Do social and psychological resources moderate the relationship between self-perceived negative and positive ageism and older people's quality of life?

BACKGROUND: Ageism has been recognized as a global crisis, particularly because of its negative impact on older people's quality of life. AIM: This study examined whether self-perceived negative and positive ageism (PNA/PPA) affects the quality of life (QoL) of Greek older adults and the moderating role of psychological capital (PsyCap: self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) and social support. METHOD: A web-based cross-sectional design recruited 351 participants (mean age 72.5 ± 9.1 years, 62.7% women, 45.3% married) who completed online questionnaires on QoL, PNA/PPA, social support, PsyCap, and socio-demographics. RESULTS: PNA and PPA were significantly correlated with QoL (negatively and positively, respectively). PsyCap moderated the impact of both PNA and PPA on QoL, whereas social support moderated only PPA's impact on QoL. Higher PNA and PPA were associated with lower QoL only for those with low levels of PsyCap, whereas higher PPA was associated with higher QoL, particularly for those with low PsyCap and higher levels of social support. IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that enhancing social support and increasing psychosocial resources could improve QoL for older adults.