scholarly journals How do personality traits manifest in daily life of older adults?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Lindner ◽  
Damaris Aschwanden ◽  
Johannes Zimmermann ◽  
Mathias Allemand
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Relative Stability ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Assessment Study ◽  
And Behaviors

AbstractThe present study examined how personality traits manifest in daily life of older adults and distinguished between the manifestations of experiences and behaviors. We used data from an ambulatory assessment study over 10 days with assessments of trait-related experiences and behaviors obtained from 136 older adults aged between 60 and 91 years (41.2% male; M = 70.45 years). Multilevel models revealed that on average, 61.2% of variance in trait-related experiences and 39.6% of variance in behaviors were due to consistent differences between persons. Older adults were rather variable and diverse in their trait manifestations, while they also showed relative stability in trait manifestations. Across older age, some age effects for trait manifestations were found. Moreover, within-person variation of experiences and behaviors showed, with one exception, joint fluctuations in daily life. The findings portray a nuanced picture of trait manifestations in older adulthood. The findings complement the literature on within-person variability in older adulthood and might encourage further studies from a within-person perspective to better understand how older adults navigate through daily life.

scholarly journals Daily Social Interactions as a Route to Purposeful Days in Older Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 214-214
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Pfund ◽  
Mathias Allemand ◽  
Matthias Hofer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Reduced Risk

Abstract Sense of purpose predicts slower cognitive decline, reduced risk for health issues, and greater longevity (Pfund & Lewis, 2020). However, work is limited regarding how we can help older adults maintain purposefulness in daily life. The current study explored positive daily social interactions as a route to daily purposefulness in older adults, using a measurement burst design. Older adults completed surveys for five-day bursts spread six months apart (Mean age = 70.75, SD = 7.23; n = 104). Multilevel models demonstrated that on days when individuals reported more positive social interactions, they reported feeling more purposeful (b = 0.39, 95% CI [0.28, 0.51]) when accounting for health, employment, and relationship status. Employment status moderated this association, as daily social interactions were more strongly associated with daily purpose for unemployed/retired individuals (b = -0.23, 95% CI [-0.38, -0.08]). Positive social interactions thus may help older adults maintain purposefulness, particularly after retirement.

scholarly journals How Is Daily Social Interaction Related to Loneliness in Older Adults? The Roles of Trait Loneliness and Personality

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 461-462
Author(s):  
Ruixue Zhaoyang ◽  
Stacey Scott ◽  
Karra Harrington ◽  
Martin Sliwinski
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
The Past ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Loneliness is prevalent among older adults and is associated with increased risks for morbidity and mortality. This study examined what types of social interactions could reduce loneliness for older adults and who would benefit the most from social interactions. We used data from 312 community-dwelling older adults (aged 70 to 90 years) who completed ecological momentary assessments (EMA) five times a day for 16 consecutive days using smartphones (n=20,507 reports), as part of the ongoing Einstein Aging Study (EAS). At each EMA, participants reported their social interactions in the past 3 to 4 hours and their current feelings of loneliness. Results from multilevel models revealed that older adults reported lower levels of loneliness on occasions when they had pleasant social interactions (p<.000) or interactions with family (p=.001) in the past few hours, compared with occasions when they had no social interaction. In contrast, they reported higher levels of loneliness if they had unpleasant social interactions in the past few hours (p=.004). These within-person (WP) effects of social interactions on momentary loneliness were significantly moderated by participants’ trait levels of loneliness and neuroticism; and were significantly stronger among those with higher (vs. lower) trait loneliness (ps <.001) or neuroticism (ps <.042). Other personality traits (Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness) did not moderate any WP association. These results highlight the importance of having pleasant social interactions and frequent interactions with family for reducing older adults’ loneliness in daily life, especially for those higher in trait loneliness and neuroticism.

Daily Physical Activity in Older Age

GeroPsych ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lea O. Wilhelm ◽  
Theresa Pauly ◽  
Maureen C. Ashe ◽  
Christiane A. Hoppmann
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Fear Of Falling ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Daily Physical Activity ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Subjective Experiences

Abstract. Affective barriers like negative affect (time-varying subjective state) or fear of falling (person-trait) may reduce daily physical activity among older adults. A group of 123 community-dwelling older adults ( Mage = 71.83, range = 64–85, 63% women) from Canada participated in a 10-day time-sampling study. We used accelerometer-assessed physical activity, assessing negative affect three times per day and fear of falling once prior to the 10-day period. Using multilevel models, we noted considerable variability in physical activity between days (activity counts: 47%; steps: 55%). We found time-varying negative associations between daily physical activity and daily negative affect. Fear of falling was not related to daily physical activity. Findings point to the merit of examining time-varying differences in subjective experiences when looking for physical activity barriers in older age.

scholarly journals Awareness of Balance as an Intraindividual Dynamic of Objective and Subjective Experiences of Fall Risk in Daily Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 287-287
Author(s):  
Tai-Te Su ◽  
Aileen Griffin ◽  
Faith Washington ◽  
Jason Fanning ◽  
Jacob Sosnoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Risk Measures ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Balance Confidence ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Falls are life-changing events in older adulthood. With an accurate understanding of balance, older adults can adapt to age-related changes in physical ability without prematurely restricting physical activity. The Daily Balance Project examines the implications of older adults’ awareness of fall risk in daily life. For 30-consecutive days, following a fall-risk assessment, 40 older adults used a smartphone to report balance confidence and then perform four balance assessment and a 30-second sit-to-stand task to measure postural sway and fall-risk. Measures of postural sway showed greater intraindividual variability than balance confidence and fall risk. Multilevel models showed that awareness of balance fluctuated during the study and varied across individual differences in baseline fall-risk. Baseline fall risk also differentiated how balance confidence and postural sway were linked to subsequent momentary fall risk assessments. The findings are discussed within the framework of action-perspectives of adult development and awareness of aging.

Gender Differences in Motor Performance in Early Childhood and Later Adulthood

1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonya Toole ◽  
Judith C. Kretzschmar
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
Hand Eye Coordination

The purposes of this review article are to: 1) present empirical studies which have compared the development of motor skills for boys and girls in the early childhood years, 2) present studies which have made gender comparisons for similar and related motor skills for older adults, and 3) make comparisons between the younger and older age group literature in terms of gender and causal factors contributing to gender differences. It was concluded that: 1) young boys and older men are superior to young girls and older women in power-dependent skills. Biological and environmental factors were discussed as they relate to gender differences in one power-dependent skill, throwing, throughout the life-span, and 2) young girls excel at hopping, skipping, hand-eye coordination, limb and body control, and balance tasks compared to young boys. Of these tasks, balance and hand-eye coordination are the only skills which are typically measured for young children and older adults. For balance in older age, the results are equivocal but suggestions were made for understanding why women may have lost their performance advantage in older adulthood. For hand-eye coordination, women are not clearly better than men as they were in youth. Reasons for life-span changes are suggested.

scholarly journals Daily Cognitive Difficulties and Social Experiences Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 697-697
Author(s):  
Ruixue Zhaoyang ◽  
Jacqueline Mogle ◽  
Karra Harrington ◽  
Martin Sliwinski
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cognitive Difficulties

Abstract Self-reported cognitive difficulties are common in older adults and may be an early indicator of future cognitive decline or dementia. In past retrospective reports, cognitive difficulties have been linked with differences in social engagement or social relationships among older adults. However, little is known about how self-reported cognitive difficulties in daily life, such as memory lapses, relate to older adults’ daily social experiences. This study examined how self-reported cognitive difficulties were related to older adults’ daily social interactions and loneliness. Data were drawn from 312 community-dwelling older adults (aged 70 to 90 years) who reported their social interactions and loneliness throughout the day (five times) as well as cognitive difficulties (e.g., memory lapses, problems with attention) at the end of each day for 14 days. Multilevel models revealed that participants reported fewer memory lapses on days when they reported more frequent interactions with family members (p=.041). Higher levels of disruptions to daily activities caused by cognitive difficulties, in turn, predicted higher levels of loneliness the next day (p=.006), but not changes in social interactions the next day. At the between-person level, more memory lapses in daily life were associated with less frequent social interactions with friends, but more frequent unpleasant social interactions and higher levels of loneliness on average. These results suggest that older adults’ self-reported cognitive difficulties were dynamically associated with their social interactions and loneliness at the daily level and played an important role in older adults’ social life and well-being.

Challenges and Developments in the Assessment of (Mal)adaptive Personality and Pathological States in Older Adults

Assessment ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Rossi ◽  
Arjan Videler ◽  
S. P. J. van Alphen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Clinical Assessment ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Atypical Presentation ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Valid Assessment ◽  
The Way

Since older adults often show an atypical presentation of (mal)adaptive personality traits and pathological states, the articles in this special issue will concisely discuss some perennial issues in clinical assessment in older adults and thus outline the main challenges this domain faces. By bringing empirical work and meta-analytic studies from leading scholars in the field of geropsychology, the articles will also address these challenges by reporting the latest developments in the field. This way, we hope to reshape the way clinicians and researchers assess (mal)adaptive personality and pathological states in older adults into a more reliable and valid assessment method that integrates the specific biopsychosocial context of older age.

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