Psychometric Validation of the WHO Ageism Experiences Scale in Russian and Romanian

While ageism experiences are widespread among older adults, there is no existing instrument that can effectively capture all three dimensions (i.e., stereotypes, prejudices, and discriminations) of ageism. The primary objective of this study was to validate the WHO Ageism Experiences Scale, a newly developed scale designed to comprehensively assess ageism experiences, in both locals and Ukrainian refugees in the Republic of Moldova. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, concurrent validity, of 15- and 5-item version of WHO Ageism Experiences Scale in older adults sampled from Moldova(N = 425, Mage = 69.13, 74.12% female, 49.88% refugees). Results suggested an acceptable reliability and validity of both 15- and 5-item versions among Moldova older adults. Participants who were older, perceived as older in their lifespan, had lower education levels, and were perceived to have lower social status, exhibited higher levels of experienced ageism. Further, refugees reported significantly higher levels of ageism compared to local Moldovans. Higher experienced ageism levels were associated with worse health outcomes. As part of the global effort to validate the WHO Ageism Experiences Scale, this study included the first translation of this scale in Romanian and Russian, verified its reliability and validity in Moldova and among refugees, and facilitated cross-national comparisons of ageism.