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The relevance of memory sensitivity for psychological well-being in aging

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Abstract

Purpose

In the present study, we investigated the relationship between memory sensitivity, which describes a positive attitude to autobiographical memory and the presence of behaviors devoted to saving memories of the personal past, and psychological well-being; in particular, we tested whether their relationship would change across age groups.

Methods

Three hundred eighteen participants, divided in four groups: young to middle-aged adults (20–55 years old), young–old adults (65–74 years old), old adults (75–84 years old), and old–old adults (85–97 years old), completed questionnaires on their memory sensitivity and psychological well-being.

Results

Memory sensitivity slightly decreased with age and had a positive relationship with psychological well-being that was critically moderated by age. Specifically, the relationship between memory sensitivity and psychological well-being became increasingly stronger as age increased.

Conclusions

While memory sensitivity may have little or no particular relevance in the case of young to middle-aged adults, it has an increasingly important positive relationship with psychological well-being at later age. It is thus suggested that memory sensitivity represents a dimension that should be considered in the study and interventions on quality of life in the elderly population.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted as part of our routine laboratory activities and received no funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy

    Enrico Toffalini, Erika Borella, Cesare Cornoldi & Rossana De Beni

Authors
  1. Enrico Toffalini
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  2. Erika Borella
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  3. Cesare Cornoldi
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  4. Rossana De Beni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Enrico Toffalini.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The present study involved only human participants and was conducted in full compliance with the local academic ethical requirements. All participants took part voluntarily in the research and signed an informed consent form before participating.

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Toffalini, E., Borella, E., Cornoldi, C. et al. The relevance of memory sensitivity for psychological well-being in aging. Qual Life Res 25, 1943–1948 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1231-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1231-8

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