089The Effects of Discrimination and Perceptions of Ageism on Community Participation among Older Adults

Abstract

Background At present, the majority of research and policies surrounding combating ageism have focused on paid employment and the labour market. It is well established that ageism can have detrimental effects on older people’s quality of life and result in self-internalised stereotypes, and has the propensity to affect an individual’s experience of social inclusion. However, ageism as a barrier to community engagement is largely overlooked. The current study aims to explore experiences of ageism and perceived ageism within a social inclusion framework focusing on community participation. Method Data is from the Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative (HaPAI) survey, a population-representative cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling adults aged 55+ in 21 local authority areas in Ireland (n = 10,540). A mixed-effects logit model (to account for county-level clustering) was used to investigate the association between ageism (both experienced and perceived) on community engagement, including participation in sports or social clubs, church connected groups, self-help or charitable bodies, other community groups or day centres. Results Experiences of discrimination were significantly associated with higher levels of participating less than monthly or not at all in community events. Perceptions of ageism were significantly associated with lower rates of participating weekly in community events and higher rates of participating less than monthly or not at all in community events. Conclusion The current study highlights how experiences and perceptions of ageism can negatively affect community participation. The study also demonstrates how other factors such as locality, self-rated health status, occupational status and education may indirectly affect social inclusion thus offering valuable insights for policy makers interested in promoting and enhancing positive ageing in Ireland.