Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T08:22:23.842Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Older Adults’ Online Dating Profiles and Successful Aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2016

Mineko Wada ,
William Bennett Mortenson  and
Laura Hurd Clarke
Mineko Wada*
Affiliation:
Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University
William Bennett Mortenson
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, The University of British Columbia International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver (VCHRI) Rehabilitation Research Program, VCHRI
Laura Hurd Clarke
Affiliation:
School of Kinesiology, The University of British Columbia
*
† La correspondance et les demandes de tire-à-part doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Mineko Wada, Ph.D. Gerontology Research Centre Simon Fraser University #2800-515 West Hastings St. Vancouver, BC, V6B 5K3 (mineko_wada@sfu.ca)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examined how relevant Rowe and Kahn’s three criteria of successful aging were to older adults’ self-portrayals in online dating profiles: low probability of disease and disability, high functioning, and active life engagement. In this cross-sectional study, 320 online dating profiles of older adults were randomly selected and coded based on the criteria. Logistic regression analyses determined whether age, gender, and race/ethnicity predicted self-presentation. Few profiles were indicative of successful aging due to the low prevalence of the first two criteria; the third criterion, however, was identified in many profiles. Native Americans were significantly less likely than other ethnic groups to highlight the first two criteria. Younger age predicted presenting the first criterion. Women’s presentation of the third criterion remained significantly high with age. The findings suggest that the criteria may be unimportant to older adults when seeking partners, or they may reflect the exclusivity of this construct.

Résumé

Cette étude a examiné la pertinence des trois critères de Rowe et Kahn pour le vieillissement réussi à des représentations de soi dans profils de recontre en ligne des aînés: faible probabilité de maladie ou d’invalidité; fonctionnement élevé et l’engagement de la vie active. Dans cette étude transversale, 320 profils de rencontre en ligne des personnes âgées ont été choisis aléatoirement et codés selon ces critères. Les analyses de régression logistique ont déterminé si l’âge, le sexe et la race / ethnicité prédit l’auto-présentation. Peu de profils étaient révélateurs du vieillissement réussi en raison de la faible prévalence des deux premiers critères. Cependant, le troisième critère a été identifié dans de nombreux profils. Les Amérindiens étaient beaucoup moins susceptibles que les autres groupes ethniques pour mettre en évidence les premier et deuxième critères. Présentant le premier critère prédit le jeune âge. Profils de présentations des femmes du troisième critère sont restés très élevés avec l’âge. Les résultats suggèrent que les critères peuvent être sans importance pour les personnes âgées qui cherchent des partenaires, ou peuvent refléter l’exclusivité de cette idée.

Keywords

agingrace/ethnicitygenderdatingregression modelsattitudes and perceptionsvieillissementrace / ethnicitégenre (sexe)modèle de régressioncomportements et perceptions
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 479 - 490
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, M., Oye, J., & Parker, T. (2003). Sexuality of older adults and the Internet: From sex education to cybersex. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 18(3), 405–415. doi:10.1080/1468199031000153991 Google Scholar
Adelson, N. (2005). The embodiment of inequity: Health disparities in Aboriginal Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health/Revue Canadienne De Sante’E Publique, 96(Supplement 2: Reducing Health Disparities in Canada), S45–S61.Google Scholar
Ainsworth, B. E., Haskell, W. L., Leon, A. S., Jacobs, D. R. Jr., Montoye, H. J., Sallis, J. F., et al. (1993). Compendium of physical activities: Classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 25(1), 71–80.Google Scholar
Alterovitz, S. S. R., & Mendelsohn, G. A. (2009). Partner preferences across the life span: Online dating by older adults. Psychology and Aging, 24(2), 513–517. doi:10.1037/a0015897 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baker, J., Meisner, B. A., Logan, J., Kungl, A. M., & Weir, P. (2009). Physical activity and successful aging in Canadian older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 17, 223–235.Google Scholar
Bassett, R., Bourbonnais, V., & McDowell, I. (2007). Living long and keeping well: Elderly Canadians account for success in aging. Canadian Journal on Aging, 26(2), 113–126.Google Scholar
Bowling, A., & Iliffe, S. (2006). Which model of successful ageing should be used? Baseline findings from a British longitudinal survey of ageing. Age and Ageing, 35(6), 607–614. doi:10.1093/ageing/afl100 Google Scholar
Cernin, P. A., Lysack, C., & Lichtenberg, P. A. (2011). A comparison of self-rated and objectively measured successful aging constructs in an urban sample of African American older adults. Clinical Gerontologist, 34(2), 89–102. doi:10.1080/07317115.2011.539525 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, N. G., DiNitto, D. M., & Kim, J. (2014). Discrepancy between chronological age and felt age: Age group difference in objective and subjective health as correlates. Journal of Aging & Health, 26(3), 458–473.Google Scholar
Cornwell, B. (2011). Age trends in daily social contact patterns. Research on Aging, 33(5), 598–631. doi:10.1177/0164027511409442 Google Scholar
Coupland, J. (2000). Past the ‘perfect kind of age’? Styling selves and relationships in over-50s dating advertisements. Journal of Communication, 50(3), 9–30. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02850.x Google Scholar
Dillaway, H. E., & Byrnes, M. (2009). Reconsidering successful aging: A call for renewed and expanded academic critiques and conceptualizations. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 28(6), 702–722. doi:10.1177/0733464809333882 Google Scholar
Duay, D., & Bryan, V. (2006). Senior adults’ perceptions of successful aging. Educational Gerontology, 32(6), 423–445. doi:10.1080/03601270600685636 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frohlich, K. L., Ross, N., & Richmond, C. (2006). Health disparities in Canada today: Some evidence and a theoretical framework. Health Policy, 79(2–3), 132–143. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2005.12.010 Google Scholar
Frohlick, S., & Migliardi, P. (2011). Heterosexual profiling: Online dating and ‘becoming’ heterosexualities for women aged 30 and older in the digital era. Australian Feminist Studies, 26(67), 73–88. doi:10.1080/08164649.2010.546329 Google Scholar
Gauthier, A. H., & Smeeding, T. M. (2003). Time use at older ages: Cross-national differences. Research on Aging, 25(3), 247–274. doi:10.1177/0164027503025003003 Google Scholar
Gionet, L., & Roshanafshar, S. (2013). Health at a glance: Select health indicators of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-624-x/2013001/article/11763-eng.htm Google Scholar
Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Gracey, M., & King, M. (2009). Indigenous health part 1: Determinants and disease patterns. The Lancet, 374(9683), 65–75. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60914-4 Google Scholar
Hilton, J., Gonzalez, C., Saleh, M., Maitoza, R., & Anngela-Cole, L. (2012). Perceptions of successful aging among older Latinos, in cross-cultural context. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 27(3), 183–199. doi:10.1007/s10823-012-9171-4 Google Scholar
Holstein, M. B., & Minkler, M. (2003). Self, society, and the “New gerontology”. The Gerontologist, 43(6), 787–796. doi:10.1093/geront/43.6.787 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Iwamasa, G., & Iwasaki, M. (2011). A new multidimensional model of successful aging: Perceptions of Japanese American older adults. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 26(3), 261–278. doi:10.1007/s10823-011-9147-9 Google Scholar
Jagger, E. (2005). Is thirty the new sixty? Dating, age and gender in a postmodern, consumer society. Sociology, 39(1), 89–106. doi:10.1177/0038038505049003 Google Scholar
Kaplan, M. S., Huguet, N., Orpana, H., Feeny, D., McFarland, B. H., & Ross, N. (2008). Prevalence and factors associated with thriving in older adulthood: A 10-year population-based study. Journals of Gerontology Series A-Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences, 63(10), 1097–1104.Google Scholar
Katz, S. (2000). Busy bodies: Activity, aging, and the management of everyday life. Journal of Aging Studies, 14(2), 135–152. doi:10.1016/S0890-4065(00)80008-0 Google Scholar
Katz, S. (2013). Active and successful aging: Lifestyle as a gerontological idea. Recherches Sociologiques Et Anthropologiques, 44(1), 33–49. doi:10.4000/rsa.910 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, S., & Calasanti, T. (2015). Critical perspectives on successful aging: Does it “Appeal more than it illuminates”? The Gerontologist, 55(1), 26–33. doi:10.1093/geront/gnu027 Google Scholar
Knight, T., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2003). Successful aging: Perceptions of adults aged between 70 and 101 years. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 56(3), 223–246. doi:10.2190/CG1A-4Y73-WEW8-44QY CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laliberte Rudman, D. (2006). Reflections on ... positive aging and its implications for occupational possibilities in later life. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(3), 188–192. doi:10.1177/000841740607300305 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liang, J., & Luo, B. (2012). Toward a discourse shift in social gerontology: From successful aging to harmonious aging. Journal of Aging Studies, 26(3), 327–334. doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2012.03.001 Google Scholar
MacMillan, H. L., MacMillan, A. B., Offord, D. R., & Dingle, J. L. (1996). Aboriginal health. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal/Journal De L’Association Medicale Canadienne, 155(11), 1569–1578.Google Scholar
McHugh, K. E. (2000). The “ageless self”? Emplacement of identities in Sun Belt retirement communities. Journal of Aging Studies, 14(1), 103–115. doi:10.1016/S0890-4065(00)80018-3 Google Scholar
McIntosh, W. D., Locker, L. J., Briley, K., Ryan, R., & Scott, A. J. (2011). What do older adults seek in their potential romantic partners? Evidence from online personal ads. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 72(1), 67–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, S. J., Connell, C. M., Heeringa, S. G., Li, L. W., & Roberts, J. S. (2010). Successful aging in the United States: Prevalence estimates from a national sample of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 65B(2), 216–226. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbp101 Google Scholar
McLaughlin, S. J., Jette, A. M., & Connell, C. M. (2012). An examination of healthy aging across a conceptual continuum: Prevalence estimates, demographic patterns, and validity. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 67(7), 783–789. doi:10.1093/gerona/glr234 Google Scholar
McWilliams, S., & Barrett, A. E. (2014). Online dating in middle and later life: Gendered expectations and experiences. Journal of Family Issues, 35(3), 411–436. doi:10.1177/0192513X12468437 Google Scholar
Meng, X., & D’Arcy, C. (2014). Successful aging in Canada: Prevalence and predictors from a population-based sample of older adults. Gerontology, 60(1), 65–72. doi:10.1159/000354538 Google Scholar
Park, J. (2011). Retirement, health and employment among those 55 plus. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2011001/article/11402-eng.htm#a7 Google Scholar
Peduzzi, P., Concato, J., Kemper, E., Holford, T. R., & Feinstein, A. R. (1996). A simulation study of the number of events per variable in logistic regression analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 49(12), 1373–1379. doi:10.1016/S0895-4356(96)00236-3 Google Scholar
Phelan, E. A., Anderson, L. A., Lacroix, A. Z., & Larson, E. B. (2004). Older adults’ views of “successful aging” – How do they compare with researchers’ definitions? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(2), 211–216. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52056.x Google Scholar
Ramage-Morin, P. L., Shields, M., & Martel, L. (2010). Health-promoting factors and good health among Canadians in mid- to late life. Health Reports, 21(3), 45–53.Google ScholarPubMed
Reichstadt, J., Depp, C. A., Palinkas, L. A., Folsom, D. P., & Jeste, D. V. (2007). Building blocks of successful aging: A focus group study of older adults’ perceived contributors to successful aging. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15(3), 194–201. doi:10.1097/JGP.0b013e318030255f Google Scholar
Reichstadt, J., Sengupta, G., Depp, C. A., Palinkas, L. A., & Jeste, D. V. (2010). Older adults’ perspectives on successful aging: Qualitative interviews. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(7), 567–575. doi:10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181e040bb Google Scholar
Romo, R. D., Wallhagen, M. I., Yourman, L., Yeung, C. C., Eng, C., Micco, G., ... Smith, A. K. (2013). Perceptions of successful aging among diverse elders with late-life disability. The Gerontologist, 53(6), 939–949. doi:10.1093/geront/gns160 Google Scholar
Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1987). Human aging: Usual and successful. Science, 237(4811), 143–149.Google Scholar
Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1997). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 37(4), 433–440. doi:10.1093/geront/37.4.433 Google Scholar
Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1998). Successful aging. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.Google Scholar
Rubinstein, R. L., & de Medeiros, K. (2015). “Successful aging,” gerontological theory and neoliberalism: A qualitative critique. The Gerontologist, 55(1), 34–42. doi:10.1093/geront/gnu080 Google Scholar
Smith, A., & Duggan, M. (2013). Online dating & relationships. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/21/online-dating-relationships/ Google Scholar
Statistics Canada. (2013). Canadian health measures survey: Directly measured physical activity of Canadians, 2007 to 2011. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130530/dq130530d-eng.htm Google Scholar
Statistics Canada. (2014). NHS [National household survey] profile, 2011. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E Google Scholar
Stephure, R. J., Boon, S. D., MacKinnon, S. L., & Deveau, V. L. (2009). Internet initiated relationships: Associations between age and involvement in online dating. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(3), 658–681. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01457.x Google Scholar
Strawbridge, W. J., Wallhagen, M. I., & Cohen, R. D. (2002). Successful aging and well-being: Self-rated compared with Rowe and Kahn. The Gerontologist, 42(6), 727–733. doi:10.1093/geront/42.6.727 Google Scholar
Troutman, M., Nies, M. A., & Mavellia, H. (2011). Perceptions of successful aging in Black older adults. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 49(1), 28–34. doi:10.3928/02793695-20101201-01 Google Scholar
von Faber, M., Bootsma-van der Wiel, A., van Exel, E., Gussekloo, J., Lagaay, A. M., van Dongen, E., ... Westendorp, R. G. J. (2001). Successful aging in the oldest old: Who can be characterized as successfully aged? Archives of Internal Medicine, 161(22), 2694–2700. doi:10.1001/archinte.161.22.2694 Google Scholar
Walther, J. B. (1992). A longitudinal experiment on relational tone in computer-mediated and face to face interaction. Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 4, 220–231. doi:10.1109/HICSS.1992.183433 Google Scholar
Walther, J. B. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research, 23(1), 3–43. doi:10.1177/009365096023001001 Google Scholar
Ward, R. A. (2010). How old am I? Perceived age in middle and later life. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 71(3), 167–184.Google Scholar
Ward, R. A. (2013). Change in perceived age in middle and later life. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 76(3), 251–267.Google Scholar
Weir, P. L., Meisner, B. A., & Baker, J. (2010). Successful aging across the years: Does one model fit everyone? Journal of Health Psychology, 15(5), 680–687.Google Scholar
Whitty, M. T. (2007). The art of selling one’s ‘self’ on an online dating site: The BAR approach. In Whitty, M. T., Baker, A. J., & Inman, J. A. (Eds.), Online matchmaking (pp. 57–69). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Whitty, M. T. (2008). Revealing the ‘real’ me, searching for the ‘actual’ you: Presentations of self on an internet dating site. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(4), 1707–1723. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2007.07.002 Google Scholar
Whitty, M. T., & Carr, A. N. (2006). Cyberspace romance: The psychology of online relationships. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Wilson, K., Rosenberg, M. W., Abonyi, S., & Lovelace, R. (2010). Aging and health: An examination of differences between older aboriginal and non-aboriginal people. Canadian Journal on Aging, 29(3), 369–382.Google Scholar
Wisener, K., Brown, L., Liman, Y., Jarvis-Selinger, S., & Woollard, B. (2012). Developing a culturally relevant ementoring program for aboriginal youth. In Ho, K., Jarvis-Selinger, S., Lauscher, H. N., Cordeiro, J., & Scott, R. (Eds.), Technology enabled knowledge translation for eHealth: Principles and practice (pp. 225–243). New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3495-5 Google Scholar
Xu, J. (2010). Logotherapy: A balm of Gilead for aging? Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 22(3), 180–195. doi:10.1080/15528031003609498 Google Scholar