Background: A questionnaire assessing awareness of positive and negative age-related changes (AARC gains and losses) was developed in the US and Germany. We validated the short form of the measure (AARC-10 SF) and the cognitive functioning subscale from the 50-item version of the AARC (AARC-50) questionnaire in the UK population aged 50 and over.
Methods: Data from 9,410 participants (Mean (SD) age= 65.9 (7.1)) in the PROTECT cohort were used to explore and confirm the psychometric properties of the AARC measures including: validity of the factor structure; reliability; measurement invariance across men and women, individuals with and without a university degree, and in middle age, early old age, and advanced old age; and convergent validity with measures of self-perception of aging and mental, physical, and cognitive health. We explored the relationship between demographic variables (age, sex, marital status, employment, and university education) and AARC.
Results: We confirmed the two-factor structure (gains and losses) of the AARC-10 SF and the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale. Both scales showed good reliability and good convergent validity for AARC losses, but weak convergent validity for AARC gains. For both scales metric invariance was held for the two subgroups defined by education level and age. For the AARC-50 subscale, but not for the AARC-10 SF, strong invariance was also held for the two subgroups defined by sex. Age, sex, marital status, employment, and university education predicted AARC gains and losses.
Conclusions: The AARC-10 SF and AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale identify UK individuals who perceive age-related changes in their mental, physical, and cognitive health.

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Posted 14 Sep, 2020
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On 09 Apr, 2020
Received 06 Apr, 2020
On 30 Mar, 2020
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On 23 Mar, 2020
On 22 Mar, 2020
On 22 Mar, 2020
On 20 Mar, 2020
Posted 14 Sep, 2020
On 13 Sep, 2020
On 10 Sep, 2020
On 26 Aug, 2020
Received 24 Aug, 2020
Received 24 Aug, 2020
On 04 Aug, 2020
On 02 Aug, 2020
On 30 Jul, 2020
Invitations sent on 30 Jul, 2020
On 29 Jul, 2020
On 29 Jul, 2020
On 28 Jun, 2020
Received 24 Jun, 2020
Received 22 Jun, 2020
On 03 Jun, 2020
Invitations sent on 01 Jun, 2020
On 01 Jun, 2020
On 31 May, 2020
On 30 May, 2020
On 30 May, 2020
On 29 Apr, 2020
Received 28 Apr, 2020
On 09 Apr, 2020
Received 06 Apr, 2020
On 30 Mar, 2020
Invitations sent on 27 Mar, 2020
On 23 Mar, 2020
On 22 Mar, 2020
On 22 Mar, 2020
On 20 Mar, 2020
Background: A questionnaire assessing awareness of positive and negative age-related changes (AARC gains and losses) was developed in the US and Germany. We validated the short form of the measure (AARC-10 SF) and the cognitive functioning subscale from the 50-item version of the AARC (AARC-50) questionnaire in the UK population aged 50 and over.
Methods: Data from 9,410 participants (Mean (SD) age= 65.9 (7.1)) in the PROTECT cohort were used to explore and confirm the psychometric properties of the AARC measures including: validity of the factor structure; reliability; measurement invariance across men and women, individuals with and without a university degree, and in middle age, early old age, and advanced old age; and convergent validity with measures of self-perception of aging and mental, physical, and cognitive health. We explored the relationship between demographic variables (age, sex, marital status, employment, and university education) and AARC.
Results: We confirmed the two-factor structure (gains and losses) of the AARC-10 SF and the AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale. Both scales showed good reliability and good convergent validity for AARC losses, but weak convergent validity for AARC gains. For both scales metric invariance was held for the two subgroups defined by education level and age. For the AARC-50 subscale, but not for the AARC-10 SF, strong invariance was also held for the two subgroups defined by sex. Age, sex, marital status, employment, and university education predicted AARC gains and losses.
Conclusions: The AARC-10 SF and AARC-50 cognitive functioning subscale identify UK individuals who perceive age-related changes in their mental, physical, and cognitive health.

Figure 1
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