Personal views of aging and quality of life in midlife and older age: the role of cognitive reserve

Introduction: This study examined the relationships between different personal views of aging (VoA) dimensions, quality of life (QoL), and cognitive reserve (CR) proxies across the adult life span. In particular, we explored the role of CR proxies as a pathway mediating the VoA–QoL associations. Methods: A sample of 552 participants (50–84 years) reported their felt age and completed the Attitudes Toward Own Aging scale (ATOA) and Awareness of Age- Related Change questionnaire (AARC) as measures of personal VoA; they also filled in the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. Participants also completed the Current and Retrospective Cognitive Reserve survey (2CR), assessing various CR proxies both currently (CR-current) and retrospectively (CR-retrospective). Results: Path analyses showed direct effects of VoA, in particular ATOA, AARC- Gains, and AARC-Losses (but not felt age), on QoL. Positive ATOA were related to better QoL through greater AARC-Gains, whereas negative ATOA and an older felt age predicted poorer QoL through greater AARC-Losses. Direct effects of per- sonal VoA on CR also emerged, in particular ATOA, AARC-Gains on CR-current, and ATOA, AARC-Losses and felt age on CR-retrospective. Both CR-current and CR-retrospective mediated the effect of ATOA on QoL, whereas only CR-current mediated the effect of AARC-Gains on QoL. Finally, chronological age related to CR-retrospective and explained QoL only indirectly through ATOA and AARC. Conclusion: Our results, beyond confirming the relevance of personal VoA for QoL, suggest CR proxies as a possible behavioural pathway linking VoA to QoL. However, VoA, CR and QoL relationships depend on the VoA dimensions, and current or retrospective CR proxies considered. Ensuring quality of life, and thus successful/healthy aging, across adult lifespan should also account for views of aging and cognitive reserve proxies.