Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology最新文献

The attitude toward older adults is developed from childhood. School textbooks are one of the most important sources of shaping attitude in children. So, the present study aimed to analyze the visual and textual content of the aging concept in elementary school textbooks after the Irans's Islamic Revolution (1979). The method of the present study was content analysis, and 112 textbooks were reviewed. The analysis unit included 118 images and 91 subset of texts pertaining to aging concept. The results showed that aging concepts are classified into two positive and negative stereotypes categories. The positive stereotype included social interaction, authority and respect, wisdom, spirituality, positive traits, and independence. Social interaction was the most frequent of them. Negative stereotypes included abuse, negative personality traits, illness, and disability, of which the negative personality traits were the most frequent. In addition, the results suggested that 87.7% of the concepts of aging in the textbooks were positive. Although the positive stereotypes were more frequent in textbooks, the active older adults were presented in low-status jobs, and the ethnic minorities and older women were less considered. Accordingly, policymaking through the textbooks and from childhood is necessary for developing successful aging and decreasing ageism in society.

Objectives: Little is known about loneliness in lower- and middle-income countries. This study investigates loneliness in the older population of Myanmar using a mixed-methods approach.

Methods: To identify predictors of loneliness, hierarchical regression models were used to analyze data from the Myanmar Aging Survey 2012 (N = 3,618, 57% women). In a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, quantitative data were integrated with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with older adults in Myanmar in 2019.

Results: The prevalence of loneliness varied by between-person characteristics. Health impairments, lower income, being widowed, not having children, and living with fewer household members were each associated with loneliness. Qualitative findings suggested that the physical presence of family members was especially protective against loneliness. Religion had mixed associations with loneliness, depending on the type of religious practice, demographic characteristics, health status, and community engagement.

Discussion: The findings contribute to a better understanding of individuals' experiences of loneliness and may inform the design of interventions to prevent loneliness in Myanmar and globally.

Gender inequality that persists through much of their lives, from birth through adulthood, impacts women and their quality of life in their later years. With some variation this holds true in every nation in the global community. In older adults, the most apparent indication of gender inequality-and a linchpin-is the disproportionate impoverishment of older women compared to older men. We take stock of global policy directions toward equality for girls and women, focusing specifically on derived avenues for furthering and protecting the economic well-being of older women in the United States, cognizant that these directions can rebound with implications for nations worldwide.

The increasing prevalence of AD among Hispanics calls for a need for examining factors that affect cognitive functioning and risk of AD among Hispanic older adults. The current study examined cognitive functioning among older Hispanic adults living in the U.S. from two Hispanic regions, South America and the Caribbean, in relation to the country where education was obtained. Participants (n = 139) were stratified into groups based on Hispanic education region and diagnostic categories: cognitively normal and amnestic MCI (aMCI). Results of Pearson correlations showed that among Hispanic Americans in general, there were significant positive correlations between the country of education to performance on measures of episodic, verbal, and word list tests. When examined separately by region and diagnosis, only cognitively normal (CN) South Americans showed significant relationships between country of education and cognitive functioning in these areas. Results of general linear models controlling for education identified differences in neuropsychological performance between groups with the CN groups demonstrating better performance than the aMCI groups within each region. Overall, it was evident that relationships between years of education obtained outside of the U.S. and cognitive functioning were not similar among individuals from these two disparate Spanish speaking regions. This is the first study to examine the country where education was obtained among individuals from countries located in different regions with different cultures that may influence their education and cognitive development throughout life. Findings contribute to the cross-cultural neuropsychological literature in understanding factors that are unique to Hispanic older adults at risk for developing AD.

Objectives: Despite the high prevalence of depression among older Korean Americans (KAs), there has been very little research on depression literacy among older KAs. This study identified specific areas of improvement in depression literacy to address mental health promotion among KAs. Twenty-two items on the depression literacy scale were grouped under five key themes: incidence and prognosis, differential symptoms, symptom recognition, non-pharmacological effectiveness, and pharmacological knowledge. This study aimed to assess the level of understanding depression literacy based on five domains and identify factors associated with depression literacy and its domains among older KAs.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with 178 KAs aged 60 years and older was conducted in the Washington DC Metro area. Interviewer and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with depression literacy and its domains. Statistical significance was set at p < .05 for analyses.

Results: Knowledge pertaining to all 5 depression literacy domains was low, particularly on pharmacological treatment and differential symptoms were noticeably low. The majority of participants had misconceptions about antidepressants. 86% believed that antidepressants can have a rapid effect on symptoms, 82.6% believed people with depression should stop taking antidepressants as soon as they feel better, and 66.3% believed antidepressants were addictive.

Conclusion: Misperception about depression and antidepressants may be associated with poor mental health outcomes among older KAs. Culturally-tailored education for older KAs with limited English proficiency could be beneficial in promoting depression literacy and reducing stigma or misconceptions regarding depression and treatments.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Related Dementias (ADRD) are a growing concern across the globe. Unfortunately, racial/ethnic minorities in the United States (U.S.), such as Chinese Americans, have lower ADRD knowledge, and these individuals are less likely to be targeted and engaged in recommended dementia prevention and care. The objective of this study is to examine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about healthy aging and ADRD among older Chinese Americans living in New York City. Chinese Americans with very low English proficiency were recruited from a senior center in New York City. Accordingly, surveys were translated and focus groups were conducted in Mandarin or Cantonese. Questionnaires assessed demographic and health characteristics. Focus groups followed an open-ended protocol which was guided by the published literature. Focus group discussions were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated to English for qualitative analysis. Analysis of qualitative data proceeded according to the constant comparative method. A total of 18 participants were recruited. Average age of participants was 76.4 years and participants were 72.2% female. The majority were married (72.2%). Participants reported chronic conditions, including diabetes (38.9%) and dyslipidemia (22.2%). Participants commonly reported that their health limited their ability to accomplish things (66.7%) and achieve things (66.7%). While 16.7% of participants reported no bodily pain, slight pain was reported by 44.4%, moderate pain by 33.3%, and extreme pain by 5.6%. Qualitative analysis revealed several prominent themes, including: (1) perceptions about normal aging; (2) fears about loneliness and cognitive decline; (3) understanding of healthy aging; (4) cultural influences on aging; and (5) perceptions of ADRD. Results from this study highlight a set of cultural beliefs about healthy aging as well as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs pertaining to ADRD. These results may inform opportunities for increasing healthy aging practices and knowledge about dementia among underserved older Chinese Americans.

Older post-Soviet immigrants in the U.S. have been largely overlooked by research despite their unique experience of having lived in a totalitarian regime until middle age, only to find their lives profoundly altered after its fall. Our qualitative study examined the experiences and caregiving expectations of 16 older post-Soviet immigrant women (mean age = 74.5 years, SD =5.8) through in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Data analysis revealed four themes: broken family ties, happiness in the little things that money can buy, intergenerational comparison, and a nursing home is not an option. Overall, our findings emphasize immigration as an important life course event, with profound implications to one's social position, familial ties, employment opportunities contributes to a deeper understanding of how historical context shapes the aging experiences and intergenerational relationships.