Fear of aging among young people

Danijela Lahe -  Izvorni znanstveni članak
Maja Hmelak

Strah od starenja među mladima

Abstract
Fear is a natural emotion that individuals experience throughout their lives. Growing up, fear manifests itself in the emotions, behaviour and actions of young people, often associated with stressors such as fear of failure, social problems or too high expectations. Among the most important fears at a young age is the fear of death (thanatophobia), which can intensify anxiety and stress, especially when combined with social media pressures. In addition, the fear of aging (gerontophobia) stems from existential concerns about mortality and the social stigmatization of aging. Addressing these fears through psychological interventions, confidence building, and cultural coping mechanisms is key to reducing anxiety and building resilience. For the purposes of the research, a quantitative methodology with an online survey was used. Primary and secondary sources were collected, analysed and synthesized. Primary data were obtained through a survey aimed at Slovenian secondary school students. Secondary sources were obtained from professional literature and websites. The survey sample included 1,234 respondents aged between 15 and 29, including high school and university students. The data collection was carried out using the method of improbable (occasional) sampling. To ensure representativeness, data were weighted by gender. Statistical analysis, including descriptive and multivariate analysis, was performed with the SPSS 21 program, where the internal consistency of the scales was measured with the Cronbach alpha coefficient.
With the research, the authors wanted to check whether there is a fear of aging among young people. It turned out that the average fear of loss is 51.2%, while the fear of physical appearance and psychological worries is present in 20.5% and the fear of the elderly in 6.7%. Statistically significant differences were found in terms of gender, status, place of residence and frequency and quality of contacts with the elderly, indicating the complexity of factors that influence the fear of aging.

Sažetak
Strah je prirodna emocija koju pojedinci doživljavaju tijekom cijelog života. Tijekom odrastanja, strah se očituje u emocijama, ponašanju i djelovanju mladih, često povezan sa stresorima poput straha od neuspjeha, socijalnih poteškoća ili prevelikih očekivanja. Među značajnijim strahovima u mladosti je strah od smrti (tanatofobija), koji može pojačati anksioznost i stres, osobito u kombinaciji s pritiscima društvenih medija. Osim toga, strah od starenja (gerontofobija) proizlazi iz egzistencijalnih briga vezanih uz smrtnost i društvenu stigmatizaciju starenja. Suočavanje s tim strahovima kroz psihološke intervencije, jačanje samopouzdanja i kulturne mehanizme suočavanja ključno je za smanjenje anksioznosti i jačanje otpornosti. Za potrebe istraživanja korištena je kvantitativna metodologija s online anketom. Prikupljeni su, analizirani i sintetizirani primarni i sekundarni izvori. Primarni podaci dobiveni su pomoću ankete slovenskih srednjoškolaca i studenata. Sekundarni izvori preuzeti su iz stručne literature i internetskih stranica. Uzorak istraživanja obuhvatio je 1.234 ispitanika u dobi od 15 do 29 godina, uključujući srednjoškolce i studente. Prikupljanje podataka provedeno je metodom neizvjesnog (prigodnog) uzorkovanja. Da bi se osigurala reprezentativnost, podaci su ponderirani prema spolu. Statistička analiza, uključujući deskriptivnu i multivarijatnu analizu, provedena je pomoću programa SPSS 21, a interna konzistentnost skala izmjerena je Cronbachovim alfa koeficijentom. Autorice su istraživanjem željele provjeriti postoji li među mladima strah od starenja. Pokazalo se da prosjek straha od gubitka iznosi 51,2 %, dok strah povezan s tjelesnim izgledom i psihološkim brigama ima 20,5 %, a strah od starenja 6,7 % ispitanika. Uočene su statistički značajne razlike s obzirom na spol, status, mjesto stanovanja te učestalost i kvalitetu kontakta sa starijima, što upućuje na složenost čimbenika koji utječu na strah od starenja.