Journal of Women & Aging最新文献

While help-seeking is one of the main coping strategies, some evidence suggests that social norms and gender-role expectations can affect help-seeking patterns and make them different between wife and husband caregivers. However, there is limited knowledge about these differences in Middle Eastern countries, such as Iran. This study investigated help-seeking differences between older husbands and wives caring for their spouses with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Iran. This qualitative study was a conventional content analysis using the Hsieh and Shannon approach, which utilized purposive sampling and in-depth interviews to select participants and collect data. Overall, 15 older spousal caregivers (nine wives and six husbands) participated in the study. Lincoln and Guba's criteria were used to evaluate data trustworthiness. Seeking filial affection versus Authoritative management was recognized as a central theme. Subthemes were Emotional help-seeking from children versus Internalizing emotions, Involving the children in Daddy's care versus Using community-based care services, and Passive financial help-seeking from children versus Seeking formal funding sources in the community. Older husbands and wives caring for their spouses with AD seek help differently due to cultural views and gender expectations, and they need education and awareness in this field. Healthcare providers and policymakers should consider these differences to develop gender-sensitive support interventions and services and reduce the caregiving burden for these older caregivers.

Older women from a Lifelong Learning Institute (N = 7) participated in a narrative and photovoice study on successful aging. The participants met for three class sessions. During the first session, participants were given an overview of the study and told to take a photograph and write a corresponding narrative about how they were aging successfully for seven consecutive days. During the second class session, participants shared their photos and narratives with each other by engaging in a group discussion. After data collection ended, the researcher shared recent research on successful aging with the group during the third class session. The narratives, photos, and recorded group discussion were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach. Results revealed two themes and a subtheme from the narrative and photos. Theme 1: Adapting and Coping revealed the importance of adapting to life challenges, with adjusting to widowhood as the most discussed life event. A subtheme on Challenging Yourself was noted under this theme and represented how participants enjoyed challenging themselves by participating in lifelong learning and volunteering. Theme 2: Connections, represented the diverse social resources that women had access to, including friendships and connections with their faith/spirituality, as well as pets. Overall, these women focused on their human agency and its role in determining how they perceived successful aging. Their former careers were protective and ultimately enhanced successful aging by providing them with opportunities for fulfillment, engagement, and socialization in older adulthood.

Scarce studies have examined an intersection of women's fertility and education and their impacts on racially stratified women's later-life health. This study examined the health outcomes of women aged sixty-five and older by comparing Black and non-Black women. It focused on analyzing how the number of children a woman had, and her level of education, can constitutively impact her later-life health outcomes. We used data from the National Health Interview Survey (2010-2018) and the intersectionality and fundamental causes of disease theories. Logistic regression findings suggested that being Black, having a lower education status, and having two or more children were significantly associated with higher activity limitation, disability, and poorer self-rated health as compared to their counterparts. The significantly higher odds interaction effects were found between race and education, as well as race and parity, indicating the stronger influence of lower levels of education and a larger number of children on activity limitations and disability for older Blacks than non-Black women. These interactions were weaker in terms of self-rated health status. The three-way interactions between race, fertility, and education were significantly lower. This indicates weaker or smaller gains associated with high fertility and lower education on disability and activity limitations status among Blacks than non-Black older women. This new study suggests a unique contribution of Black women's fertility history as an additional determinant of their later life health when intersected with other upstream factors like education.

Few studies have looked into the best surgical treatment for older breast cancer patients, with many opting for a mastectomy for simplicity. The purpose of this study was to compare the cosmetic satisfaction and decision regret of older Chinese patients who had breast-conserving surgery (BCS) versus mastectomy. Female Chinese patients aged 70 or older when diagnosed with breast cancer were recruited between September 2019 and December 2021. The Chinese version of the BREAST-Q survey was used to assess satisfaction with breast cosmesis before and after surgery. The Decision Regret Scale was used to characterize decision regret six months after the operation. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed, as well as quality of life (QoL) measures. Eighty-six patients fulfilled the recruitment criteria, and 77 of them consented to the study and completed the questionnaires (90% participation rate). Fifty-three patients (68.8%) underwent a mastectomy, while twenty-four patients (31.2%) underwent BCS. At six months after the operation, patients who had a mastectomy were found to be less satisfied with the cosmetic outcome of their breasts (p = 0.012). Breast cosmesis satisfaction remained similar in the group of patients who received a BCS (p = 0.550). Neither group expressed regret in their choice of operation option (p = 0.429). Patients who received BCS had better social support (p = 0.025). There was no significant difference in QoL measures. The cosmetic outcome of a mastectomy can cause significant dissatisfaction in older adults. It is critical to engage patients in discussions about surgical options so that they can make an informed decision.

This qualitative study explores the psychosocial experiences of midlife Italian women, focusing on the evolution of their creative self. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we examined narratives from eight women aged 51-62, capturing their spontaneous perception of the changes characterizing this phase of their life, with a particular focus on the subject of creativity. Three major themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Personal Growth, highlighting increased self-awareness, resilience in the face of adverse events and a deeper connection with their bodies; (2) Relationships with Others, underscoring shifts in friendships, family dynamics, and how relationships foster creativity; and (3) The Creative Self, which explores the redefinition of creativity in midlife as part of a broader transformative process. The study offers new insights into how midlife can serve as a fertile period for personal and creative development, challenging the dominant focus on loss often associated with ageing. This work contributes to the literature by highlighting the underexplored positive transformations occurring during this phase, particularly in the Italian socio-cultural context.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes disproportionately affects older adults and people of color. For older African American women, diabetes is considered a public health crisis. African American women 55 and older face higher mortality rates and more severe diabetes-related complications compared to their White counterparts. Secondary conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia, diabetic neuropathy, amputations, renal failure and blindness provide further complications to what is considered a major health challenge in the African American community. Self-management strategies are key to optimizing health outcomes for diabetes; however, in general, prioritizing self-care has been especially difficult for women given their adherence to cultural scripts that dictate prioritization of other-care over self-care. This paper presents selected narratives of Black women from a large qualitative study funded by the National Institute on Aging, which examined the diabetes management strategies of older adults residing in an urban area of the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The Black women selected for this analysis, have chosen to prioritize the self in the face of competing responsibilities, and by doing so display active resistance to the traditional gender expectations imposed upon women in American culture. We use Black Feminist Perspective to center and contextualize the variation in health experiences of Black women in our sample. For healthcare providers it is important to understand the experiences of African American women and the social forces which influence - hinder and support - their strategies for prioritizing health.

Studies have shown that gender is associated with inequalities in successful aging. However, little is known about the trends in gender gaps in successful aging and the factors contributing to these disparities. This study aims to provide evidence of gender inequalities in successful aging and to identify the contributing factors to inform targeted policy development. Using the data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018, a total of 21,718 older adults (60+) were enrolled in this study. Successful aging was assessed by successful aging index covering absence of disease, physical functioning, psychological functioning, activity of daily living, physical activity functioning, cognitive functioning, and interpersonal social engagement. We employed Shapley decomposition to examine factors contributing to successful aging inequalities and further analyzed gender-specific disparities using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition. Results indicate an upward trend in successful aging inequalities. The most significant contributors to such inequalities are gender, education, age, residential area, drinking, and smoking, which span across the dimensions of personal characteristics, family characteristics, regional factors, and lifestyle. Under the gender perspective, education emerged as the most influential factor, while other characteristics like smoking, drinking, age, marital status, and residential area also matter. Over time, the contribution of education is more stable, whereas the influence of smoking and drinking increased. Gender inequalities in successful aging in China are generally increasing, with a continuous expansion over time. To mitigate these disparities, gender-specific geriatric care policies are needed to ensure equitable and inclusive aging opportunities for both men and women.

Earthquakes can cause significant changes in the qualities of sleep and life of menopausal women. The aim of this study is to determine the qualities of sleep and life of menopausal women after the earthquake. This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 182 menopausal women who applied to the State Hospital between 24 June and 14 September 2023. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL). In addition to descriptive statistics, t-test and Mann Whitney U test, One-Way ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis test, Correlation, and Multiple Linear Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. In the study, it was determined that the women's PSQI and MENQOL total mean scores were 8.21 ± 4.34, and 118.75 ± 45.73, respectively. There was a positive, significant, and moderate correlation between PSQI and MENQOL. Age, loss of a relative in the earthquake, place of residence, and PSQI total score accounted for 35.3% of the total variance for MENQOL. In the post-earthquake period, the menopausal women had a poor quality of sleep and a moderate menopause-specific quality of life. Their qualities of sleep and life were correlated with each other. Deteriorated sleep quality in menopausal women after the earthquake negatively affected their quality of life specific to menopause. In this regard, it is important to evaluate the sleep problems of menopausal women and prioritize them in disaster management strategies.

In this paper, we explore queer temporalities in relation to queer women and non-binary people's sexuality later in life. Drawing on 30 interviews with 32 queer women and non-binary people aged 49-72 about sexuality and intimacy in later life, we highlight the participants' stories about the instability and non-linearity of sexuality across the life course. First, we examine how our participants narrated later-life changes in their sexual subjectivity and how the assumption of compulsory (hetero)sexuality manifests in the participants' stories about the unfolding of their sexual identities over the life course. We then analyze the compulsory non-sexuality imposed on women as they grow older. Finally, we explore the potential of reinterpreting sexuality in later life to destabilize pervasive normative notions of sexuality by analyzing the bodily changes the participants described. Rather than eradicating difference, such an analysis of later-life sexuality and queer temporality opens up the possibility of affirming changing desires and pleasures and acknowledging the body's agency in shaping later-life sexuality.

Women's sexuality as a dimension of embodied identity is shaped and constrained by social norms of gender and age and negotiated by women in complex ways. Discourses of hegemonic bodily normativity ascribe a sexless subjectivity to Russian women in their post-reproductive years, contributing to their social exclusion. At the same time, in modern Russian society a neoliberal concept of "successful active aging" is gradually changing understandings of aging, making later-life sexuality more visible and legitimate. Older women's sexual activity is often part of a lifestyle involving active care of their appearance and health, allowing them to maintain social inclusion in their post-reproductive years. This article considers how women's sexuality shifts over time and what alternative (if any) form of sexuality exists besides the "sexless older woman" and the "sexy older woman" in the post-Soviet Russian context. Based on Russian data from the project "Aging and sexuality: transformation of intimacy in a transnational perspective" (The project "Aging and sexuality: transformation of intimacy in a transnational perspective" (under supervision of professor Anna Temkina, EUSPb).), this article discusses growing recognition of the diversity of experiences of later-life sexuality and the vulnerable social position of women in their post-reproductive years outside Western societies.