Kristoper, Himalshi P.S., Suarez, Lidia, and Marsh, Nigel V. (2026) Psychometric Properties of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire—Short Form (AAQ-SF) in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23 (3). 383.

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Abstract

In Sri Lanka, despite cultural norms traditionally encouraging older adults to live with their families, a growing number now reside in homes for the elderly. Limited research has explored how attitudes toward aging affect these institutionalized older adults. This study examined the construct validity of the 12-item Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire—Short Form (AAQ-SF) and its association with quality of life among 317 residents of 13 retirement homes. The AAQ-SF showed acceptable internal consistency for the total scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.71), though subscale reliabilities were modest. Confirmatory factor analysis supported good construct validity for a three-factor model—χ2/df = 1.91, TLI = 0.94, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.05—but the results suggested multidimensionality of the psychological growth factor. Positive attitudes toward aging were associated with greater quality of life, providing some evidence for convergent validity. The findings suggest that the AAQ-SF may be appropriate for assessing attitudes toward aging among older adults in Sri Lanka, though further validation is recommended.

Item ID:	90998
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1660-4601
Keywords:	older adults; attitudes toward ageing; AAQ-SF; Sri Lanka; psychometric properties; retirement homes
Copyright Information:	© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Date Deposited:	24 Mar 2026 01:52
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520302 Clinical psychology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200409 Mental health @ 50% 20 HEALTH > 2005 Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health) > 200502 Health related to ageing @ 50%
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