Research on Aging最新文献

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.

Millions worldwide suffer from sleep problems and dementia, yet effective treatments and predictions remain elusive. As populations age, these issues become increasingly critical for public health. While strong associations between sleep quality, cognitive functioning, and mortality are well-documented, the mechanisms underlying sleep's role in cognitive status and life expectancy (LE) across different cognitive states remain unclear. This study used multistate life tables and data from the Health and Retirement Study (2002-2020, N = 20,683), to quantify long-term associations between sleep and cognition/mortality for older adults. Our results show that poorer sleep quality is linked to 1.0 to 2.4 fewer years of total LE and LE with normal cognition for men and women. This study highlights the complex interplay between sleep, cognitive aging, and gender and underscores the importance of addressing sleep issues to promote healthy cognitive aging with important implications for public health policies and interventions targeting cognitive decline and dementia.

This study examines life courses and retirement adjustment in the Netherlands. Gender-split latent class analyses identify four distinct trajectories among men and women, covering life events in work, family, health, care, and volunteering. The largest trajectories indicate traditional male and female life courses. Compared to those with traditional male trajectories, men with lifelong volunteering adjust better to retirement, financially, socially, and psychologically. Despite family and health issues, men making careers through mobility miss the prestige of work less, but men with late-career mobility are similar to the reference group. Women combining work with care and volunteering adjust better to retirement, missing work-related income, prestige, and role fulfillment less, while work-oriented carers do not differ from women with traditional female trajectories. However, mothers re-entering employment after childcare face financial challenges in retirement. These findings highlight gender differences in life courses and support the dynamic resource perspective on retirement adjustment.

Despite frequent familial visits, loneliness remains high among long-term care (LTC) residents. Existing research on LTC visitation fails to distinguish care coordination from social visitation. These forms of interaction may have distinct barriers of engagement and impacts on residents. This study aimed to investigate barriers of care coordination versus social visitation. Participants were adults (N = 175) with a close friend or relative residing in a LTC facility. Participants were recruited via ResearchMatch and completed an online survey regarding their visitation in LTC facilities and relationship with the resident. Overall, care coordination and social visitation were distinct forms of visitation with contrasting predictors. Participants involved in LTC choice were significantly more involved in care coordination versus social visitation. Participants who were primary caregivers and closer to the LTC resident demonstrated significantly greater care coordination and social visitation. These findings provide preliminary evidence there are distinct barriers for care coordination versus social visitation.

Neighborhood socioeconomic status is linked to risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, but studies utilizing latent variable methods to clarify how built and social environment resources may relate to cognitive outcomes are limited. We applied exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to data from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 17,642) to derive built and social environment resource factors and then examined associations with memory using structural equation modeling. Results revealed greater built and social environment resources were associated with better memory performance. Effects were modified by race/ethnicity such that environmental resource factors were more robustly associated with memory among non-Latino White compared to non-Latino Black and Latino participants. Results highlight that the presence of built and social environmental resources may support memory functioning, but disparities in the distribution of these resources must be addressed to ensure benefits are conferred equally across racial/ethnic groups.

As global populations age, identifying modifiable factors to enhance later-life well-being is vital. Self-perceptions of ageing (SPA), internalised beliefs about one's ageing, may shape psychological well-being (PWB). We synthesised 33 studies (n = 43,556). Random-effects models showed that more positive SPA related to higher PWB (pooled r = .35; I² ≈ 89%). By domain: hedonic r = .24 (95% CI .09-.37); eudaimonic/relational r = .26 (95% CI -.50-.80; small k); self-evaluation r = .07 (95% CI -.41-.53); mental ill-health r = .21 (95% CI -.05-.44). Because higher mental-illness scores denote worse outcomes, the positive coefficient indicates an inverse relation (more positive SPA, less distress). Univariable moderators suggested stronger effects in Europe, larger SPA-hedonic associations with higher sample % married, and larger self-evaluation effects in longitudinal designs; none remained significant in the multivariable model. Findings position SPA as a culturally sensitive target for improving later-life well-being.

A growing body of research suggests that the early-life family environment plays a critical role in shaping cognitive health in later life. However, limited attention has been given to the quality of parent-child relationships and the psychosocial mechanisms that may underlie this association. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979-2020), this study examines how positive and negative parent-child relationships during childhood influence later-life cognitive health. Findings indicate that parental love and affection in childhood are linked to better self-rated memory, while negative parental relationships are associated with worse memory outcomes in later life. Moreover, self-esteem and sense of control in adulthood partially mediate these associations. These results highlight the lasting impact of early parent-child relationships on subjective cognitive health and underscore the importance of nurturing positive family dynamics to support cognitive well-being in older adulthood.

As a modifiable social determinant of health, housing conditions present an opportunity to promote healthy aging. This study investigated the relationship between housing condition changes and health among Chinese. Participants from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (aged 45+, N = 8,423) reported their housing conditions in 2011-2013 and their lung function, mobility limitations, and depressive symptoms were measured in 2013-2018. Regression models with interaction terms were used. Individuals living in homes with better physical environments (e.g., barrier-free facilities) and more utilities (e.g., water, electricity) reported lower risk of mobility limitations and depressive symptoms. Home improvement in utilities lowered the risk of mobility limitations, especially among individuals living in homes with no or few utilities. Many Chinese older adults resided in homes lacking aging-friendly amenities, which was associated with worse physical and mental health. Enhancing home utilities could modify the negative impact of poor housing on physical health.

To identify strategies and supports to enhance retention and reduce turnover of personal care workers in residential aged care. Interviews were conducted from August 2023 to September 2024 with 20 former personal care workers who had worked in residential aged care. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five major themes were identified: (1) managers who engage with residents, (2) managers who value, recognize and support personal support workers, (3) comprehensive onboarding and continuing training programs, (4) strengthening the workforce and working arrangements, and (5) inclusive, collaborative and respectful work culture. Persistent workforce shortages in residential aged care underscore the need for targeted strategies and supports to retain staff. The findings of this study illustrate strategies and supports to promote personal care worker retention, offering practical guidance for further consideration by residential aged care operators, policymakers, and researchers.

Germany's division into the GDR (East) and FRG (West) in 1946, and subsequent reunification in 1989, had lasting impacts on individual life courses. While East-West differentials in physical health and mortality have been well-studied, cognitive health differences remain underexplored. This study examines cognitive trajectories among individuals living in the GDR and FRG, focusing on exposure duration and age at reunification. We find that former GDR residents perform better in memory, verbal fluency, numeracy, and orientation. Cognitive advantages for East Germans are most pronounced among individuals who experienced reunification in their twenties, suggesting a critical period during young adulthood. In contrast, West Germans who experienced reunification in their forties show relative disadvantages. No significant differences are observed among those near retirement age at the time of reunification. These findings contribute to understanding how political regimes shape cognitive aging and highlight the long-term effects of sociopolitical contexts on aging processes.