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Table 1 Ageing perception questionnaire: item content, response frequencies and reasons for item exclusion

From: Development of the Brief Ageing Perceptions Questionnaire (B-APQ): a confirmatory factor analysis approach to item reduction

APQ items

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly agree

Reason for exclusion

Timeline-chronic

      

1. I am conscious of getting older all the time

14%

25%

25%

31%

5%

Excluded due to overlap with Item 4 (r = 0.67, MI = 425.6, EPC = 0.33)

2. I am always aware of my age

13%

28%

20%

34%

5%

Excluded due to overlap with Item 1 (r = 0.73, MI = 294, EPC = 0.33)

3. I always classify myself as old

30%

43%

15%

10%

2%

Retained

4. I am always aware of the fact that I am getting older

12%

24%

18%

42%

4%

Retained

5. I feel my age in everything that I do

25%

45%

16%

12%

2%

Retained

Consequences-positive

      

6. As I get older I get wiser

3%

10%

23%

52%

12%

Retained

7. As I get older I continue to grow as a person

2%

5%

19%

60%

14%

Retained

8. As I get older I appreciate things more

2%

3%

9%

65%

21%

Retained

Control-positive

      

10. The quality of my social life in later years depends on me

2%

5%

10%

66%

17%

Retained

11. The quality of my relationships with others in later life depends on me

2%

4%

10%

68%

17%

Retained

12. Whether I continue living life to the full depends on me

2%

4%

8%

67%

20%

Retained

14. As I get older there is much that I can do to maintain my independence

2%

4%

10%

67%

17%

Excluded due to overlap with Item 12 (r = 0.56, MI = 174.495, EPC = 0.19)

15. Whether getting older has positive sides to it depends on me

1%

3%

10%

68%

18%

Excluded due to overlap with Item 14 (r = 0.73, MI = 1328.86, EPC = 0.51)

Consequences-negative

      

16. Getting older restricts the things that I can do

5%

47%

18%

24%

7%

Excluded due to overlap with item 19 (r = 0.70; MI = 170.4; EPC = 0.20)

17. Getting older makes me less independent

3%

26%

18%

42%

10%

Retained

18. Getting older makes everything a lot harder for me

3%

23%

24%

41%

9%

Excluded due to overlap with item 17 (r = 0.77; MI = 107.25, EPC = 0.22)

19. As I get older I can take part in fewer activities

4%

42%

19%

30%

6%

Retained

20. As I get older I do not cope well with problems that arise

3%

23%

19%

45%

10%

Retained

Control-negative

      

21. Slowing down with age is not something that I can control

5%

52%

17%

22%

4%

Retained

22. How mobile I am in later life is not up to me

5%

31%

15%

42%

8%

Excluded due to overlap with Item 24 (r = 0.61, MI = 828.570, EPC = 0.4)

23. I have no control over whether I lose vitality or zest for life as I age

3%

23%

15%

50%

10%

Excluded due to overlap with item 24 (r = 0.80, MI = 128.06, EPC = 0.45)

24. I have no control over the effects which getting older has on my social life

3%

22%

15%

51%

9%

Retained

Timeline-cyclical

      

27. I go through cycles in which my experience of ageing gets better and worse

9%

30%

32%

27%

2%

Excluded due to dropped dimension

28. My awareness of getting older comes and goes in cycles

8%

27%

23%

40%

2%

Excluded due to overlap with Item 27 (r = 0.88, MI = 1181.31 , EPC = 0.5)

30. I go through phases of feeling old

15%

39%

19%

26%

2%

Excluded due to dropped dimension

31. My awareness of getting older changes a great deal from day to day

14%

43%

22%

20%

2%

Excluded due to dropped dimension

32. I go through phases of viewing myself as being old

18%

43%

17%

20%

2%

Excluded at Step 2 due to overlap with several items, e.g. item 30 (r = 0.77, MI = 61.87, EPC = 1.7)

Emotional representations

      

9. I get depressed when I think about how ageing might affect the things that I can do

18%

39%

21%

18%

4%

Retained

13. I get depressed when I think about the effect getting older might have on my social life

19%

45%

21%

12%

3%

Excluded due to overlap with item 9 (r = 0.69, MI = 355.849, EPC = 0.28)

25. I get depressed when I think about getting older

20%

51%

17%

10%

2%

Excluded due to conceptual overlap with item 9, weak empirical overlap

26. I worry about the effects that getting older may have on my relationships with others

16%

52%

17%

13%

2%

Retained

29. I feel angry when I think about getting older

25%

55%

14%

5%

2%

Retained

  1. Legend: Items retained in the final scale are in bold. MI = Modification Index, EPC = Expected Parameter Change, r = correlation coefficient.