scholarly journals Depression and loneliness of older adults in Europe and Israel after the first wave of covid-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefine Atzendorf ◽  
Stefan Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Epidemic Control ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Interaction Terms ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Using Data

AbstractEpidemic control measures that aim to introduce social distancing help to decelerate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their consequences in terms of mental well-being might be negative, especially for older adults. While existing studies mainly focus on the time during the first lockdown, we look at the weeks afterward in order to measure the medium-term consequences of the first wave of the pandemic. Using data from the SHARE Corona Survey, we include retired respondents aged 60 and above from 25 European countries plus Israel. Combining SHARE data with macro-data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker allows us to include macro-indicators at the country level, namely the number of deaths per 100,000 and the number of days with stringent epidemic control measures, in addition to individual characteristics. The findings show that both macro-indicators are influential for increased feelings of sadness/depression, but that individual factors are crucial for explaining increased feelings of loneliness in the time after the first lockdown. Models with interaction terms reveal that the included macro-indicators have negative well-being consequences, particularly for the oldest survey participants. Additionally, the results reveal that especially those living alone had a higher risk for increased loneliness in the time after the first COVID-19 wave.

scholarly journals HOUSING COSTS BURDEN AND SELF-RATED HEALTH: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A U.S. SAMPLE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S938-S938
Author(s):  
Ji Hyang Cheon ◽  
John Cagle ◽  
Amanda Lehning
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Housing Cost ◽  
Cost Burden ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Housing Cost Burden ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Self-rated health is a multidimensional construct that includes not only physical health but also emotional and social well-being. Previous research has demonstrated that multiple factors contribute to individual self-rated health, including income. Because income is a somewhat limited indicator of older adults' financial circumstances, alternative measures such as housing cost burden may enhance our understanding of contributors to self-rated health. Further, because homeowners and renters may have a different attachment to their home and neighborhood, homeownership may moderate the association between housing cost burden and self-rated health. This study examined these relationships using data from 3,212 older adults in round 7 (2017) of the National Health & Aging Trends Study. Findings from multiple linear regression models indicate that the housing cost burden is associated with lower self-rated health, and this association is stronger for renters compared to homeowners. The findings indicate the potential for reduced housing cost burden to have a positive effect on health. The poster will conclude with practice and policy implications, including the potential benefits of expanding rental assistance programs to older adults who may not meet current income requirements but are experiencing high housing cost burden, as well as research implications, including the need for longitudinal approaches.

Marital Quality and Well-Being Among Older Adults: A Typology of Supportive, Aversive, Indifferent, and Ambivalent Marriages

2020 ◽  
pp. 016402752096914
Author(s):  
Yingling Liu ◽  
Laura Upenieks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Multiple Indicators ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Synergistic Relationship

A large body of work has linked marital quality to the health and well-being of older adults, but there is a lack of agreement on how to best measure dimensions of marital quality. Drawing on a stress-process life course perspective, we construct a typology of marriage type that captures the synergistic relationship between positive and negative marital qualities and health. Using data from Wave 1 (2005/2006) and Wave 2 (2010/2011) of the NSHAP survey from the United States, we examine the association between supportive, aversive, ambivalent, and indifferent marriages for older adults that remained married over the study period on multiple indicators of well-being (depression, happiness, and self-rated health; N = 769 males and 461 females). Results suggest that older adults in aversive marriages reported lower happiness (men and women) and physical health (men). There was less evidence that those in ambivalent and indifferent marriages reported worse well-being.

Impact of Savoring Ability on the Relationship Between Older Adults’ Activity Engagement and Well-Being

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Smith ◽  
Joseph G. Bihary ◽  
Dugan O’Connor ◽  
Ajla Basic ◽  
Catherine J. O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Moderating Factors ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between activity engagement and well-being can vary based on individual characteristics, and it is important to identify moderating factors to support the development and implementation of aging services. The current study examined whether the relationship between activity engagement and well-being depends on older adults’ savoring ability, that is, the ability to attend to positive experiences and to engage in emotion regulation strategies to enhance positive feelings during those experiences. A total of 5,128 older adults ( Mage = 83.86 years) completed measures of activity engagement, savoring, and well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, depression, loneliness, purpose, and health). Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that activity engagement and savoring independently predicted better functioning across all well-being measures. However, savoring moderated the relationship between activity engagement and four well-being measures (life satisfaction, depression, loneliness, and purpose). Findings suggest that older adults with low activity engagement may particularly benefit from savoring-skills training to enhance their psychological well-being.

The psychosocial sources of sexual interest in older couples

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Iveniuk ◽  
Linda J. Waite
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sex Characteristics ◽  
Large Network ◽  
Older Couples ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Sexual activity with one’s partner is an important component of well-being and is linked to physical, emotional, and cognitive health. However, it is unclear why some older adults are more interested in sex and some less so. Their own characteristics, those of their partner, and characteristics of the relationship may all be important. We define sexual interest as consisting both of the motivation to seek sex with a partner and willingness to have sex when asked. We measure this construct using data from both members of 953 couples in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. We focus in this article on the impact of psychological and social factors on older adults’ interest in sex, as well as the impact of their partners’ characteristics on their own interest in sex. We find that individuals with high perceived positive marital quality, a more positive and open personality, a large network of family, and better physical health showed greater interest in sex. Characteristics of their partner generally had little association with sexual interest.

scholarly journals Partner Care Arrangements and Older Europeans' Well-Being: Variations by Gender and Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 392-393
Author(s):  
Nekehia Quashie ◽  
Karen Glaser ◽  
Martina Brandt ◽  
Ginevra Floridi
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Informal Providers ◽  
Share Data ◽  
European Women ◽  
Older Europeans

Abstract Across Europe, partners are often primary caregivers to older adults with care needs. Yet, a variety of partner care arrangements may arise. Little is known about the interrelations between partners’ care arrangements, (potential) caregivers’ gender, and the context in which care is embedded. We use 2015 SHARE data from 17 countries on 3,465 couples aged 50+ where one partner receives care. We examine how life satisfaction and depressive symptoms of (potential) caregivers vary across five care arrangements: solo-care; shared formal; shared informal; outsourced formal; and outsourced informal. We explore heterogeneity by gender and across four contexts: Northern, Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Outsourcing partners’ care to formal or informal providers is linked with higher well-being among Northern and Western European women, but with lower well-being among women in Southern Europe, where traditional female caregiving responsibilities are stronger. Among men, outsourcing partner care is linked to higher well-being regardless of context.

scholarly journals Perceptions of an Insufficient Government Response at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic are Associated with Lower Mental Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiemo Fetzer ◽  
Marc Witte ◽  
Lukas Hensel ◽  
Jon Jachimowicz ◽  
Johannes Haushofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Variation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The World ◽  
Large Scale Survey ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mental Well Being

We conducted a large-scale survey covering 58 countries (N = 108,075) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—between March 20th and April 7th 2020—to explore how beliefs about citizens’ and government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actions taken by governments, affected mental well-being. Our analyses reveal three findings. First, many respondents indicate that their country’s citizens and government’s response was insufficient. Second, respondents’ perception of an insufficient public and government response was associated with lower mental well-being. Third, we exploit time variation in country-level lockdown announcements, both around the world and through an event-study in the UK, and find that strong government actions—i.e., announcing a nationwide lockdown—were related to an improvement in respondents’ views of their fellow citizens and government, and to better mental well-being. These findings suggest that policy-makers may not only need to consider how their decisions affect the spread of COVID-19, but also how such choices influence the mental well-being of their population.

scholarly journals Healthy, Wealthy, Wise, and Happy? Assessing Age Differences in Evaluative and Emotional Well-Being Among Mature Adults from Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clémence Kieny ◽  
Gabriela Flores ◽  
Michael Ingenhaag ◽  
Jürgen Maurer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Mature Adults ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Life Circumstances ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract This study assesses the relationship between age and two dimensions of subjective well-being—evaluative and emotional—among mature adults from five low-and middle-income countries. We use data from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health to contrast the associations of age with subjective well-being when controlling only for gender with the corresponding partial associations when including a richer set of covariates. Adjusting only for gender, we find negative associations of age with evaluative well-being, while the corresponding age gradients for emotional well-being are relatively flat. By contrast, adjusting for further socio-demographic factors results in positive associations of age with both evaluative and emotional well-being. Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions allow us to explore the roles of two factors to account for any unadjusted age differences in subjective well-being: age-group differences in individual characteristics and life circumstances, and age-specific associations of individual characteristics and life circumstances with subjective well-being. While adverse circumstances such as poor health and low income contribute to lower levels of evaluative well-being among older adults, age per se is—ceteris paribus—positively associated with subjective well-being. Even in poorer countries, older age does not need to be a time of low subjective well-being. Policies aimed at preserving income and limiting or compensating old-age disability appear to be key for maintaining subjective well-being among older adults.

scholarly journals PREPARATION FOR FUTURE IN OLD AGE: WHY AND WHY NOT?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S749-S749
Author(s):  
Helene H Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Using Data

Abstract With population aging, many people can expect to spend 30 or more years in old age. The five papers included in this symposium aim at shedding light on whether and how to make plans for old age, using data from the “Aging as Future” Project. First, Park and Hess used data spanning across adulthood from Germany, Hong Kong and the USA to examine how changes experienced in domains of functioning and the importance attached to these domains influenced preparations for old age. Next, de Paula Couto and Rothermund, examining Germans aged 40-90 years, pointed out that prescriptive age stereotypes might be the main drive for why people make preparations for age-related changes. The remaining three papers use qualitative data to qualify the above quantitative findings. Adamson and Ekerdt interviewed older Midwest US residents. They observed that SES greatly impacted how older adults perceived and made plans for their future. The final two papers examined how rural vs. urban contexts might affect preparations for future. Liou interviewed older adults in rural Tainan and found that their ideal old age was one about no future preparation, at least not about making plans for themselves (called “tranquil life”). Ho and colleagues, in contrast, found that for older Chinese residing in urban Hong Kong, not preparing for the future (called “time freeze”) was negatively related to physical and psychological well-being. The symposium will end with an overall discussion on future research directions on whether and how to make plans for old age.

Abstract P311: Individual Characteristics of Resilience Are Associated With Lower-Than-Expected Neighborhood Rates of Cardiovascular Disease in African-Americans: Results From the Morehouse-Emory Cardiovascular (MECA) Center for Health Equity Study

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew L Topel ◽  
Junjun Xu ◽  
Peter Baltrus ◽  
Viola Vaccarino ◽  
Mahasin S Mujahid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Neighborhood Quality ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Cv Disease

Background: Excess rates of cardiovascular (CV) disease in African-Americans, relative to Whites, have been well-documented. However, factors promoting CV health in the face of high risk, i.e. CV resilience, are unknown and may identify novel areas for intervention in reducing racial health disparities. Methods: Using data obtained from the Georgia Hospital Association, we identified age-, sex-, and income-matched neighborhoods (census tracts) in Atlanta, GA, with higher-than-expected (“high risk") or lower-than-expected (“low risk") rates of CV morbidity and mortality for African-Americans from 2010-2014. African-Americans from low risk (N = 742) and high risk (N = 753) neighborhoods were surveyed. Several domains of psychosocial well-being and neighborhood quality were assessed as features of resilience, in addition to individual demographic, socioeconomic and medical history variables. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine odds of resilient characteristics among individuals living in neighborhoods at low versus high risk. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, household income, education, marital status and occupation, African-Americans living in low compared to high risk neighborhoods reported better overall neighborhood quality (odds ratio [OR] 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01, 1.57), driven by better aesthetic quality (OR 1.42; CI 1.17, 1.73), more safety (OR 1.34; CI 1.10, 1.62), absence of violence (OR 1.42; CI 1.10, 1.83) and better access to healthy foods (OR 1.50; CI 1.24, 1.82). Additionally, individuals from low compared to high risk neighborhoods reported greater environmental mastery (OR 1.33; CI 1.03, 1.71), purpose in life (OR 1.22, CI 1.01, 1.48), optimism (OR 1.28; CI 1.05, 1.55) and resilient coping (OR 1.33; CI 1.04, 1.70), while also reporting less depressive symptoms (OR 0.78; CI 0.63, 0.98). There were no reported differences in CV risk factors or disease, religious practices, spirituality or experiences of discrimination between low and high risk neighborhoods. Conclusions: African-Americans living in neighborhoods at lower risk for CVD morbidity and mortality reported better neighborhood quality and psychosocial well-being than individuals from neighborhoods at higher risk. Neighborhood and personal psychosocial determinants of health may confer resilience to CVD in African-American individuals and communities.

Covid-19 and Older Adults: The Paradox of Control Measures

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-305
Author(s):  
Anthony Obinna Iwuagwu ◽  
Christopher Ndubuisi Ngwu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
The World

It is no longer news that Covid-19 pandemic has become a major public health issue around the world and affected day to day activities of public life. Medical experts around the world were overwhelmed by the Covid-19 virus outbreak and for a long time were unable to provide a vaccine or any pharmaceutical treatment. Countries were therefore forced to adopt unprecedented Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures to mitigate the spread and impact of the virus. These measures which are non-pharmacological includes, social distancing, social isolation, lockdown, constant washing of hands, wearing of face mask and protective gloves etc. However, these measures aimed at protecting the health care systems, have had some side effects on the health and well-being of older adults. In this letter, we have highlighted social distancing as the main challenge and a paradox for older peoples wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. The merits of the IPC measures notwithstanding, its long and short term consequences for the mental health of older adults calls for concern. Among other recommendations, professionals of ageing and geriatrics are recommended to help set a balance in IPC measures and mental health of older people in this Covid-19 era.

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