Aging self-perceptions and psychological well-being in older adults: a latent profile analysis

Self-perceptions of aging comprise cognitive appraisals of what aging involves and emotional responses to it. Negative self-perceptions of aging have been linked to death anxiety and depressive symptoms, yet the construct has been treated predominantly as unidimensional, an approach that averages over configurations differing in kind rather than only in degree. Whether the cognitive and emotional components move together within individuals, and whether configurations in which they diverge carry distinguishable psychological costs, has not been established. To identify distinct latent profiles of SPA and examine their associations with death anxiety and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. A cross-sectional study recruited 740 older adults from three communities in Daqing, China (March–October 2025). SPA was assessed using the Brief Ageing Perceptions Questionnaire (B-APQ). Death anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using the CT-DAS and CES-D-10, respectively. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified SPA subgroups, the BCH. The cognitive and emotional components of self-perceptions of aging can diverge: about one in five participants held beliefs about aging that were less favourable than those of the Positive Aging Profile and below the scale midpoint, while reporting the fewest aging-related negative emotions. This subgroup’s death anxiety was higher than that of the Positive Aging Profile and close to the sample mean. Because its cognitive appraisals also differed from that profile, the data cannot show whether a low score on an aging-emotion measure conceals other distress, and the cross-sectional design cannot establish whether the pattern reflects avoidance, emotion regulation, acceptance or reporting style. Educational attainment and community participation were associated with which unfavourable profile participants belonged to, whereas chronic disease and empty-nest status were associated with both.