Exploring the Causal Interplay of Subjective Age and Health Dimensions in the Second Half of Life

Abstract

Numerous studies have emphasized a stable relationship between subjective age and health. However, few longitudinal studies exist and these have normally tested only one causal pathway. The present study investigated the direction of effects between subjective age and different health dimensions in 3,038 participants of the German Ageing Survey, aged 40 years and older. Cross-sectionally, subjective age correlated with all health dimensions studied. Longitudinally, subjective age predicted physical, mental, and self-rated health, whereas the reverse effect was found only for self-rated health. Subjective age thus seems to be an important resource for preserving health in the second half of life.