Self-perceptions of aging and advance care planning: Longitudinal evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Clicks: 26
ID: 326446
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Steady

Ranked #37 of 133 articles by views in the journals of gerontology series b, psychological sciences and social sciences

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 133 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Objectives Advance care planning (ACP) is increasingly conceptualized as a proactive, communication-centered process that supports person-centered care in later life. Although prior research has focused on demographic and clinical predictors, less is known about the psychological factors that shape how individuals engage in planning. Guided by Stereotype Embodiment Theory, this study examined whether self-perceptions of aging (SPA) prospectively predict patterns of ACP engagement. Methods Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (2008–2014). A lagged longitudinal design linked baseline SPA to ACP engagement four years later among adults aged 65 and older (N = 7,618). ACP was categorized as: both formal (documentation) and informal (discussion) planning, formal-only, informal-only, or neither. Multinomial logistic regression models assessed associations between SPA and ACP patterns, adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics. Interaction models tested moderation by sociodemographic and health factors, and exploratory analyses examined transitions into ACP among baseline nonplanners. Results More positive baseline SPA was associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in formal-only ACP relative to engaging in both formal and informal ACP. SPA was not significantly associated with informal-only ACP or with no ACP relative to comprehensive planning. Associations between SPA and ACP patterns did not vary across sociodemographic groups, although functional limitations and self-rated health modestly moderated specific contrasts. Among respondents with no prior ACP, SPA did not significantly predict transitions into planning over time. Discussion These findings extend Stereotype Embodiment Theory to future-oriented healthcare planning and highlight SPA as a psychosocial factor associated with comprehensive ACP engagement.
Reference Key
openalex_W7202376988 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Rita X. Hu, Yifan Lou
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal the journals of gerontology series b, psychological sciences and social sciences
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/geronb/gbag174
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbag174
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.