Although aging well socially (Engagement with Life) is as important as aging well personally (Illness Avoidance and Functioning) (Rowe & Kahn, 1998), it has received less research attention. A Caring (CE) and a Productive (PE) form of Engagement were derived from an analysis of Chinese cultural meanings of engagement, and combined with Illness Avoidance and Functioning to form a 4-factor model. Confirmatory factor analysis based on 2,970 Hong Kong Chinese (40 to 74 years) showed a good model fit that was replicated a year later with 2,120 of the original sample. Further analysis led to a more parsimonious model where Illness Avoidance and Functioning converged into a single second-order factor whereas CE and PE remained as distinct first-order factors. The results supported the differentiation of Rowe and Kahn's Engagement with Life component into Caring and Productive Engagements.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaltesP. B., & SmithJ. (1999). Multilevel and systemic analysis of old age: The theoretical and empirical evidence for a fourth age. In BengtsonV. L. & SchaieK. W. (Eds.), Handbook of theories of aging (pp. 153–173). New York: Springer.
2.
BerkmanL. F.SeemanT. E.AlbertM.BlazerD.KahnR.MohsR. (1993). High, usual and impaired functioning in community-dwelling older men and women: Findings from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on successful Aging. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 1129–1140.
3.
BowlingA. (2006). Lay perceptions of successful aging: Findings from a national survey of middle aged and older adults in Britain. European Journal of Ageing, 3, 123–136.
4.
BowlingA. (2007). Aspirations for older age in the 21st century: What is successful aging?International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64(3), 263–297.
5.
BrewerM. B., & ChenY.-R. (2007). Where (who) are collectives in collectivism? Toward conceptual clarification of individualism and collectivism. Psychological Review, 114, 133–151.
6.
BrimO. G.RyffD., & KesslerR. C. (Eds.). (2004). How healthy are we?: A national study of well-being at midlife. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
7.
CantrilH. (1965). The pattern of human concerns. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
8.
CarstensenL. L. (1991). Selectivity theory: Social activity in life-span context. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 11, 195–217.
9.
Census & Statistics Department. (2006). Thematic report: Older persons. 2006 Population By-Census Office, Census & Statistics Department, Government of Hong Kong SAR.
10.
ChappellN. L. (2005). Perceived change in quality of life among Chinese Canadian seniors: The role of involvement in Chinese culture. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6, 69–91.
11.
ChengS. T., & ChanA. (2006). Relationship with others and life satisfaction in later life: Do gender and widowhood make a difference?Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 61B, 46–53.
12.
ChoiL. H. (2003). Factors affecting volunteerism among older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 22, 179–196.
13.
ChongA. M. L.NgS. H.WooJ., & KwanA. Y. H. (2006). Positive aging: The views of middle-aged and older adults in Hong Kong. Ageing and Society, 26, 243–265.
14.
ChouK. L., & ChiI. (2002). Successful aging among the young-old, old-old, and oldest-old Chinese. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 54, 1–14.
15.
CrowtherM. R.ParkerM. W.AchenbaumW. A.LarimoreW. L., & KoenigH. G. (2002). Rowe and Kahn's Model of Successful Aging revisited: Positive spirituality—The forgotten factor. The Gerontologist, 42, 613–620.
16.
DeppC. A., & JesteD. V. (2006). Definitions and predictors of successful aging: A comprehensive review of larger quantitative studies. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 6–20.
17.
DillawayH. F., & ByrnesM. (2009). Reconsidering successful aging: A call for renewed and expanded academic critiques and conceptualizations. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 28, 702–722.
18.
DuP. (2008). Successful aging of the oldest-old in China. In YiZ.PostonD. L.VloskyD. A., & GuD. (Eds.), Healthy longevity in China: Demographic, socioeconomic and psychological dimensions (pp. 293–303). New York: Springer.
19.
EriksonE. H.EriksonJ. M., & KivnickH. Q. (1986). Vital involvement in old age. New York: W. W. Norton.
20.
FryC. L.Dickerson-PutmanJ.DraperP.IkelsC.KeithJ.GlascockA. P. (1997). Culture and the meaning of a good old age. In SokolovskyJ. (Ed.), The cultural context of aging: Worldwide perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 99–123). London: Bergin and Garvey.
21.
FungH. W. (2008). Population by-census thematic report: Older persons. Hong Kong, China: Census & Statistics Department.
22.
HavighurstR. J. (1961). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 1, 8–13.
23.
HolsteinM. B., & MinklerM. (2003). Self, society, and the “New Gerontology.”The Gerontologist, 43, 787–96.
24.
HsuH. C., & ChangM. C. (2004). The current situation of successful aging and active aging among older adults in Taiwan: A multi-level analysis. Taiwanese Journal of Social Welfare, 3(2), 1–36. (in Chinese)
25.
HuL. T., & BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.
26.
KendigH. (2004). The social sciences and successful aging: Issues for Asia-Oceania. Geriatrics and Gerontology International, 4(s1), S6–S11.
27.
KirasicK. C. (2004). Midlife in context. New York: McGraw-Hill.
28.
KnightT., & RicciardelliL. A. (2003). Successful aging: Perceptions of adults aged between 70 and 101 years. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 56, 223–245
29.
LeG.ShenJ., & DuL. (2004). The development of social psychology in China. Tianjin, China: Tianjin People.
30.
LennartssonC., & SilversteinM. (2001). Does engagement with life enhance survival of elderly people in Sweden? The role of social and leisure activities. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 56B, S335–S342.
31.
LeungB. W. C.MonetaG. B., & McBride-ChangC. (2005). Think positively and feel positively: Optimism and life satisfaction in late life. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 61(4), 335–365.
32.
LiJ. (2001). Chinese conceptualization of learning. Ethos, 29, 111–137.
33.
LiY.ArandaM. P., & ChiI. (2007). Health and life satisfaction of ethnic minority older adults in mainland China: Effects of financial strain. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64(4), 361–379.
34.
MinichielloV., & CoulsonI. (2005). Contemporary issues in gerontology: Promoting positive aging. London: Allen & Unwin.
35.
Morrow-HowellN.HinterlongJ., & SherradenM. (Eds.). (2001). Productive aging: Concepts and challenges. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
36.
NgS. H.LoongC. S. F.LiuJ. H., & WeatherallA. (2000). Will the young support the old? An individual- and family-level study of filial obligations in two New Zealand cultures. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 3, 163–182.
37.
NgT. P.BroekmanB. F. P.NitiM.PweeX., & KuaE. H. (2009). Determinants of successful aging using a multidimensional definition among Chinese elderly in Singapore. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17, 407–416.
38.
Pang-WhiteA. A. (2009). Reconstructing modern ethics: Confucian care ethics. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 36, 210–227.
39.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B., & PodsakoffN. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903.
40.
ReichstadtJ. M. S.DeppC. A.PalinkasL. A.FolsomD. P., & JesteD. V. (2007). Building blocks of successful aging: A focus group study of older adults' perceived contributors to successful aging. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15, 194–201.
41.
RichardL.GauvinL.GosselinC., & LaforestS. (2008). Staying connected: Neighborhood correlates of social participation among older adults living in an urban environment in Montreal, Quebec. Health Promotion International, 24, 46–57.
42.
RindskopfD., & RoseT. (1988). Some theory and applications of confirmatory second-order factor analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 23, 51–67.
43.
RoweJ. W., & KahnR. L. (1998). Successful aging. New York: Pantheon Books.
44.
SchriesheimC. A.SolomonE., & KipelmanR. E. (1989). Grouped versus randomized format: An investigation of scale convergent and discriminant validity using LISREL confirmatory factor analysis. Applied Psychological Measurement, 13, 19–32.
45.
SheehyG. (1995). New passages: Mapping your life across time. New York: Random House.
46.
StrawbridgeW. J.WallhagenM. I., & CohenR. D. (2002). Successful aging and well-being: Self-rated compared with Rowe and Kahn. The Gerontologist, 42, 727–733.
47.
SunR., & LiuY. (2008). Mortality of the oldest old in China: The role of social and solitary customary activities. Journal of Aging and Health, 18, 37–55.
48.
SungK. T. (1995). Measures and dimensions of filial piety in Korea. The Gerontologist, 35, 240–247.
49.
van GroenouM. I. B., & van TilburgT. (2003). Network size and support in old age: Differentials by socio-economic status in childhood and adulthood. Ageing & Society, 23, 625–645.
50.
WarburtonJ.PaynterJ., & PetriwskyjA. (2007). Volunteering as a productive aging activity: Incentives and barriers to volunteering by Australian seniors. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 26, 333–354.
51.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2002). Active aging: A policy framework. Madrid, Spain: Aging and Life Course Program, Second UN World Assembly on Aging Press.
52.
WuZ., & SchimmeleC. M. (2006). Psychological disposition and self-reported health among the ‘oldest-old’ in China. Ageing and Society, 26, 135–151.
53.
YangK. S. (1999). Towards an indigenous Chinese psychology: A selective review of methodological, theoretical, and empirical accomplishments. Chinese Journal of Psychology, 41, 181–211.
