Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Knowledge Of And Attitudes Toward Aging Among Non-Elders: Gender And Race Differences, Nancy Kropf, Sherry Cummings, Kevin Deweaver

Nancy P. Kropf

Although the aging process begins at birth, fears about late adulthood can foster anxiety in younger cohorts about this time of life. This study examines the relationship between non-elderly subjects' (n = 884, 18-55 years) knowledge of and anxieties regarding personal aging and their gender and race. We hypothesized that nonelderly women and persons of color, those who will experience multiple jeopardy in their own late life, would report greater anxiety about their own aging process than did men and majority group members. Women did report lower income and education levels, less knowledge of aging, greater anxiety related to their …