Effects of physical and mental health factors and family function on the self‐perception of aging in the elderly of Chinese community

BACKGROUND: To examine the effects of physical and mental health factors and family functioning on the self‐perception of ageing in elderly people. METHODS: A random cluster sampling method was used to select elderly people aged over 60 from three communities in Handan City. Subjects were evaluated via face‐to‐face interviews using the Chinese version of the Ageing Perception Questionnaire, the Family Function Scale, the SF‐36 Short‐Form Health Survey, and a self‐compiled general questionnaire. A single factor and stepwise multiple regression analysis were evaluated using SPSS 17.0 software. RESULTS: Among the 1815 elderly people surveyed, the total negative dimension score was 91.67 ± 16.58 with an index of 73.34%, which is higher than the positive dimension score (6.01 ± 0.52, 60.10%). Elderly people with varying degrees of family dysfunction accounted for 11.63%, and the score for self‐perceived ageing in elderly participants with good family function was 95.74 ± 12.63. The proportions with poor physical and mental health factors were 45.40% and 28.10%, respectively, and the scores for ageing self‐perception in elderly participants with good or moderate mental health were 89.11 ± 12.65 and 86.22 ± 12.58, respectively. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that age, presence of a spouse, and family function were positive protective factors for ageing self‐perception, while physical health factors were risk factors for the positive dimension of self‐perceived ageing. Age and family function were risk factors for the negative dimension of ageing self‐perception, while physical and mental health factors were protective factors for the negative dimension of self‐perceived ageing. CONCLUSIONS: Younger elderly and elderly people with good family function have positive self‐perceptions of ageing, while elderly participants with poor physical and mental health have a negative perception of ageing.