults.

Keywords

Anxiety about Aging Scale, AAS, aging anxiety, gerontology, psychological assessment, fear of aging, psychological construct, psychometrics, age discrimination.

Authors

Lasher, Kathleen Patterson; Faulkender, P. J.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) is to provide a reliable and valid measure of anxiety concerning one’s own future aging process. It was developed to move beyond general measures of anxiety by focusing specifically on the affective and cognitive components of fear related to physical decline, social loss, and psychological changes associated with old age.

The scale is instrumental for researchers studying factors such as ageism, successful aging, and mental health interventions. By quantifying specific dimensions of aging anxiety, the AAS allows practitioners to identify individuals at risk for maladaptive coping mechanisms or negative health outcomes related to their perceptions of later life.

Construct

The AAS measures the psychological construct of anxiety as it relates specifically to personal aging. This construct is multidimensional, encompassing fears concerning various aspects of life that are typically associated with old age. The scale posits that aging anxiety is not a singular entity but is composed of several interrelated facets, including fears related to physical health, social isolation, loss of autonomy, and perceived societal status.

Validity

Initial validation studies, particularly the foundational work by Lasher (1987), established the construct validity of the AAS through factor analysis, confirming that the items coherently load onto the hypothesized subscales. Further research has demonstrated that the scale exhibits satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity, correlating appropriately with measures of general anxiety and attitudes toward the elderly, while maintaining distinction from unrelated constructs.

The robust validation process ensures that the AAS accurately measures the intended psychological construct—anxiety about aging—rather than simply reflecting general neuroticism or depression. Its established factor structure provides a strong foundation for interpreting subscale scores.

Reliability

The AAS demonstrates strong internal consistency, confirming its reliability for use in research settings. The original development and validation studies reported a high overall internal consistency, indicated by a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .82. This value signifies that the 20 items consistently measure the same underlying construct, suggesting high reliability across the scale.

Subsequent studies across various populations have generally corroborated this high level of reliability, confirming the stability and consistency of the AAS in measuring age-related fears across different demographic groups and cultural contexts.

Factor Analysis

The Anxiety about Aging Scale is structured around 20 items that consistently load onto four distinct, empirically derived factors. This four-factor model was confirmed through factor analysis during the scale’s development, providing a detailed breakdown of the components of aging anxiety.

The four factors measured by the AAS are:

• Fear of Old People: Reflects anxiety related to interacting with or observing older adults, often serving as a proxy for internalized ageism or fear of one’s own future state.
• Psychological Concerns: Measures fears related to cognitive decline, loss of mental sharpness, finding contentment, and maintaining meaning in life during old age.
• Physical Appearance: Captures anxiety focused on the physical manifestations of aging, such as worrying about wrinkles, gray hair, and changes in physical looks.
• Fear of Loss: Encompasses anxieties related to losses typically associated with old age, including the loss of friends, independence, health, and social roles.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: 20 items utilizing a Likert-type scale, typically ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”

Language Available: Primarily English, though translations and validations exist in various other languages (e.g., studies conducted in Iran, suggesting Persian/Farsi availability).

Population Group: General adult population, often used with college students or younger adults to measure anticipatory anxiety regarding aging.

Age Group: Typically utilized for adults (18+), particularly those not yet considered “old,” focusing on anticipatory fears.

Population Details: The scale has been successfully applied to diverse groups, including university students, healthcare professionals, and general community samples, as evidenced by studies such as those involving dentistry students.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their level of agreement with each statement. Scores are typically summed, often with reverse scoring applied to positive items, to yield an overall anxiety score and subscale scores for the four factors.

Keywords

Psychological concerns, physical appearance anxiety, fear of loss, fear of old people, psychometric instrument, anticipatory anxiety, age-related fears, measurement of anxiety.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially developed in 1987 as a dissertation and formally published in 1993. Information regarding current usage permissions and associated fees should be sought directly from the primary authors or the journal publisher (International Journal of Aging and Human Development). The original PDF document detailing the instrument and its initial validation can be downloaded here: https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/6988/Department%20of%20Psychology_66.pdf?sequence=1

Reference’s

The following references are central to the development, validation, and application of the Anxiety about Aging Scale:

• Lasher, Kathleen Patterson. (1987). “Development and initial validation of the Anxiety about Aging Scale”. Dissertation Archive. Paper 2835. http://aquila.usm.edu/theses_dissertations/2835
• Lasher, K. P., & Faulkender, P. J. (1993). Measurement of aging anxiety: Development of the Anxiety about Aging Scale. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 37(4):247-259.
• Wisdom, Nicholas M. (2010). Social acceptance of age discrimination. Oklahoma State University. Doctoral dissertation.
• Arash Poorsattar Bejeh Mir, & Morvarid Poorsattar Bejeh Mir. (2014). Dentistry students ageing anxiety levels in northern Iran. Gerodontology, 31(4): 260–264.

Items of the Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I enjoy being around old people.
2. I fear that when I am old all my friends will be gone.
3. I like to go visit my older relatives.
4. I have never lied about my age in order to appear younger.
5. I fear it will be very hard for me to find contentment in old age.
6. The older I become, the more I worry about my health.
7. I will have plenty to occupy my time when I am old.
8. I get nervous when I think about someone else making decisions for me when I am old.
9. It doesn’t bother me at all to imagine myself as being old.
10. I enjoy talking with old people.
11. I expect to feel good about life when I am old.
12. I have never dreaded the day I would look in the mirror and see gray hairs.
13. I feel very comfortable when I am around an old person.
14. I worry that people will ignore me when I am old.
15. I have never dreaded looking old.
16. I believe that I will still be able to do most things for myself when I am old.
17. I am afraid that there will be no meaning in life when I am old.
18. I expect to feel good about myself when I am old.
19. I enjoy doing things for old people.
20. When I look in the mirror, it bothers me to see how my looks have changed with age.