Research on Aging最新文献

With few exceptions, a vast literature on religion and well-being in later life has largely ignored outcomes of loneliness. The current study considers how changes in religiosity and formal religious participation over time associate with loneliness, and whether there are age differences in how this process unfold. Using data from the first two waves (2005-2006, 2010-2011) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) from the United States, results suggest that consistent religious attendance was associated with lower loneliness, while decreases in attendance were associated with higher loneliness. The association between stable high religious attendance and loneliness was stronger for older cohorts of older adults (65-74, and 75+ years of age). We found no such patterns for religious integration in daily life. We discuss the implications for church communities and family and friends of older adults and provide insights for addressing loneliness as a public health problem.

Early schooling plays an important role in shaping cognitive development. This study explored benefits of cognitive functioning in later life related to attending diverse schools in early life. Specifically, we explored the effects of having attended schools composed primarily of different race peers-race discordant schools (RDS)-among Black and White older adults. Using retrospective and prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined the association between RDS exposure and two measures of cognitive function (working memory, episodic memory) at age 55 and at age 70. We found that RDS exposed Blacks experienced significant benefits in cognitive function at age 55 and at age 70. In general, RDS exposed Whites did not experience cognitive benefits or deficits. Results suggest that exposure to more racially diverse school environments provides potentially beneficial effects for cognitive function, particularly in later phases of the life course.

Policies and services to support informal caregivers vary considerably across countries. This paper examines the role of caregivers and how perspectives on that role may influence the availability of benefits and services in three countries that differ considerably in their care systems - Sweden, Ireland and the United States. We developed a nine-dimensional framework for examining differences, including policies and how the role of caregiver is conceptualized. We found differences in the three countries in how services are organized, which reflected assumptions about the caregiver role. There were also similarities in the three countries. Caregivers held an ambiguous position within each social system and there was little concern for equity in the delivery of support services. Increased clarity about the role of caregivers may facilitate development of policies that more effectively meet their varied needs.

Using data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 3864), we examined the relationship between proximity to aging parents and depression among middle-aged (45-64 years) married individuals in China. Our study depicted and explained the declining coresident rate and showed a majority of adult children live separately from their parents. Children living in different households had higher levels of depression than coresident children, including those living adjacently. Furthermore, having a coresident spouse increased the levels of depression of sons living in an adjacent dwelling and in the same city, and reduced the levels of depression of daughters living farther away. More intergenerational economic support increased the levels of depression of daughters living in an adjacent dwelling. These findings may offer a reference for married adult children to reconstruct intergenerational proximity and adjust intergenerational relations.

Objectives: We analyzed whether marital status and experiences of marital loss or gain were associated with self-perceptions of aging (SPA), a major psychosocial mechanism of healthy aging.

Method: We used data from 7028 participants of the Health and Retirement Study. Participants reported their marital status and their positive and negative SPA on two occasions 4 years apart. We ran general linear models to analyze differences in SPA between men and women who remained married, became divorced or widowed, or remarried following divorce or widowhood.

Results: Participants who experienced marital loss had lower positive SPA than participants who remained marred. Participants who experienced marital gain had lower negative SPA than participants who remained married. None of the associations differed between men and women.

Discussion: Results suggest that it may not be marital status itself, but rather the transition into or out of marriage, that impacts how people appraise their own aging.

Objective: Globally, the oldest-old population is growing rapidly. Little is known about the perceived well-being of the community-dwelling oldest-old, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the oldest-old's perceptions of aging well and the COVID-related impacts on them.

Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 22 adults aged 85 or above were conducted with purposive sampling methods. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Four main themes emerged: 1) sustaining functional ability; 2) staying active with a positive attitude; 3) feeling grateful for support from society and family; 4) COVID-19-related anxieties and policies destabilizing their well-being.

Discussion: This study provides direct evidence from the oldest-old on how they maintained their well-being. While they valued support from society and family, COVID-19-related measures disturbed their routines and prevented them from self-attaining well-being. The findings should be considered when developing interventions for this vulnerable group.

Increasing numbers of older workers continue to work after being eligible to claim a state pension, yet little is known about the quality of these jobs. We examine how psychosocial and physical job quality as well as job satisfaction vary over the late career in three contrasting national settings: Sweden, Japan and the United States. Analyses using random effects modelling drew on data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (n = 13,936-15,520), Japanese Study of Ageing and Retirement (n = 3704) and the Health and Retirement Study (n = 6239 and 8002). Age was modelled with spline functions in which two knots were placed at ages indicating eligibility for pensions claiming or mandatory retirement. In each country, post-pensionable-age jobs were generally less stressful, freer and more satisfying than jobs held by younger workers, results that held irrespective of gender or education level.

The social participation of older adults occupies a central position in international discourse regarding ageing, the ecological model makes it possible to examine and assess the different factors that influence the understanding of what encourages social participation by older adults. This study used the ecological model to analyse how personal, community and environmental factors are related to satisfaction with social participation among Chilean older adults, a majority of whom are indigenous, living in rural areas (n = 800). The results confirmed that satisfaction with social participation was related to personal factors (feelings of depression, functioning into basic activities of daily living (ADL) and autonomy), community factors (perceived social support from social group) and environmental factors (accessibility of physical setting within the village). Our findings confirmed a high level of social participation among indigenous adults, with rural and indigenous surroundings appearing to be a factor that protects and promotes social integration.

Objectives: Childhood abuse has been linked to problematic familial relationships in adulthood; however, it remains unclear what factors buffer the association. Mindfulness research has demonstrated promise in improving relationships among adults abused during childhood, but research has focused on couples, with fewer studies examining familial relationships.

Methods: Using a data sample of 2430 adults from the Midlife Development in the United States, the current study examined mindfulness as a moderator of childhood abuse and familial support and strain in adults.

Results: Analysis of hierarchical regression revealed that mindfulness was a moderator of childhood abuse and family strain over a 10-year period in women, but not men. However, mindfulness did not moderate childhood abuse and support.

Discussion: This examination of mindfulness in the context of familial relationships may help women more successfully manage negative familial interactions. Results indicate mindfulness-based interventions may be helpful in improving familial relationships among adults abused by family members in childhood.