Leader: Erika Borella (UNIPD); Other collaborator(s): Enrico Sella (UNIPD)
Within this task, the aims are to:
- Detect older adults’ beliefs, attitudes and knowledge toward the aging process along with their confidence in facing them with aging. The focus is on both the psychological and cognitive domains and on how people perceive their age-related changes in terms of subjective views of aging (VoA), which includes generalized VoA concepts (i.e. essentialism of aging, aging perceptions) and personal VoA concepts (i.e. awareness of age-related changes, subjective age). In particular, we examine the so-called subjective VoA, with particular emphasis on generalized and personal views and perceptions of age-related changes with aging, focusing on the cognitive functioning (VoCa).
- Design guidelines based on updated research evidence to break down stereotypes and wrong/incorrect beliefs about age-related changes in cognitive and psychological functioning, which constitute psychological barriers against a healthy and active aging;
- Develop effective ICT-based motivational and cognitive training interventions, grounded on previous evidence-based approaches, to prompt functional attitudes and motivational changes, and train/enhance their cognitive, emotional and everyday functioning.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
With respect to the aim 1 of the Task, following activities have been performed:
- Pre-registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023407986) a systematic review to identify self-reported instruments measuring subjective views of aging, and particularly those focusing on the cognitive functioning, in older adults (March 2023). Finalized and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in January 2024.
- Development of a new questionnaire to measure VoCa - (ongoing). Conducted preliminary data collection with a sample of 110 older adults (between December 2023 and January 2024); Two focus group sessions were conducted to qualitatively evaluate the generated items (March 2024).
With respect to the aim 2 of the Task, following activities have been performed:
- Meeting with experts involved in Spoke 4 to identify cognitive, psychological, and health domains to be included in evidence-based guidelines (October 2023 and February 2024).
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Potential practical implications:
- Development of a new validated and reliable self-reported questionnaire for assessing VoCa for older adults. This questionnaire could be used in both research and public health settings.
- Dissemination of an evidence-based guideline to encourage/promote lifestyle changes among older adults for promoting active and healthy aging.
- Implementation of new cognitive training intervention to stimulate functional and motivational improvements, enhancing cognitive, emotional, and everyday functioning.
Potential policy implications:
- Increase older adults’ awareness about -their- age-related changes in cognitive and psychological domains, as well in other crucial health aspects, to fight old age stereotypes and incorrect beliefs about aging, with a specific focus on the cognitive and psychological domains, thereby reducing prejudice and discrimination on aging.
- Enhancement of healthy and active lifestyle to mitigate and prevent health issues and reduce healthcare costs among older adults.
- Implementation of preventive and supportive actions for cognitive health and psychological well-being through the use of cognitive training intervention, alongside efforts to enhance older adults' digital literacy through delivering this training via apps.
Potential industrial implications:
- Launch of a new app-based cognitive training platform integrated with cognitive and emotional-motivational activities tailored for older adult’ users.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
With respect to the aim 2 of the Task, following activities have been performed:
- Published a research fellowship to identify a facilitator for conducting a series of focus groups with older adults (December 2023). Four focus groups with older adults were conducted (January-April 2024).
With respect to the aim 3 of the Task, following activities have been performed:
- Published a research fellowship for an expert psychologist of aging with experience in experimental psychology and/or the psychology of aging (April 2024).
- Research and identification of elements and activities to be implemented in the tasks and activities for the ICT-based training (ongoing).
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications. Main policy implications of the task activities can be summarized as follows:
- Increasing awareness and correct knowledge on aging. Increase older adults' awareness of their age-related changes in cognitive and psychological domains, as well as other crucial health aspects. This can help combat/contrast stereotypes and incorrect beliefs about aging, reducing ageism, prejudice, stigma, and discrimination, particularly regarding cognitive and psychological health among older people.
- Promotion of healthy lifestyles, particularly for cognitive health among older people. Enhance healthy and active lifestyles to mitigate and prevent health (and in particular cognitive and psychological health) issues among older adults, thereby reducing healthcare costs.
- Preventive and supportive actions for cognitive health and psychological functioning in older adults. Develop and implement a new ICT-based motivational and cognitive training platform integrated with cognitive and emotional-motivational activities tailored for older adult’ users.
Main industrial implication are the following: New ICT-based motivational and cognitive training platform. Launch a new app-based cognitive and metacognitive training platform that integrates psychoeducational, cognitive, emotional, and motivational activities tailored for older adult users.
Last but not least, main Scientific implications can be described as follows:
- Systematic review of subjective views of aging concepts. Conduct a systematic review of subjective views on aging, with a particular focus on cognitive changes. This includes examining subjective views of age-related cognitive changes (i.e. views of cognitive aging).
- Validated questionnaire for views of cognitive aging (VoCA). Develop a new, validated, and reliable self-reported questionnaire for assessing VoCA among older adults. This questionnaire could be used in both research, clinical / public health settings.
- New evidence-based guidelines for older adults. Create and disseminate new evidence-based guidelines to break down stereotypes and incorrect beliefs about age-related changes in cognitive and psychological functioning, and encourage healthy lifestyle changes among older adults, promoting active and healthy aging
- ICT-based motivational and cognitive training for older adults. Implement new cognitive and metacognitive training interventions to promote/stimulate functional and motivational improvements, enhancing cognitive, emotional, and everyday functioning in older adults.
Potential practical implications:
- Implementing cognitive/psychological assessments for older adults including and using instruments for assessing subjective views of aging, including a newly validated instrument for views of cognitive aging. This practical implication can promote the use of reliable and valid tools to evaluate subjective perceptions of aging changes, particularly related to cognitive functioning, increasing both clinicians' and older adults' understanding/awareness of the impact of views of aging on older adults’ psychological and cognitive functioning to favor a healthy and active aging.
- Developing and disseminating new evidence-based guidelines to encourage/promote lifestyle changes among older adults can lead to the adoption of healthier practices. This practical implication can promote awareness/understand among older adults about their age-related changes in cognitive and psychological domains (and other crucial health areas such as sleep), helping to combat stereotypes and incorrect beliefs about aging, promoting active and healthy aging, and improving and sustaining the everyday quality of life in older age
- The launch/development of a new ICT-based motivational and cognitive training platform integrated with cognitive and emotional-motivational activities tailored for older adults. This practical tool can offer personalized and effective cognitive and metacognitive activities to sustain/enhance cognitive functioning. In addition, delivering this training through apps can help increase older adults’ ability to access various digital resources and services.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
With respect to the aim 2 of the Task, following activities have been performed:
- Planned a new research fellowship for an expert clinical psychologist of aging to support and implement evidence-based guidelines (September 2024).
Updates of the intermediate results
- Data collection with middle-aged and older adults (to date: N= ~500; starting June 2024-ongoing)
- Meeting with UMANA Analytics (selected company for the cascade call, Spoke 4) to plan the digital implementation of evidence-based elements and activities for the training (November 2025).
- Submitted a set of pre-assessment tasks to the company for integration into the training app (December 2025).
- Published a research fellowship for an expert psychologist of aging to support the digital implementation and assess the efficacy of the training with older adults (February 2025).
- Organization of a panel discussion titled “Invecchiamento e salute psicologica: l'opportunità del PNRR nel rispondere a questa sfida” for the “Convegno Nazionale di Psicologia dell’Invecchiamento (SIPI) (scheduled at Università di Pavia, May 31-June 1, 2023).
- Oral presentation titled “Consapevolezza dei cambiamenti correlati con l’invecchiamento in caregivers informali di persone con demenza e non-caregivers: quali differenze e quale relazione con il burden del lavoro di cura” at the “Convegno Nazionale di Psicologia dell’Invecchiamento (SIPI) (scheduled at Università di Pavia, May 31-June 1, 2023).
- Poster abstract titled “Valutare la visione soggettiva dell’invecchiamento cognitivo in adulti-anziani: una revisione sistematica” for Associazione Italiana di Psicologia AIP (scheduled at IMT Lucca, September 18-20, 2023).
- Oral presentation titled “Solitudine, demenza e qualità della vita” at National Congress AIP “Associazione Italiana Psicogeriatria” (scheduled in Firenze 10-13 April).
- Poster abstract titled “Instruments for Subjective Views of Aging Processes in Older Adults: a systematic review” for Age-IT conference (scheduled at University of Venice, May 20-22, 2024).
- Organization of a symposium on “Views of aging” titled “Visioni soggettive dell’invecchiamento” for the “Convegno Nazionale di Psicologia dell’Invecchiamento (SIPI) (scheduled at Università Gabriele D’annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, May 31-June 1, 2024).
- Oral presentation titled “Come valutare la visione soggettiva dell'invecchiamento e dei cambiamenti cognitivi legati all'età nella popolazione adulta-anziana: una revisione sistematica e la creazione di un nuovo strumento sulla visione dell'invecchiamento cognitivo” for the “Convegno Nazionale di Psicologia dell’Invecchiamento (SIPI) (scheduled at Università Gabriele D’annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, May 31-June 1, 2024).
- Oral presentation titled “La percezione e consapevolezza dei cambiamenti uditivi età-relati nell’anziano: una revisione sistematica degli strumenti self-report” for the “Convegno Nazionale di Psicologia dell’Invecchiamento (SIPI) (scheduled at Università Gabriele D’annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, May 31-June 1, 2024).
- Oral presentation titled “Opinioni personali sull’invecchiamento in adulti-anziani: il ruolo delle caratteristiche di personalità” for the “Convegno Nazionale di Psicologia dell’Invecchiamento (SIPI) (scheduled at Università Gabriele D’annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, May 31-June 1, 2024).
- Participation in the public event titled “Science4All”, an initiative aimed at communicating science to the citizens, hosted by the University of Padova. Together with colleagues from task 2.1, activities promoted within tasks 2.3 and 2.1 will be presented under the title “Invecchiare consapevoli e attivi: scopri i cambiamenti nelle abilità mentali, sfata i falsi miti sull’età e promuovi un corretto stile di vita” (scheduled for September 28-29, 2024).
- Oral presentation titled “How personal views on aging, psychological resilience and loneliness unveil the quality of life” at the “6th World Aging & Rejuvenation Conference ( online, July 10, 2024).
- Finalized a paper on “Examining Subjective Views of the Aging Processes in Older Adults: A Systematic Review following the COSMIN methodology”. Submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in January 2024 (accepted in February 2025).
- Finalized a paper on “Personal Views of Aging, Resilience, and Loneliness Affect Quality of Life in Adults and Older Adults”. Submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in July 2024 (under review in February 2025).
- Finalized a paper on “Personal views of aging among informal caregivers of people with dementia and non caregivers: gauging the role of individual characteristics and caregiving-related burden”. Submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in July 2024 (under review).
- Oral presentation titled “Interventi per constrastare la solitudine nell’anziano con demenza: terapia di stimolazione cognitiva” at “7° Giornata Nazionale contro la solitudine dell’anziano” (Padova, November, 15th 2025).
- Submitted proposal for a panel discussion titled “Subjective Views of Aging: Insights on Associations with Cognitive Performance and the Experience of Dementia Caregiving” (scheduled at Università of Pavia, May, 7th – 10th 2025).
- Submitted proposal for oral presentation titled “Visioni dell’invecchiamento” at 25° Congresso Nazionale AIP (Associazione Italiana Psicogeriatria) (scheduled at Padova, March 27-29, 2025).
- Submitted proposal for a pre-congress course titled “Ageismo e opinioni soggettive dell'invecchiamento: possibili effetti di uno sguardo miope” at 25° Congresso Nazionale AIP (Associazione Italiana Psicogeriatria) (scheduled at Padova, March 27-29, 2025).
- Participation in the event titled “PNRR Orienta – Orientamento attivo nella transizione Scuola-Università,” an initiative aimed at communicating science and university activities to secondary school students, promoted by the University of Padova. The presentation titled “La psicologia dell’invecchiamento: sfide, cambiamenti, e percorsi per potenziare le abilità mentali con l’avanzare dell’età” (January, 2025).