Research on Aging最新文献

Engagement in the arts has shown promise as a nonpharmacological approach for mitigating age-related cognitive decline. In this study, we report on feasibility and acceptability of a remote and self-administered observational drawing intervention that deliberately engages cognition, including spatial reasoning, hand-eye coordination, and awareness of the present moment. Thirty-four participants aged 65-87 completed our randomized controlled trial. The training consisted of 10 online lessons and daily practice in which participants acquired drawing techniques that improved their drawing skills by > 0.5 SD (d = 1.27). Over 80% who completed the course rated it positively and found the online format accessible, although we observed considerable attrition (47%). Baseline drawing skills were related to mental transformation (r = 0.47), yet transfer to cognitive stills at post-test was limited. Intervention-related improvements emerged in mindfulness (d(net) = 0.81). Our study illustrates that drawing skills can be improved in older adulthood and highlights the potential of visual arts training in promoting cognition and wellbeing.

The death of a family member is one of the life's most emotionally distressing experiences, yet its impact on self-perceptions of aging remains understudied. This study examines the relationship between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging among middle-aged and older adults using data from the 2014-2016 Health and Retirement Study (n = 11,416). Four types of family death (father death, mother death, spousal death, and child death) were analyzed. Linear regression models with Generalized Estimating Equations were estimated to examine the association between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging, as well as the moderation effect of gender. Results indicated that the death of a mother or a spouse is associated with less positive self-perceptions of aging compared to those not bereaved. No significant gender differences were observed in the association between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging. Interventions and support are necessary to help the bereaved navigate the bereavement process and maintain a positive outlook on aging in the face of loss.

This study tests associations between purpose in life and coping, and whether coping mediates the association between purpose and cognitive function. Longitudinal data from the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study were used to investigate associations between purpose at MIDUS I and coping at MIDUS II (N = 2386). Emotion-focused and problem-focused coping were tested as mediators between purpose and cognitive function (memory, executive function, global cognition) at MIDUS III. Higher purpose was associated with more problem-focused and less emotion-focused coping. Coping partially mediated the association between purpose and cognitive function. Emotion-focused coping partially mediated (14.3%) the effect of purpose on cognitive function. Problem-focused coping partially mediated (16.7%) the association of purpose on episodic memory, but not executive function or global cognition. These findings provide new evidence for links between purpose and coping and suggest coping is one mechanism linking purpose with better cognitive function.

With Asia's rapid population aging, intergenerational exchanges between older adults and children are becoming increasingly important for old-age support. However, the relationship between older adults' marital quality and intergenerational support remains underexplored, particularly in multi-ethnic and developing settings. To address this, we examine a subsample of currently married older adults (60+) with at least one child (n = 1575) from Wave 1 (2018) of the Malaysian Aging and Retirement Survey. Using latent class analysis, we identify intergenerational support patterns among older Malaysians. Multinomial logistic regression is employed to investigate how older adults' marital experiences relate to these support patterns. Findings show positive marital experiences are associated with support patterns involving mutual exchange or high receipt of support, while negative marital experiences are linked to patterns characterized by a downward transfer of support to children. Policymakers in developing settings should thus pay more attention to family dynamics when aiming to strengthen intergenerational support.

This study compared equal age groups from two cohorts from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study surveyed at different times to characterize societal changes in measures of subjective age and age threshold. Two successive MIDUS cohorts were utilized (1995-1996 and 2011-2014; age range 25-74). Outcomes included subjective age (felt age and desired age) and age threshold. Following multiple imputations of missing data and balancing methods, weighted linear regression measured associations between subjective age outcomes and cohort, sex, and chronological age. Individuals of the later MIDUS cohort reported older felt age and younger desired age in middle age groups (35-64 years old). An increase in age threshold was observed only in older age groups (65+). Possible underlying historical changes in health and societal age stereotypes are explored to explain the observed trend toward older felt age and age threshold, but a younger desired age.

Romantic relationships significantly impact physical and mental wellbeing. While both partnership history and current relationship quality influence wellbeing in later life, they are seldom investigated together. This study examines the long-term effects of partnership history on wellbeing, exploring whether current relationship quality can mitigate the impact of past experiences. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Finland, we categorize partnership histories and examine if relationship quality mediates their effect on life satisfaction. The analysis identifies five partnership history clusters, revealing that continuous relationships lead to the highest life satisfaction, while unstable histories are linked to lower wellbeing. High relationship satisfaction and fewer conflicts are associated with greater wellbeing for both sexes. Relationship quality mediates the negative associations between unstable partnership histories and subjective wellbeing for both men and women but does not alter the wellbeing associations for those with a continuous partnership history.

Migrating to urban areas profoundly shapes later-life cognitive function. However, it is unclear whether the acquisition of urban citizenship matters in old age and how the rural-urban hukou differences in cognition change over time. In particular, the existing literature has overlooked the need to differentiate between the effects of health selection and urban hukou attainment. To address these gaps, we use data from five waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results indicate that those who have obtained urban hukou through policies have better cognitive outcomes later in life compared to hukou non-converters, and these hukou-related differences grow with age. However, their cognitive abilities are lower when compared to merit-based hukou converters, who exhibit similar trajectories to lifelong urban citizens. These findings encourage not only a further breakdown of the urban-rural segregation structure in China, but more importantly, an improvement in the cognitive reserve of individuals.

The relationship between a parent and child is one of the most enduring relationships over the life course. Older parents may rely on their adult children for support as they age. We leverage data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2018) to assess the dynamics of family exchanges by examining multiple types of parent exchanges and later child behavior in parent-child dyads at the onset of a parent's health limitations. Using logistic regression models, we find overall support for reciprocity, as adult children are more likely to help parents who helped them. We find that co-residence and financial transfers, but not grandchild care and being in the will, are associated with reciprocity, but patterns vary by cohort. More recent cohorts did not apply reciprocity to co-residence or financial transfers. This study highlights the importance of tracking change across time in patterns of intergenerational exchange.

Studies on COVID-19 vaccine uptake often focus on individual characteristics; however, fewer studies have assessed how the characteristics of family members might matter for vaccine decisions. This study employs a "social foreground" perspective to ask how the resources of adult children are associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake among older adult parents. Using data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (N = 8086), we find that having a most-educated child who completes college is positively associated with parents' vaccine uptake when compared to having a most-educated child who did not complete college. This association is driven by respondents who themselves have a high school education or less, supporting resource substitution theory. Findings from this study extend the social foreground perspective to offer new insight into the health behaviors of older adults during pandemics.

Despite the concerted effort to study neighborhoods and their effects, there has been less attention paid to the direct accounts of these processes from residents themselves. This study explores the narratives of older African American women who have aged in place within urban neighborhoods from childhood through later life. Data is utilized from six years of ethnographic observations within two community centers located in Cleveland, Ohio and in-depth, life history interviews with 12 African American women (Mean Age: 72.5). Inductive thematic analysis revealed three themes. These include perceptions related to 1) institutional decline, 2) changes in safety and crime and, 3) changes in neighborhood population. The women's narratives highlight that change is deeply personal. Their perceptions of decline were connected to their biography and how the decline disrupted and re-shaped their daily routines. Studying perceptions of decline is important for better understanding personal experiences of place for under-represented older adults.