The role of psychological autonomy in the acceptance of ageing among community‐dwelling elderly

Aim Previous research on psychological autonomy has focused on self‐reliance. However, given that ageing is inevitable, acceptance of ageing might be a more stable factor that reflects quality of life (QOL) status. This study examined factors that affect the acceptance of ageing as a part of psychological autonomy. Methods We conducted questionnaire surveys among community‐dwelling elderly people. The questionnaires consisted of the psychological autonomy scale, the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, and the QOL scale. Results In total, 572 elderly people completed the questionnaire, including 293 younger elderly and 279 older elderly. In both age groups, a ceiling effect was observed for the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale. There was no positive relation between acceptance of ageing and QOL, and particularly in younger elderly people, acceptance of ageing was negatively related to QOL. However, the correlation between acceptance of ageing and self‐reliance was positive, and self‐reliance was positively related to QOL in younger elderly people. Conclusions The acceptance of ageing did not show a positive relation in our participants who had high activities of daily living. Acceptance of ageing might be important for elderly people who have a physical disability and several restrictions in their daily life. For younger elderly people, acceptance of ageing was correlated with getting depression, in which case it is useful to reject self‐ageing for QOL, and it was related to QOL through self‐reliance.