The Attitudes to Ageing and the Influence of Social Support on It

Because no study has been conducted on the attitude to ageing among the community dwelling elderly in Malaysia, the objective of this study was to determine the attitudes to ageing among the elderly and the influence of social support on it. This cross sectional study was conducted among randomly sampled 2005 elderly in Penang, Malaysia. Attitude to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) and the Oslo-3 Social Support Scale (OSS-3) was used. Majority considered those in the age group 60-69 and health status, appearance and level of fitness as the criteria to consider some one aged. The attitude to ageing score ranged from 39 to 109 with a mean score of 78.9. The mean score for the psychosocial gain, physical change and psychological growth domains were 27.2, 24.6 and 27.2 respectively. The differences in the mean scores among the age groups, races, marital status, level of education, employment status, socially active, mobility and living arrangement was statistically significant. As the social support category increased from poor to strong the mean scores also significantly increased. After controlling for all other demographic factors, strong social support was significantly associated with increased AAQ score. The total AAQ score and the score of all the three domains was above average suggesting a positive attitude to ageing and social support is a significant predictor for the AAQ score. Change in the family dynamics in Malaysia may have a negative influence on the attitudes to ageing among the elderly in the future.