Research Progress on Attitudes towards Aging among the Elderly: Concepts, Theoretical Foundations, and Evaluation Tools

With the intensification of population aging, the health of the elderly has gradually become a very important social issue. Attitudes towards aging, as an important social and psychological factor, have a significant impact on the physiological and psychological states of the elderly and therefore have increasingly attracted academic attention. The definition of concepts, clarification of theoretical foundations, and development of evaluation tools are the foundations of research on attitudes toward aging. The research on the above three aspects in foreign countries started earlier and explored more deeply. There are various definitions, theoretical models, and evaluation tools proposed, which have subtle differences and close connections and can easily cause difficulties in understanding and tool selection. Meanwhile, the research on attitudes toward aging in China has just begun, mainly relying on referencing and revising foreign tools. There is not much research and development on localized tools, and a few have not been well promoted. In order to better promote the research and intervention of attitudes towards aging, this article intends to provide a brief analysis of the definitions and theoretical models of attitudes towards aging at home and abroad. Based on this, it will focus on introducing the main evaluation tools, and propose relevant research prospects.