Ageing research in community psychology: Where are our elders?

The aim of this paper is to map and critique the work of community psychology in the field of ageing. A content analysis (from 1973 to 2012) of four key international community psychology journals identified 63 ageing-related articles; approximately 1 of the total number. Ageing related articles were most abundant in the 1980s. There was a mix of empirical (qualitative and quantitative) research, reviews and editorial pieces; focusing predominantly on social networks and their association with mental health issues. With its strong focus on social inequalities and injustice, community psychology arguably has much to offer studies in ageing and on the socially corrosive effects of age-based discrimination and prejudice but interest of community psychology into such research appears to remain sparse. We consider reasons why this might be so and how it might be changed so that tackling ageism becomes a key area for future research within community psychology.