Optimal Cut-Off Point for Self-Rated Successful Aging Based on the Rowe and Kahn's Model

There is no consensus on the optimal self-rated successful aging (SRSA) cut-off point for determining whether aging is successful. The present study aims to address this gap by identifying reliable SRSA cut-off points through a comparison based on Rowe and Kahn’s (1997) successful aging model. A sample of 478 older adult residents of municipal centers and nursing homes aged ≥50 years (M = 72.11, SD = 10.43) were subjected to the single-item SRSA evaluation, as well as scale sets measuring Rowe and Kahn’s (1997) criteria. A receiver-operating characteristic analysis was then used to determine a range of potential SRSA cut-off points to discriminate between successful and not successful agers. The application of Rowe and Kahn’s (1997) successful aging criteria revealed an optimum cut-off point of ≥7, having the best balance of sensitivity (86.7 or 74.9%) and specificity (46.9 or 55.3%).