Self-perceptions of aging and volunteering in later life: Examining longitudinal bidirectional associations in the German Ageing Survey (DEAS).

Abstract

To date, few studies have explored the role of older adults' self-perceptions of aging (SPA) in the context of volunteering and how SPA might shape or be shaped by volunteering. Using random-intercept cross-lagged panel models and data from the German Ageing Survey, this study examined the bidirectional associations between different gain- and loss-related facets of older adults' SPA (i.e., perceptions of physical losses, social losses, and ongoing development) and their engagement in volunteering over a 9-year period. Gender differences in these associations were also examined. The study sample comprised 4,512 older adults (ages 65-93 years at baseline). At the between-person level, individuals with overall higher scores on SPA of social losses reported overall fewer hours of volunteering per week, whereas participants' scores on the other two SPA scales were not significantly associated with volunteering at the between-person level. With regard to within-person cross-lagged associations, paths from prior volunteering to subsequent SPA were statistically nonsignificant. However, higher than one's average SPA of physical losses was associated with less volunteering than one's average at the subsequent measurement occasion, whereas scoring higher than one's average SPA of ongoing development showed the opposite association with volunteering at subsequent occasions. Findings also revealed gender differences in the associations between SPA of social losses and volunteering. In summary, the findings of this study showed that different dimensions of older adults' SPA are differentially associated with their volunteering over time and that it may be important to take a gender-specific perspective on volunteering. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).