Preliminary validation of the 15-item WHO experiences of ageism scales in a mixed-age UK sample

Background: Ageism, defined as stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination based on a person’s age is prevalent and negatively impacts individuals and society. In 2016 WHO received a mandate from its Member States to lead the global campaign to combat ageism. However, success in combating ageism is critically dependent on the availability of valid and reliable measures of people’s experiences of ageism that can capture its multidimensional nature and as directed against multiple age groups across diverse country settings. The goal of current study is to present a preliminary psychometric validation of a measure specifically designed to meet this need: the 15-item WHO experiences of ageism scale. The scale includes items measuring self-directed, interpersonal, and institutional ageism and spans stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination. Method: We collected data from a UK mixed-age adult sample (N = 402), and several psychometric properties were tested, including internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Results: Results suggested that the 15-item WHO experiences of ageism scale has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor model for self-directed ageism items. This scale also proved to have adequate convergent validity. Discussion: The results provide sufficient supports for the adoption of the scale in this population and underscore the need for its translation and validation in other settings, as well as the evaluation of a more extended set of psychometric properties in future studies.