Abstract

This study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the Short Spanish-language Version of the Aging Perceptions Questionnaire (APQ-S) in a sample of elders in Spain. The questionnaire was administered to 201 community-dwelling elders, aged 65 years or more. Internal consistency for subscales ranged from good to very good (alpha=0,818- 0,924; omega=0,858- 0,924). The factorial model did not show a perfect fit (chi(2) (168)=285,719, p <.001), although additional fit measures were acceptable (CFI=.943; RMSEA=.059; SRMR=.052). There was no evidence of factor overlapping. After controlling for demographic variables, administration modality and optimism, the emotional representation factor explained a significant amount of variance for all three dependent variables, positive control for well-being and anxious-depressive symptomatology, chronic time for well-being, and negative control for physical health. This instrument shows promise in measuring self-directed aging in Spanish samples.