Development, feasibility, and acceptability of a process based intervention to decrease internalized ageism

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample Sociodemographic Characteristics.

Characteristic		n	%
Gender
	Male	6	8.0
	Female	69	92.0
Education
	High school or equivalent	7	9.3
	College diploma, or trade certificate/diploma	13	17.3
	Bachelor’s degree	30	40.0
	Graduate degree	25	33.3
Race/ethnicity
	White	62	82.7
	Indigenous	3	4.0
	Filipino	3	4.0
	Latin American	3	4.0
	Chinese	1	1.3
	South Asian	2	2.7
	Black	1	1.3
Marital status
	Married or Common Law	36	48.0
	Separated or Divorced	19	25.3
	Widowed	13	17.3
	Single (Never Married/Common Law)	7	9.3
Household income
	$0–$50,000	15	20.0
	$50,000–$100,000	45	60.0
	$100,000+	15	20.0
Occupation status
	Full-time employed	4	5.3
	Part-time employed	9	12.0
	Volunteer	2	2.7
	Retired	60	80.0

Note. N = 75. Participants’ mean age was 70.6 years, SD = 6.4 years.

Table 2. Session and Intervention Usefulness Ratings.

	Session Number (N)
	One (78)	Two (80)	Three (75)	Four (75)	Five (77)	Six (76)	Program (79)
Rating	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
5	34 (43.6)	41 (51.3)	35 (46.7)	39 (52.0)	46 (59.7)	50 (65.8)	52 (65.8)
4	22 (28.2)	22 (27.5)	25 (33.3)	24 (32.0)	22 (28.6)	20 (26.3)	20 (25.3)
3	16 (20.5)	13 (16.3)	11 (14.7)	8 (10.7)	7 (9.1)	6 (7.9)	5 (6.3)
2	4 (5.1)	4 (5.0)	4 (5.3)	3 (4.0)	2 (2.6)	0 (0.0)	2 (2.5)
1	2 (2.6)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	1 (1.3)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)
Average	4.05	4.25	4.21	4.29	4.45	4.58	4.54

Note. 5 = “Very Useful” and 1 = “Not Useful.” Average = the average of ratings for the respective session. Program = Responses regarding the entire program.

Table 3. Codebook of the new behaviors attributed to the intervention by participants.

Category	Example Quote
Program Activities and Tools (e.g., mindfulness)	“I’ve been meditating daily, separating, accepting, putting them on leaves on a stream… All daily. This has been life changing for me.”
Physical Activity	“I’ve finally gone back to the [exercise gym]. Thoroughly enjoying it – aerobics classes, zumba, yoga, weights, etc.”
Learning/Cognitive Activities	“[I] applied to a master’s program at the university.”
Trying New Things	“As part of Winnipeg Comedy Festival, I’m getting ready to do my first open mic comedy event today and I couldn’t be more excited. I used to think I was too old to do that.”
Increased Family Time	“I’ve started… making sure I talk to my children every day.”
Ageism Awareness	“I catch myself more often when my own internalized ageism beliefs and attitudes are making me feel less adequate, or when the reflex response is to put myself down when I forget something or see my wrinkled face in the mirror each morning. I am more often able to see past my internalized negative biases and treat myself and others more kindly.”
Meeting New People	“I’ve just returned [from] a 1.5 week vacation I went on by myself after the program ended. I booked it three weeks into the program. I met so many people!”
Volunteering	“I’ve been using a Ukrainian/English translator on my phone to help volunteer to speak with Ukrainian newcomers to Winnipeg. I got over my shyness of not speaking Ukrainian. It’s been wonderful and I’ve made several meaningful connections”
Spending Time with Friends	“I have made a concerted effort to meet with friends and family members on outings.”
Miscellaneous Self-Care	”[I] joined a Fibromyalgia support group”
Writing	“I’ve started writing an autobiography”
Ageism Activism	“I am also more aware of internalized ageism and able to catch myself especially around negative body image; it’s still a struggle, but awareness is the first step and I now have that … I take ageism more seriously; seeing it in the same category as racism and sexism makes me more ready to push back against it.”
Artistic and Musical Activity	“Started playing guitar again”
Travel	“I went on a vacation by myself for the first time, something I always wanted to do but was too nervous.”
Dietary Changes	“I took a cooking class and have actually started to cook again versus buying prepared food. I have already had 2 appointments with a dietician with the goal of eating food to support aging well.”
Completing Tasks	“I finished painting my ceilings and walls! I thought I’d never do it again and I paced myself to adjust. So, I finished it which was incredible.”
Seeking Mental Health Services	“I have started seeing a mental health therapist to help me get through the challenges and struggles of caregiving.”
Organizing Affairs	“Getting affairs in order to prepare for retirement by contacting relevant parties.”
Relating to Others Differently	“More tolerance to younger people’s ignorance [and] a positive view of myself and other older adults”
Business	“I’ve started a floral business”
Improving Sleep Habits	“Working on better sleep, actually trying to go to bed earlier so I can get 7–8 hrs of sleep.”
Increased Work	”‘I’ve been happily picking more shifts at my job and actually enjoying it.”

Table 4. Frequency counts of categories of new behaviors identified by participants in open-ended responses.

	Time 1	Time 2
New Behavior	n	n
Intervention Activities and Tools	28	27
Physical Activity	24	24
Learning/Cognitive Activities	8	13
Trying New Things	8	12
Increased Family Time	9	9
Meeting New People	6	11
Ageism Awareness	5	9
Volunteering	7	7
Spending Time with Friends	5	9
Miscellaneous Self-Care	5	6
Seeking Mental Health Services	5	6
Ageism Activism	4	4
Artistic and Musical Activity	3	5
Travel	2	6
Dietary Changes	2	3
Completing Tasks	2	2
Seeking Mental Health Treatment	1	3
Organizing Affairs	2	1
Relating to Others Differently	2	1
Business	1	1
Improving Sleep Habits	1	1
Increased Work	1	1

Note. N = 60 for each time point, representing only the participants who indicated they engaged in novel behaviors. Participant responses were allowed to be placed into multiple categories when relevant. Time 1 = Responses from post intervention survey. Time 2 = Responses from two-month follow up survey.