Research on Aging最新文献

This study examines how counter-stereotypical employer communication can reduce prejudice against older workers. In an experiment with Dutch employers and hiring decision-makers (n = 444), participants viewed a video message in which two employers shared positive experiences with workers aged 50 and above. Two message styles and a media literacy instruction were tested to assess how different ways of framing counter-stereotypical information influence perceptions of older workers. Results show that the employer-as-ambassador message, particularly when combined with the instructional element, most effectively improved perceptions of older workers' employability among employers. The employer-as-educator message was least effective, even when compared to the control condition. This study demonstrates the potential of stereotype-reversing employer communication to challenge and reduce age bias in the workplace, addressing a key gap by evaluating the employer's role in shaping perceptions of older workers. The study leverages our collaboration with societal partners to communicate these insights to practice.

Objectives: This study examines health literacy and EOL pro-individualism as cultural health capital, their associations with EOL discussion and subjective well-being (SWB), and the moderating role of education. Methods: Using data from the 2017 Taichung Survey (N = 645) and the 2021 Taiwan Social Change Survey (N = 631), analyses combined logistic and OLS regressions with SEM for mediation testing, and evaluated the moderation by comparing across educational groups. Results: The results show that health literacy relates to higher happiness among the higher-educated and greater life satisfaction overall, whereas EOL pro-individualism relates to lower outcomes. Only formal EOL discussions show a positive link with happiness. Education moderates all associations with happiness. Discussion: Findings indicate that cultural health capital plays a dual role and underscore the relevance of formal EOL discussions. Policies could prioritize strengthening health literacy and promoting formal discussions while addressing cultural tensions between autonomy and family obligations.

Widowhood often leads to increased depressive symptoms, yet the gendered role of adult-child support in moderating these consequences is understudied. We used eight waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and fixed-effects panel regression to assess how three forms of support from adult children - contact frequency, instrumental support, and geographic proximity - affect depressive symptoms in 2,600 widowed women and 896 widowed men. Results show that weekly contact with at least one adult child buffered the increase in depressive symptoms after widowhood, whereas the receipt of instrumental support was associated with larger increases. Additionally, those living within 25 km of the nearest child experienced smaller increases in depressive symptoms compared to those with cohabiting children. No gender differences emerged. The findings emphasize that the effectiveness of adult children's support depends on the specific type; there's no universal solution to helping bereaved parents adapt to widowhood.

The significance of gender identity on informal caregiving for adults ages 18+ by LGBTQ older adults needs increased attention due to the potential for negative outcomes associated with this unpaid labor. Utilizing the 2022 AARP Dignity Survey data, we examine the significance of gender identity, age, and other sociodemographics on caregiving among LGBTQ respondents ages 45+ in the United States. Findings indicate that among LGBTQ older adults, those who identify as a cisgender woman are more likely to have provided care and to expect to do so in the future. Conversely, gender identity does not significantly predict feeling obligated to provide care. Also, a gender diverse identity significantly predicts feeling obligated to care for someone who is unaccepting of that identity, suggesting that gender diverse caregivers face an increased risk for mistreatment. This study thus helps clarify how gender identity affects informal caregiving within the population of LGBTQ older adults.

As populations age, supporting longer working lives becomes increasingly important. We investigate the relationships between working conditions, pre-retirement psychological well-being, and retirement timing using survey and register data on 3,261 Finnish employees who retired between 2019 and 2021. Rather than early retirement, our focus is to examine retirement at the statutory age versus retirement postponed by at least one year. Our results show that job autonomy and good leadership are associated with better psychological well-being, while psychosocial job demands are linked to poorer well-being. Poor well-being increases the likelihood of earlier retirement. Schedule flexibility and job autonomy reduce the risk of earlier retirement, whereas physical and psychosocial demands decrease the likelihood of later retirement - psychosocial demands also indirectly through their impact on well-being. Well-being mediates the effect of poor self-rated health on retirement. These results underscore the importance of working conditions and well-being in shaping retirement behavior.

The Everyday Ageism Scale is a self-report measure of ageism in older adults. To our knowledge, this scale has yet to undergo item response theory (IRT) analysis to evaluate its item-level properties. Our objective was to evaluate its reliability, structural validity, and item functioning. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis and IRT using data collected from 486 older adults. The Everyday Ageism Scale demonstrated acceptable McDonald's omega coefficients and good model fit with its previously identified three-factor structure. Our findings also revealed items that provided the highest level of measurement precision and adequately/inadequately differentiated between respondents reporting varying levels of ageism. The Everyday Ageism Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing ageism among North American older adults, though items 8-10 may require refinement to improve their discriminatory and predictive power. Future investigations are needed to establish cross-cultural validation.

Population aging and increasing retirement rates are reshaping physical activity (PA) and health among older adults worldwide. Using the China General Social Survey data (CGSS), this study applies a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to estimate the causal impact of retirement on PA among Chinese older adults. We find that retirement significantly increases PA frequency. The effect is amplified by higher income and better health, but is weakened by psychological stress. Causal forest analysis reveals pronounced heterogeneity: income consistently emerges as the most influential moderator, while the importance of social participation, intergenerational caregiving, and urban-rural residency rises notably once provincial clustering is considered. Regional disparities also persist, with stronger effects in the eastern provinces, contrasted by more mixed and uneven patterns in central and western China. These findings highlight heterogeneous aging trajectories, showing that retirement's impact on PA is context-specific and requires locally adaptive approaches.

This study examined how older women's friendships were intertwined with their opposite-sex romantic partners, and their friendships, via interviews using a constructivist, grounded theory approach. Participants (N = 19) were women from the Northeastern United States, had at least some college, and all were non-Hispanic White. Theoretical coding led to two main themes: Friendship Level: Couple Versus Individual and Conflicts and Differences: Gendered Dynamics. Within Friendship Level, couple activities such as vacations and dinners were mentioned as key activities, along with the women's role in crafting couples' friendships. Reasons why friendships remained separate were also discussed. For Conflicts and Differences, women talked about how they had more friends than their romantic partners and that their romantic partners' friendships were largely work-based. Women also discussed instances in which a romantic partner misbehaved. These findings have implications for how romantic partners navigate friendships together.

Research on dementia care partners often emphasizes the dyadic relationship, overlooking broader social networks that shape care partners' well-being and resilience. This study examines how social network composition and quality influence care partner outcomes. We conducted ego-centric social network structured interviews with 179 unpaid care partners of individuals living with dementia. We used regression models to test our hypothesis, with hierarchical models incorporating covariates followed by network features. Findings indicate participants who reported greater network quality also reported larger social networks and greater network demographic similarity, with older participants also reporting greater similarity. Those who showed greater network quality and perceptual affinity reported enhanced well-being and resilience and lower burden, with care partner tenure also positively related to resilience. As such, higher-quality networks are associated with larger and more demographic similarity. Further research should explore which dimensions of perceptual affinity most strongly influence care partner outcomes.

This study examines the relationship between spousal education and hypertension risk among older couples. Using data from the National Social Life, Health & Aging Project (NSHAP) Round 3 (2015-2016), we analyzed 1,214 couples aged 50 and older. Hypertension was assessed through biological and self-reported measures. Spousal education was categorized by college degree attainment. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) was used to examine the mediating roles of economic resources and health behaviors. Results showed that a wife's college degree was associated with lower hypertension risk for both spouses, whereas a husband's college degree showed no significant association. Mediation analysis revealed that health behaviors, but not economic resources, partially explained this relationship. Findings suggest that a wife's education plays a greater role in a couple's hypertension risk than a husband's, emphasizing the need for interventions targeting couples with a lower-educated wife to improve cardiovascular health in older adults.