Experience of Time and Subjective Age When Facing a Limited Lifetime: The Case of Older Adults with Advanced Cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

We addressed two questions: (1) Does advanced cancer in later life affect a person's awareness of time and their subjective age? (2) Are awareness of time and subjective age associated with distress, perceived quality of life, and depression?

Methods

We assessed patients suffering terminal cancer (OAC, n = 91) and older adults free of any life-threatening disease (OA, n = 89), all subjects being aged 50 years or older.

Results

Older adults with advanced cancer perceived time more strongly as being a finite resource and felt significantly older than OA controls. Feeling younger was meaningfully related with better quality of life and less distress. In the OA group, feeling younger was also associated to reduced depression. Perceiving time as a

SUBMITTER: Laryionava K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9446453 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug-Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature