Table 1 Item characteristics and standardized factor loadings of the APQ
From: Validation of the Dutch Aging Perceptions Questionnaire and development of a short version
Items | Missing (%) | M | SD | Med | λ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Timeline chronic | |||||
1. I am conscious of getting older all of the time | 2.00 | 4.03 | .84 | 4.00 | .60 |
2. I am always aware of my age | 2.70 | 3.54 | 1.06 | 4.00 | .76 |
3. I always classify myself as old | 3.30 | 2.92 | 1.14 | 3.00 | .75 |
4. I am always aware of the fact that I am getting older | 3.00 | 3.59 | 1.02 | 4.00 | .78 |
5. I feel my age in everything that I do | 3.50 | 3.03 | 1.14 | 3.00 | .75 |
Timeline cyclical | |||||
27. I go through cycles in which my experience of ageing gets better and worse | 6.10 | 2.95 | 1.04 | 3.00 | .71 |
28. My awareness of getting older comes and goes in cycles | 7.10 | 3.10 | 1.03 | 3.00 | .62 |
30. I go through phases of feeling old | 5.60 | 2.88 | 1.12 | 3.00 | .76 |
31. My awareness of getting older changes a great deal from day to day | 6.30 | 2.69 | 1.06 | 3.00 | .72 |
32. I go through phases of viewing myself as being old | 5.90 | 2.89 | 1.14 | 3.00 | .76 |
Consequence positive | |||||
6. As I get older I get wiser | 4.40 | 3.21 | 1.00 | 3.00 | .74 |
7. As I get older I continue to grow as a person | 6.20 | 3.15 | .94 | 3.00 | .83 |
8. As I get older I appreciate things more | 3.60 | 3.82 | .85 | 4.00 | .55 |
Consequence negative | |||||
16. Getting older restricts the things that I can do | 5.50 | 3.56 | .94 | 4.00 | .67 |
17. Getting older makes me less independent | 7.20 | 3.18 | .99 | 3.00 | .50 |
18. Getting older makes everything a lot harder for me | 6.50 | 3.09 | 1.04 | 3.00 | .85 |
19. As I get older I can take part in fewer activities | 4.70 | 3.49 | .99 | 4.00 | .71 |
20. As I get older I do not cope as well with problems that arise | 5.30 | 3.17 | 1.03 | 3.00 | .69 |
Emotional representations | |||||
9. I get depressed when I think about how ageing might affect the things that I can do | 3.40 | 2.90 | 1.16 | 3.00 | .70 |
13. I get depressed when I think about the effect that getting older might have on my social life | 5.60 | 2.67 | 1.06 | 3.00 | .78 |
25. I get depressed when I think about getting older | 6.50 | 2.56 | 1.06 | 2.00 | .85 |
26. I worry about the effects that getting older may have on my relationships with others | 6.20 | 2.67 | 1.02 | 3.00 | .74 |
29. I feel angry when I think about getting older | 5.50 | 2.15 | .97 | 2.00 | .63 |
Control positive | |||||
10. The quality of my social life in later years depends on me | 3.60 | 3.82 | .87 | 4.00 | .85 |
11. The quality of my relationships with others in later life depends on me | 3.40 | 3.84 | .83 | 4.00 | .84 |
12. Whether I continue living life to the full depends on me | 2.70 | 3.57 | .97 | 4.00 | .61 |
14. As I get older there is much I can do to maintain my independence | 5.00 | 3.82 | .82 | 4.00 | .41 |
15. Whether getting older has positive sides to it depends on me | 5.50 | 3.75 | .81 | 4.00 | .49 |
Control negative | |||||
21. Slowing down with age is not something I can control | 4.70 | 2.27 | .87 | 2.00 | .62 |
22. How mobile I am in later life is not up to me | 5.20 | 2.40 | .93 | 2.00 | .73 |
23. I have no control over whether I lose vitality or zest for life as I age | 4.90 | 2.62 | 1.03 | 2.00 | .77 |
24. I have no control over the effects which getting older has on my social life | 5.90 | 2.98 | 1.03 | 3.00 | .59 |