Background: To examine the extent to which group-based exercise programs, informed by self-categorisation theory, result in improvements in psychological flourishing and reductions in age- and gender-related stigma consciousness among older adults.
Methods: In the study, older adults (N = 485, ≥ 65 years) were randomised to similar age same gender (SASG), similar age mixed gender (SAMG), or "standard" mixed age mixed gender (MAMG) group-based exercise programs. Flourishing and stigma consciousness were assessed on six occasions during the 24-week intervention and represented secondary trial outcomes. Multilevel growth models examined the effects of the interventions on flourishing and stigma consciousness over time.
Results: Participants in the SASG and SAMG conditions demonstrated, on average, higher levels of flourishing, relative to the MAMG condition, over the course of the 24 weeks (p < .05). Additionally, participants demonstrated lower levels of age- and gender-related stigma consciousness in both the SASG and SAMG conditions relative to the MAMG condition (p < .05). No time by group interaction effects were observed for either flourishing or stigma consciousness.
Conclusions: The results provide some support for the utility of group exercise programs, informed by self-categorisation theory, to enhance psychological flourishing and reduce stigma consciousness among older adults.
Keywords: flourishing; intervention; self-categorisation theory; stigma consciousness; successful aging.
© 2020 The International Association of Applied Psychology.