Age Differences in Self-Continuity in the German Socioeconomic Panel

Abstract Self-continuity, the sense that one’s personal past, present, and future selves are meaningfully connected, is unique to human beings. Self-continuity varies across individuals with higher levels conveying benefits for mental health and well-being, physical health and health-related behaviors, as well as financial planning and moral choices (for a review see Hershfield, 2019). From a developmental point of view, self-continuity emerges over the course of childhood, but less is known about its development in adulthood. Recent evidence indicates that higher chronological age is associated with higher perceived self-continuity among healthy adults. Studies further suggest that age effects are more pronounced for more distant time intervals but fairly symmetrical for past and future (for a review see Loeckenhoff & Rutt, 2017). However, prior work has predominantly relied on U.S. convenience samples raising questions about generalizability to broader population samples as well as cross-national consistency of the findings. To address these concerns, the present study examined self-continuity in the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, 2017 Innovation Sample, n = 1659, aged 18-92, M = 62.8, SD = 18.1, 53% female). In addition to replicating the previously reported positive association between age and self-continuity (r = .17, p < .001) and testing for curvilinear effects, we report on the role of temporal direction (past vs. future), temporal distance (1, 5, and 10 years), and demographic factors (i.e., gender, education, and wealth). The present findings add to the literature on adult age differences in self-continuity. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

cessation.However, the relationship between personality and driving styles has been examined only among young and middle-aged drivers.This study examined the relationships of personality factors and self-reported driving styles among 72 healthy older drivers aged 65-85 (M=72.29,SD=5.36) using the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI) scale to measure reckless and careless, anxious, angry and hostile, and patient and careful driving styles.Personality was accessed with the Big Five Personality questionnaire.Correlational results indicated that less conscientiousness was significantly correlated with increased reckless and careless and less patient and careful driving styles; and lower agreeableness was significantly correlated with greater angry and hostile and less patient and careful driving styles.Being a man was associated with greater reckless and careless and angry and hostile driving styles.Age was not associated with driving styles.Accordingly, three regressions were tested.After controlling for gender, only lower conscientiousness was associated with greater reckless and careless driving style (β=-.007,p=.03).Men had a higher risk of reckless and careless (β=.342, p<.01) and angry and hostile (β=.392, p<.01) driving styles.Our results highlight the relationship between personality traits and self-reported driving styles among older adults, and how gender may influence some of these relationships.Future research should further investigate the associations between gender and personality traits and older adults' driving mobility and safety.

PERSONALITY II AGE DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTINUITY IN THE GERMAN SOCIOECONOMIC PANEL
Corinna Loeckenhoff, 1 and Denis Gerstorf, 2 1. Cornell University,Ithaca,New York,United States,2. Humboldt University Berlin,Berlin,Berlin,Germany Self-continuity, the sense that one's personal past, present, and future selves are meaningfully connected, is unique to human beings.Self-continuity varies across individuals with higher levels conveying benefits for mental health and well-being, physical health and health-related behaviors, as well as financial planning and moral choices (for a review see Hershfield, 2019).From a developmental point of view, self-continuity emerges over the course of childhood, but less is known about its development in adulthood.Recent evidence indicates that higher chronological age is associated with higher perceived self-continuity among healthy adults.Studies further suggest that age effects are more pronounced for more distant time intervals but fairly symmetrical for past and future (for a review see Loeckenhoff & Rutt, 2017).However, prior work has predominantly relied on U.S. convenience samples raising questions about generalizability to broader population samples as well as cross-national consistency of the findings.To address these concerns, the present study examined self-continuity in the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, 2017 Innovation Sample, n = 1659, aged 18-92, M = 62.8, SD = 18.1, 53% female).In addition to replicating the previously reported positive association between age and self-continuity (r = .17,p < .001)and testing for curvilinear effects, we report on the role of temporal direction (past vs. future), temporal distance (1, 5, and 10 years), and demographic factors (i.e., gender, education, and wealth).The present findings add to the literature on adult age differences in self-continuity.Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) is a measure of the alternative model of personality disorders (PDs), proposed in Section III of the DSM-5, but the PID-5 has limited evidence of validity for use among older adults.This study examined the validity of the alternate model through associations with the 10 traditional PDs in DSM-5.It was hypothesized that the PID-5 would relate to the traditional PDs in patterns predicted by the alternate model.Method: Older adults (N = 202) completed the PID-5 and the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI), a measurement of the 10 PDs.Results: Correlations were computed between the PID-5's 25 facets and the CATI's 10 PD scales.All facets were found to significantly (p < .001)and positively correlate with all 10 PD scales, with large effect sizes (> .30).Next, regressions were conducted, with the PID-5 facets predicting each PD scale.Overall, across the 10 regression analyses, the PID-5 facets accounted for significant variance in the CATI PD scales, ranging from 64% (Avoidant) to 71% (Obsessive-Compulsive).Discussion: Although some DSM-5 hypothesized facets were significant predictors, many unexpected significant relationships were also detected.Of the 10 PD models, seven models included more unpredicted significant traits than predicted ones; two models included more significant predicted traits than unpredicted ones; one model included an equal number of predicted and unpredicted significant traits.We found substantially more overlap between the PID-5 and CATI than anticipated in unpredicted directions, suggesting that the PID-5 has good specificity but lacks sensitivity.

DOES TRAIT AFFECT IMPACT ACTIVITY ENGAGEMENT?
Rebekah Knight, Allura Lothary, and Thomas Hess,

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Research has shown the amount of effort we expend towards our goals depends on a sense of self-efficacy, perception of task difficulty, and likelihood of achieving our goal.All of these processes are susceptible to the influence of affect.For example, negative moods may impede goal achievement by increasing perceptions of difficulty (Silvestrini & Gendolla, 2019).Negative experiences (such as past failures) can encourage these negative moods and subsequently impact self-efficacy (Esposito, Gendolla, & Van der Linden, 2014).Findings from self-efficacy research (e.g.Esposito et al., 2014) suggest that older adults may be particularly susceptible to the impacts of negative affect on effort mobilization, especially when tasks already seem challenging, with little chance of success.Perception of task difficulty, then, impacts the amount of effort exerted in completing the task.The present study sought to examine the factors that impact perceptions of difficulty and subsequent effort expenditure, represented by systolic blood pressure responsivity (SBP-R).Younger (N = 41) and Older (N = 163) adults completed a difficult cognitive task as part of a larger, longitudinal study, as well as measures of trait affect before study sessions.Our findings indicate younger adults exert less effort overall than older adults; however, when negative trait affect is considered, we find that higher levels of negative affect in older adults reduced task engagement.These results provide support for an effect of negative affect on task appraisals and posited age-related differences in effort mobilization.

PERSONALITY AND WELL-BEING IN OLD AGE Constanca Paul, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Personality is a controversial issues in Geropsychology.It is generally accepted that personality is relatively stable through life and plays a relevant role in life style and wellbeing.We assessed Personality with NEO (Neuroticism, Extroversion and Openness) in a community sample of 1322 individuals 55+ years, mean age 70.4 (sd=8.6)years, 71% women.The means were: Neuroticism 34.06(sd.5.1); Extroversion 41.25(sd.4.05), Openness 37.37(sd.3.82), around 10 points higher than the normative Portuguese data.Considering the highest values of the 3th tertil in each domain, women have higher Neuroticism differing from men (p=0.001), and values raise with age along 3 age groups (p=0.001);Neuroticism has significant positive correlations (p<0.01) with loneliness, sleep problems, psychological distress, difficulties in ADL and IADL and self-perception of health, and negative correlations with social network, happiness and cognitive capacity.Extroversion do not differ between gender and varies by age group (p=0,04) in U inverted form.Extroversion is positively correlated with happiness and negatively with loneliness, self-perception of health, psychological distress, difficulties in ADL and IADL.Openness does not differ by gender but differ between age groups (p=0.18) in U shape and correlates negatively with cognitive capacity, and social network.Personality traits appear very relevant for successful aging as facilitators or risk factors of physical and mental health, and should be addressed to foster adaptation in old age.

PERSONALITY TRAITS AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT EXCHANGES AMONG OLDEST-OLD PARENTS AND OLDER-ADULT CHILDREN IN KOREA Kyuho Lee, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Kyongsangbukto, Republic of Korea
Previous studies show that personality traits are predictors of individuals' exchanges (i.e., giving, perceiving, and evoking) in social support in general relationships.Less attention has been paid, however, to the roles of personality traits in parent-child relation, especially in the very old parent-child dyads.Focusing on personality's effects