Willingness to Participate in Health Research Among Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Does Race/Ethnicity Matter?

Driver training has the potential to keep older adults safe behind-the-wheel for longer, yet there is limited evidence describing factors that influence their willingness to participate in training. Focus groups with community-dwelling older drivers ( n = 23; 70–90 years) and semi-structured interviews with driving instructors ( n = 6) and occupational therapists ( n = 5) were conducted to identify these factors. Qualitative descriptive analyses highlighted how self-awareness of behind-the-wheel abilities in later life can influence an older adult’s motivation to participate in driver training, as well as their willingness to discuss their behaviors. Collision-involvement and near-misses prompted participants to reflect on their driving abilities and their openness to feedback. Participants’ preferences for learning contexts that use a strengths-based approach and validate the driving experience of older drivers, while providing feedback on behind-the-wheel performance, were raised. Older driver training initiatives that consider the needs of the aging population in their design can promote road safety and community mobility.

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Binge Drinking and Axis I Psychiatric Disorders in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry ◽

10.4088/jcp.10m06207gry ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 72 (05) ◽

pp. 640-647 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Kee-Lee Chou ◽

Kun Liang ◽

Corey S. Mackenzie

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Axis I

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Operational definitions of sarcopenia and their associations with 5-year changes in falls risk in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults

Osteoporosis International ◽

10.1007/s00198-013-2431-5 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 187-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

D. Scott ◽

A. Hayes ◽

K. M. Sanders ◽

D. Aitken ◽

P. R. Ebeling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Falls Risk

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Neurocognitive markers of passive suicidal ideation in late-life depression

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610220003610 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Joshua T. Jordan ◽

Christina F. Chick ◽

Camarin E. Rolle ◽

Nathan Hantke ◽

Christine E. Gould ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Early Stage ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Inhibitory Ability

ABSTRACT Objectives: (1) To delineate whether cognitive flexibility and inhibitory ability are neurocognitive markers of passive suicidal ideation (PSI), an early stage of suicide risk in depression and (2) to determine whether PSI is associated with volumetric differences in regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in middle-aged and older adults with depression. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: University medical school. Participants: Forty community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults with depression from a larger study of depression and anxiety (NIMH R01 MH091342-05 PI: O’Hara). Measurements: Psychiatric measures were assessed for the presence of a DSM-5 depressive disorder and PSI. A neurocognitive battery assessed cognitive flexibility, inhibitory ability, as well as other neurocognitive domains. Results: The PSI group (n = 18) performed significantly worse on cognitive flexibility and inhibitory ability, but not on other neurocognitive tasks, compared to the group without PSI (n = 22). The group with PSI had larger left mid-frontal gyri (MFG) than the no-PSI group. There was no association between cognitive flexibility/inhibitory ability and left MFG volume. Conclusions: Findings implicate a neurocognitive signature of PSI: poorer cognitive flexibility and poor inhibitory ability not better accounted for by other domains of cognitive dysfunction and not associated with volumetric differences in the left MFG. This suggests that there are two specific but independent risk factors of PSI in middle- and older-aged adults.

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Age Moderates Perceived COVID-19 Disruption on Well-Being

The Gerontologist ◽

10.1093/geront/gnaa106 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amy Knepple Carney ◽

Allyson S Graf ◽

Grace Hudson ◽

Ellen Wilson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Large Scale ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Age Related ◽

Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives It is not fully understood how large-scale events affect well-being. Older adults showed the highest levels of resilience following the September 11th (9/11) terrorist attacks, but during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, there were no age-related differences in well-being. The current study examined the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disruption on well-being throughout adulthood. Research Design and Methods Perceived stress and affect were examined in 166 community-dwelling adults (Mage = 35.65; SD = 15.53; range = 18–79) in relation to the perceived disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic to their lives. Results A significant moderation was found for age and COVID-19 disruption on perceived stress [F(5, 153) = 8.88, p < .05, R2 = .22] and negative affect [F(5, 154) = 4.91, p < .05, R2 = .14], but not for positive affect. For participants over 50, those who rated COVID-19 as a low or high disruption had similar scores on stress and negative affect, but with younger aged participants, perceiving high disruption corresponded with higher levels of stress and negative affect. Discussion and Implications Findings are consistent with the strength and vulnerability integration (SAVI) model, wherein older adults try to maintain positive emotional well-being, with middle-aged and older adults in the current study having experienced less negative impact on well-being. Middle-aged and older adults may be better able to regulate negative emotions from COVID-19 than younger adults. SAVI proposes a greater negative impact on older adults when they experience sustained stressors; as the challenges with COVID-19 continue, further data will need to be examined.

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Socioeconomic differences in hearing among middle-aged and older adults: cross-sectional analyses using the Health Survey for England

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019615 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. e019615 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Shaun Scholes ◽

Jane Biddulph ◽

Adrian Davis ◽

Jennifer S. Mindell

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Health Survey ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hearing Aid Use ◽

Health Survey For England

BackgroundHearing loss impacts on cognitive, social and physical functioning. Both hearing loss and hearing aid use vary across population subgroups. We examined whether hearing loss, and reported current hearing aid use among persons with hearing loss, were associated with different markers of socioeconomic status (SES) in a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults.MethodsHearing was measured using an audiometric screening device in the Health Survey for England 2014 (3292 participants aged 45 years and over). Hearing loss was defined as >35 dB HL at 3.0 kHz in the better-hearing ear. Using sex-specific logistic regression modelling, we evaluated the associations between SES and hearing after adjustment for potential confounders.Results26% of men and 20% of women aged 45 years and over had hearing loss. Hearing loss was higher among men in the lowest SES groups. For example, the multivariable-adjusted odds of hearing loss were almost two times as high for those in the lowest versus the highest income tertile (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.74). Among those with hearing loss, 30% of men and 27% of women were currently using a hearing aid. Compared with men in the highest income tertile, the multivariable-adjusted odds of using a hearing aid nowadays were lower for men in the middle (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.99) and the lowest (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.97) income tertiles. Associations between SES and hearing were weaker or null among women.ConclusionsWhile the burden of hearing loss fell highest among men in the lowest SES groups, current hearing aid use was demonstrably lower. Initiatives to detect hearing loss early and increase the uptake and the use of hearing aids may provide substantial public health benefits and reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health.

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Strengths and Satisfaction Across the Adult Lifespan

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.2190/61ej-ldyr-q55n-ut6e ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 181-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Derek M. Isaacowitz ◽

George E. Vaillant ◽

Martin E. P. Seligman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Lower Strength ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Adult Lifespan ◽

The World ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Positive psychology has recently developed a classification of human strengths (Peterson & Seligman, in press). We aimed to evaluate these strengths by investigating the strengths and life satisfaction in three adult samples recruited from the community (young adult, middle-aged, and older adult), as well as in the surviving men of the Grant study of Harvard graduates. In general, older adults had higher levels of interpersonal and self-regulatory strengths, whereas younger adults reported higher levels of strengths related to exploring the world. Grant study men tended to report lower strength levels than older adults from the community. Among the young adults, only hope significantly predicted life satisfaction, whereas among the middle-aged individuals, the capacity for loving relationships was the only predictor. Among community-dwelling older adults, hope, citizenship, and loving relationships all positively and uniquely predicted life satisfaction, compared with loving relationships and appreciation of beauty in the Grant sample.

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Eight Forms of Moving Meditation for Preventing Falls in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Forschende Komplementärmedizin / Research in Complementary Medicine ◽

10.1159/000355842 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 345-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mei-Ying Chang ◽

Chin-Lan Lin ◽

Tsung-Mao Wu ◽

Mei-Chi Chu ◽

Tse-Hung Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Moving Meditation

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Age Differences in Positive Event Appraisals during COVID-19: Evidence from a Daily Diary Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3203 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 888-888

Author(s):

Patrick Klaiber ◽

Lydia Ong ◽

Anita DeLongis ◽

Nancy Sin

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Age Differences ◽

Adult Development ◽

Personal Responsibility ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Diary Study ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Positive Events ◽

Daily Diary Study ◽

Middle Aged Adults

Abstract Multiple studies suggest that community-dwelling older adults are psychologically resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak, older age was associated with engaging in more daily positive events (Klaiber et al., 2021, Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences). We followed up on these findings by exploring age differences in positive event appraisals during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 7-day diary study conducted between March and August 2020, 1036 participants (mean age = 45.95, SD = 16.04, range = 18-91) reported their positive events in nightly surveys. If at least one positive event occurred, participants rated their appraisals of the event on the following dimensions: importance, calmness, happiness, gratitude, personal responsibility, and control. Older adults (60 years+) rated their positive events to be more personally important and felt more calm and happy during these events, compared to younger (18-39 years) and middle-aged adults (40-59 years). Furthermore, older adults felt more grateful during positive events compared to younger but not middle-aged adults. There were no age differences in feelings of control or personal responsibility for positive events. These findings highlight the importance of daily positive events for older adults during a time of major stress. In line with theories on adult development, daily positive event processes in older adults are characterized by valuing positive and meaningful social connections, as well as a greater degree of positive event-specific emotions such as feeling calm, happy, and grateful.

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