Abstract：
OBJECTIVE: Successful aging is a mainstay of the gerontological literature, but it is not without criticism, including the often-limited way that it is studied and measured as well as the exclusion of older adults\' voices in its formulation and understanding. This study sought to address these issues through a qualitative investigation across multiple countries.
METHODS: This was a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, exploratory study, using an online survey. Nations that received the survey included Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the Unites States. Participants aged 65 and older were asked to describe what successful aging means to them in an open-ended survey item. Summative content analysis was utilized to examine the responses.
RESULTS: Successful aging was defined by 1,994 participants, and six themes along with 20 subthemes were found. In contrast to conception that successful aging is solely or predominantly related to the absence of disease and decline, the most prominent theme in this study was \"active, independent, and engaged\" as the hallmark of success.
CONCLUSIONS: While health and health maintenance were present in other themes, these findings support a multidimensional definition of successful aging that promotes the perspectives of older people. Future research should seek to further investigate the ways in which person-in-environment factors influence definitions of successful aging, including culture, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.
METHODS: This was a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, exploratory study, using an online survey. Nations that received the survey included Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the Unites States. Participants aged 65 and older were asked to describe what successful aging means to them in an open-ended survey item. Summative content analysis was utilized to examine the responses.
RESULTS: Successful aging was defined by 1,994 participants, and six themes along with 20 subthemes were found. In contrast to conception that successful aging is solely or predominantly related to the absence of disease and decline, the most prominent theme in this study was \"active, independent, and engaged\" as the hallmark of success.
CONCLUSIONS: While health and health maintenance were present in other themes, these findings support a multidimensional definition of successful aging that promotes the perspectives of older people. Future research should seek to further investigate the ways in which person-in-environment factors influence definitions of successful aging, including culture, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.
摘要：
目的：成功衰老是老年学文献的支柱，但这并不是没有批评，包括研究和测量的通常有限的方式，以及在其表述和理解中排除老年人的声音。这项研究试图通过对多个国家的定性调查来解决这些问题。
方法：这是一种混合方法，横截面,探索性研究，使用在线调查。接受调查的国家包括澳大利亚，新西兰,联合王国,爱尔兰,加拿大,和美国。65岁及以上的参与者被要求在一个开放式调查项目中描述成功的衰老对他们意味着什么。使用总结性内容分析来检查答复。
结果：1,994名参与者定义了成功的衰老，发现了六个主题和20个子主题。与成功衰老完全或主要与没有疾病和衰退有关的观念相反，这项研究中最突出的主题是“积极，独立,并参与“作为成功的标志。
结论：虽然健康和健康维护存在于其他主题中，这些发现支持了成功老龄化的多维定义,该定义促进了老年人的观点.未来的研究应该寻求进一步调查环境因素影响成功衰老定义的方式，包括文化,性别和性别认同，种族和民族,社会经济背景。
方法：这是一种混合方法，横截面,探索性研究，使用在线调查。接受调查的国家包括澳大利亚，新西兰,联合王国,爱尔兰,加拿大,和美国。65岁及以上的参与者被要求在一个开放式调查项目中描述成功的衰老对他们意味着什么。使用总结性内容分析来检查答复。
结果：1,994名参与者定义了成功的衰老，发现了六个主题和20个子主题。与成功衰老完全或主要与没有疾病和衰退有关的观念相反，这项研究中最突出的主题是“积极，独立,并参与“作为成功的标志。
结论：虽然健康和健康维护存在于其他主题中，这些发现支持了成功老龄化的多维定义,该定义促进了老年人的观点.未来的研究应该寻求进一步调查环境因素影响成功衰老定义的方式，包括文化,性别和性别认同，种族和民族,社会经济背景。
