Relationships among Aging Anxiety, Social Support, Self-efficacy, and Perceived Health Status in Middle-aged Women
TL;DR
Ageing anxiety in middle-aged women showed distinct patterns of associated factors across subdomains rather than a single dimension, and nursing interventions should prioritize strengthening self-efficacy and positive health perception, tailored to each subdomain.
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the level of aging anxiety in middle-aged women and determine factors influencing total aging anxiety and its four subdomains. 199 women aged 40–59 living in D city, Korea, were recruited via convenience sampling through online communities from March to July 2026. Mean total aging anxiety was 2.80 out of 5, with physical function decline the highest subdomain(3.23). Total aging anxiety correlated negatively with social support(r=-.33), self-efficacy(r=-.41), and perceived health status(r=-.39) (all p<.001). Multiple regression showed self-efficacy(β=-.27, p<.001), perceived health status(β=-.22, p=.002), and marital dissatisfaction(β=.16, p=.014) predicted total aging anxiety, explaining 28.5% of variance(Adj. R²=.285). Influencing factors differed by subdomain: perceived health status(β=-.38) and disease for physical function decline, income(β=.22) and marital satisfaction(β=.16) for appearance concern, marital dissatisfaction(β=.22) for social worthlessness, and social support(β=-.17) for expectation for old age. Self-efficacy was a significant factor for total aging anxiety and all four subdomains. Aging anxiety in middle-aged women showed distinct patterns of associated factors across subdomains rather than a single dimension. Nursing interventions should prioritize strengthening self-efficacy and positive health perception, tailored to each subdomain.