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Full-Length Research Report

PTSD Symptoms, Daily Subjective Age, and Psychological Distress in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Published Online:February 17, 2021https://doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000256

Abstract

Abstract. This study had three goals: (1) to address daily links between subjective age and the three psychological distress facets (depression/anxiety/somatization); (2) to examine whether such links would be stronger under higher posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) levels; (3) to assess which PTSD cluster is most relevant. The sample (168 community-dwelling-older-adults, mean age = 73.48, 46% female) completed an online, web-based questionnaire across 14 consecutive days. Results show that on the days participants felt older, they reported higher psychological distress, which was further exacerbated by higher PTSD levels. The PTSD cluster of intrusive thoughts was most relevant. The discussion addresses the “double-burden” view, two theories of subjective age (resource/stress vs. ageism), and finally interventions for daily psychological distress reduction amongst older adults.

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