Do social and psychological resources mitigate the effects of self-perceived negative and positive ageism on older adults' quality of life?

The present study examined the association of self-perceived negative and positive ageism (PNA/PPA) by older adults in Greece on their quality of life (QoL) and the moderating effects of psychological capital (i.e., self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) and social support. This web-based cross-sectional study recruited 351 participants from the community through a convenience sampling method. Their mean age was 72.5 years ( SD =  9.1), with the majority being women (62.7%), and married (45.3%). Participants completed online self-reported questionnaires on quality of life (The Μental Health Quality of Life; MHQoL), perceived ageism (Perceived Ageism Questionnaire; PAQ-8), social support (the Lubben Social Network Scale-6; LSNS-6), psychological resources (the Compound PsyCap Scale-12; CPC-12R), and socio-demographic characteristics. The results showed that PNA was more strongly correlated with QoL than PPA. QoL was predicted by PNA (negatively) and PPA (positively), as well as by social and psychological resources (positively). Psychological resources moderated the effects of both PNA and PPA on QoL, while social support moderated only the effects of PPA on QoL. Higher PNA was associated with lower QoL only for participants with low levels of psychological resources. In contrast, higher PPA was associated with higher QoL for those with low levels of psychological resources and high levels of social support. The study findings contribute to the literature on self-perceived negative and positive ageism and lay the groundwork for social policy guidelines aimed at developing interventions to enhance psychosocial resources, thereby improving the QoL for older adults.