Abstract

Previous studies have confirmed the importance of objective health status in the context of successful ageing (SA), either as a component of this multidimensional construct or as its predictor or outcome. However, there is a lack of research on the potential role of subjective health status as a mediator in the relationship between objective health status and the assessment of successful ageing. This paper examines the role of subjective health and objectively present chronic diseases in explaining the self-assessment of successful ageing, viewed both as a process and as an outcome. The sample included 1006 elderly individuals (M = 73.7; SD = 6.59) from urban and rural areas in Croatia. The obtained results showed that a higher number of diseases reduces the likelihood of successful ageing, while a lower number of diseases is associated with a more positive assessment of one’s own health, and a more favorable assessment of successful ageing. Self-assessed health partially mediates the relationship between chronic diseases and successful aging, as chronic diseases have both a direct and indirect connection with the subjective experience of successful ageing through subjective health status. The results confirmed that better objective health status contributes to a more favorable self-assessment of one’s own ageing process, but this effect is also much stronger when achieved through subjective health assessment. These findings indicate a key role of subjective health status in the context of health impacting subjective successful ageing. Interventions aimed at fostering a more favorable perception of one’s own health could contribute to a more successful perception of one’s own ageing process, even in the presence of objective health problems.