NEGATIVE AGING STEREOTYPES: FEAR OF DEPENDENCY EFFECTS ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN MIDDLE AND OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Negative stereotypes of aging tend to depict older adults as frail or a burden on society. According to Stereotype Embodiment Theory, adults who believe negative aging stereotypes tend to internalize these thoughts, and have been found to experience negative physical and mental outcomes, in later life. One aspect of these internalized stereotypes is the fear of being dependent on other people, which highlights the older adults’ worry of being seen as incompetent or child-like. Participants were aged 50 to 82-years-old (M=58.5), and primarily White (87%) women (62%). This study explored the relationship between Fear of Dependency Scale (FoD) and anxiety and depression, evaluating gender, age, and physical health as moderators. FoD was related to higher ratings of depression and anxiety in women, with age and physical health acting as moderators. When reporting a high fear of dependency, middle-aged women and women reporting poor physical health had the highest reported anxiety and depression. The early impact of FoD on women is intriguing. FoD was positively associated with higher ratings of depression for men but not anxiety, with only physical health acting as a moderator. Men with high FoD scores and poor physical health reported the highest levels of depression. It appears the negative views of aging can affect individuals, even before they reach older adulthood, and especially if they have poor perceptions of their physical health. Having negative perceptions of aging can negatively impact individuals as they age, and some groups may be more at risk for these outcomes than others.

Embodiment Theory, adults who believe negative aging stereotypes tend to internalize these thoughts, and have been found to experience negative physical and mental outcomes, in later life.One aspect of these internalized stereotypes is the fear of being dependent on other people, which highlights the older adults' worry of being seen as incompetent or childlike.Participants were aged 50 to 82-years-old (M=58.5),and primarily White (87%) women (62%).This study explored the relationship between Fear of Dependency Scale (FoD) and anxiety and depression, evaluating gender, age, and physical health as moderators.FoD was related to higher ratings of depression and anxiety in women, with age and physical health acting as moderators.When reporting a high fear of dependency, middle-aged women and women reporting poor physical health had the highest reported anxiety and depression.The early impact of FoD on women is intriguing.FoD was positively associated with higher ratings of depression for men but not anxiety, with only physical health acting as a moderator.Men with high FoD scores and poor physical health reported the highest levels of depression.It appears the negative views of aging can affect individuals, even before they reach older adulthood, and especially if they have poor perceptions of their physical health.Having negative perceptions of aging can negatively impact individuals as they age, and some groups may be more at risk for these outcomes than others.

PERCEIVED AGE DISCRIMINATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE: AN EXAMINATION OF AGE, PERIOD, AND COHORT EFFECTS
Liat Ayalon 1 , and Octavio Bramajo 2 , 1. Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, HaMerkaz, Israel, 2. Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, Spain The present study aimed to examine variations in perceived age discrimination in the second half of life.Perceived age discrimination is different from objective age discrimination as it depends on respondents' recognition, acknowledgement, and willingness to report the discriminatory event.We adopt a comprehensive approach which examines whether perceived age discrimination varies by age (chronological time from birth), period (when data were collected), or cohort (a group of people with shared life events experienced at a similar age) across gender and ethnic origin.Relying on psychosocial data from Health and Retirement Survey between 2006 and 2018.Our findings show that perceived age discrimination increases with age.In addition, older cohorts of women are more likely to report perceived age discrimination, whereas White women born around 1940 are less likely to report perceived age discrimination.White men, in contrast show a slight increase in perceived discrimination.Results are discussed from an intersectional perspective, which considers societal life course events.

AGHE FACULTY AWARD PRESENTATIONS AND LECTURES Chair: Dana Bradley
The AGHE Faculty Award Presentations and Lectures will feature an address by the 2023 recipient Lisa Borrero, PhD, FAGHE of the University of Indianapolis.The Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes persons whose teaching stands out as exemplary, innovative, of impact, or any combination thereof.The Rising Star Early-Career Faculty Award Lecture will feature an address by 2023 co-recipient Nasreen Sadeq, PhD of the University of Southern Florida.Co-recipient Berenice Benayoun, PhD, of the University Southern California will present their lecture at a later date.The Rising Star Early-Career Faculty Award acknowledges new faculty whose teaching and leadership stand out as influential and innovative.

TRANSLATING AGING: REACHING STUDENTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES AND GEOGRAPHY Lisa Borrero, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
What does it mean to translate gerontological concepts among groups of very different students?How can this be optimized for online graduate education?Even within a field that is itself interdisciplinary, it can feel challenging to meaningfully convey key information about aging when students are already firmly established in their own, unique disciplines and are learning from a distance.This lecture will reflect on ways in which gerontology instructors can connect a wide array of graduate students to the universality of aging, promote the relevance of aging to their chosen field, and, hopefully, engender a deeper interest in working with older adults.From the importance of maintaining social and cognitive presence in the online classroom to offering experiential engagement with course content, we can communicate about aging in purposeful and novel ways to a variety of students -and reap the benefits of learning from their expertise in return.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS -HOW STUDENT RESPONSES TO OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS CAN IMPROVE GERONTOLOGY EDUCATION Nasreen Sadeq, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
In gerontology education, we know that there are many benefits to assigning students open-ended questions.They allow students to think more critically and can lead to a better understanding of course concepts.Student responses can also help us identify gerontology topics that are not well understood or need reinforcement, as well as topics that can generate interesting in-class discussions.Examining students' answers can help us fill the gaps in current gerontology education and improve our teaching practices.In this lecture, I will share how I have used content analysis to examine students' responses from several assignments, and how I have modified lectures and assignments in response.In addition, I will share how I have added some of these assignments to our general education gerontology courses to help students challenge ageist beliefs and acquire an appreciation for gerontology.