A Meta-Analysis of the Correlates of Successful Aging in Older Adults

Objective: Successful aging (SA) is a concept that remains without a consensus definition. The purpose of the current study was to explore the components of SA by systematically reviewing factors correlated with SA. We also compared the relative strength of the components by using the meta-analytic method. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively synthesize the correlates of SA from three online databases: PubMed, CINAHL, and SCOPUS. Main Findings: The correlates were categorized into four domains: (1) avoiding disease and disability, (2) having high cognitive/mental/physical function, (3) actively engaging in life, and (4) psychologically well adapted in later life. The domain “psychologically well adapted in later life” showed the strongest association with SA, ES(r) = .482. Conclusion: The findings of this study were meaningful in terms of examining the strength of the correlations between the domains and overall SA and, further, providing evidence for building interventions for aging population.