The gendered experience of social resources in the transition to late-life widowhood

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Linda Isherwood

Abstract Social resources – close relationships, support exchange and social engagement – can play an important role in successful adjustment to widowhood in later life. However, it is not clear whether access to, and the utilisation of, social resources are different for men and women during late-life widowhood. This study provides a qualitative exploration of the experience of social resources in the lives of older widowed men and women across the transition to widowhood (from pre-widowhood to later widowhood). Using a life course theory lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 men and women who had been widowed in later life. The interview data were analysed using the framework approach. Four phases in the transition to widowhood were identified: ‘Illness and caring’, ‘Relocation and separation’, ‘Early bereavement’ and ‘Life goes on’. Widowhood brings great change to the accessibility and utilisation of social resources, and each of these transitional phases was associated with differential usage of these resources. Gender differences were observed in the availability of social resources across the transition to widowhood, with widowed men typically found to have smaller friendship networks, receive less support and be at increased risk of social isolation. Particular attention is required to ensure that all older widowed men and women have access to sufficient social support and contact following bereavement.

Author(s):  
Torbjörn Bildtgård ◽  
Peter Öberg

To repartner in later life is increasingly common in large parts of the Western world. This book addresses the gap in knowledge about late life repartnering and provides a comprehensive map of the changing landscape of late life intimacy. The book examines the changing structural conditions of intimacy and ageing in late modernity. How do longer lives, changing norms and new technologies affect older people’s relationship careers, their attitudes to repartnering and the formation of new relationships? Which forms do these new unions take? What does a new intimate relationship offer older men and women and what are the consequences for social integration? What is the role and meaning of sex? By introducing a gains-perspective the book challenges stereotypes of old age as a period of loss and decline. It also challenges the image of older people as conservative, and instead present them as an avant-garde that often experiment with new ways of being together.


Author(s):  
Robert Baldwin

This chapter considers some of the commonly asked questions about mood disorders in later life. Is depression in later life a distinct clinical syndrome? How common is it? Is there an organic link, for example to cerebral changes, and if so, is there an increased risk of later dementia? Is it more difficult to diagnose and treat late-life depression, and once treated, is the outcome good, bad, or indifferent? The emphasis will be on depression but bipolar disorder and mania will also be considered.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khedidja Hedna ◽  
Johan Fastbom ◽  
Ingmar Skoog ◽  
Gunnel Hensing ◽  
Margda Waern

Abstract Background Late-life self-harm (SH) is often linked to depression. However, very few studies have explored the role of other factors and their interaction with depression in the occurrence of late-life SH. The objective of this research was to examine sociodemographic and gender factors associated with non-fatal SH, in older adults with and without antidepressant therapy.Methods We used national longitudinal register data from a total cohort of all Swedish residents aged ≥75 years between 2006-2014 (N=1,413,806). Using personal identity numbers, we linked individuals' data from numerous national registers. We identified all those with at least one episode of non-fatal self-harm (regardless of level of intent to die) and matched 50 controls to each case. A nested case–control design was used to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with non-fatal SH in the total cohort and among antidepressant users and non-users. Risk factors were analysed in adjusted conditional logistic regression models for the entire cohort and by gender.Results In all, 2242 individuals had at least one episode of a non-fatal SH (980 men and 1262 women). Being unmarried was a risk factor for non-fatal SH in men but not in women. Among users of antidepressants, higher non-fatal SH risk was observed in those born outside the Nordic countries (IRR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.11–1.86), whereas in AD non-users increased risk was seen in those from Nordic countries other than Sweden (IRR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.08–2.29). Antidepressant users with higher education had an increased risk of non-fatal SH (IRR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.12–1.61), in both men and women. Conclusions Foreign country of birth was associated with increased risk for non-fatal SH in older adults with and without AD therapies. Being married was a protective factor for non-fatal SH in men. The complex association between sociodemographic factors and use of antidepressants in the occurrence of self-harm in older men and women indicates the need for multifaceted tailored preventive strategies including healthcare and social services alike.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-101
Author(s):  
Marta Gregorčič ◽  
Kaja Cizelj

Over the last decade there have been substantial advances in understanding the gendered dimensions of ageing. Prior studies have mostly dealt with understanding the lives of older women while largely neglecting or omitting older men. The focus on women facing disadvantages in socio-economic and marital status has shifted to men’s post-work and health issues in the last few decades, and only recently to masculinities and gender capital in later life. Contemporary discussions on cultural and gender capital bring relevant recognition and somehow unintentionally reveal that gender can matter to the same extent or even more in old age than in childhood or adulthood. This article analyses the results of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 98 men aged 60 or more and other data collected in Slovenia as part of the Old Guys Erasmus+ project. The project results are in line with recent studies on gender capital and masculinities, and justify why older men should be seen, discussed and examined as individual agents who practice, perform and produce gender in later life too. They also explain why hegemonic masculinity is only one aspect of gendered life experiences and that different masculine realities stand alongside each other and are as necessary for men in later life as femininities are for women, particularly in contemporary societies where both aged men and women are seen and represented as de-gendered, un-gendered or even genderless.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 322-322
Author(s):  
Robert Maiden ◽  
Larry Greil ◽  
Bert Hayslip

Abstract A panel study was conducted among 244 older adults (52-years-old to 92) to explore whether social engagement and loneliness are associated with cognitive ability. Measures of crystallized (Gc) and fluid (Gf) ability were collected at two points in time. Using latent variable SEM with separate models for men and women, Gc and Gf at W2 were regressed on perceived general health, social support, sociability, loneliness and involvement in organizational activities, controlling for Gc and Gf at W1. Fit statistics were adequate. Among women, Gc at W1 was associated with perceived health (B=1.03, p=.000), while Gf at W1 was associated with perceived general health (B=1.28, p=.010) and organizational involvement (B=1.8, p=.019). Gc at W2 was associated with Gc at W1 (B=.61, p=.000), and age (B=-.12, p=.007), while Gf at W2 was associated with Gf at W1 (B=.74, p=.000), age (B=-.08, p=.008), and loneliness (B=-.78, p=.038). Among men, there were no significant associations between either Gc at W1 or Gf at W1 and other variables. Gc at W2 was associated with Gc at W1 (B=.29, p=.031), while Gf at W1 was associated with Gf at W2 (B=7.9, p=.000) and perceived general health (B=2.46, p=.006). These findings suggest that loneliness and organizational involvement are associated with lower Gf scores among women but not among men. Gc was not associated with loneliness or organizational involvement for either women or men. This suggests that interventions targeting the prevention of loneliness and the promotion of organizational involvement may enhance cognitive functioning in later life among women.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1009-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie E. Byles ◽  
Lucy Gallienne ◽  
Fiona M. Blyth ◽  
Emily Banks

ABSTRACTBackground:As populations age, psychological distress in late life will become of increasing public health and social importance. This study seeks to bridge the gap in information that exists about psychological distress in late life, by exploring the prevalence of psychological distress among a very large sample of older adults to determine the impact of age and gender, and the modifying effect of these factors on the associations between measures of psychological distress and sociodemographic and comorbid conditions.Methods:We analyzed self-reported data from 236,508 men and women in the New South Wales 45 and Up Study, to determine the impact of age and gender, and the modifying effects of these factors on associations between psychological distress and sociodemographic and comorbid conditions.Results:Higher education, married status, and higher income were associated with lower risk of psychological distress. Although overall prevalence of psychological distress is lower at older ages, this increases after age 80, and is particularly associated with physical disabilities. Some older people (such as those requiring help because of disability and those with multiple comorbid health conditions) are at increased risk of psychological distress.Conclusion:These findings have implications for both healthcare providers and policy-makers in identifying and responding to the needs of older people in our aging society.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Heshmati ◽  
M. P. Chaparro ◽  
I. Koupil

Earlier research suggests that maternal pelvic size is associated with offspring’s stroke risk in later life. We followed 6362 men and women from Uppsala, Sweden, born between 1915 and 1929 from 1964 to 2008 to assess whether maternal pelvic size was associated with incidence of thrombotic stroke (TS), haemorrhagic stroke (HS) and other stroke (OS). Offspring whose mothers had a flat pelvis had lower birth weight and birth-weight-for-gestational-age compared with those who did not. Inverse linear associations of birth-weight-for-gestational-age were observed with TS and OS. Female offspring whose mothers had a flat pelvis had increased risk of TS, but flat pelvis was not associated with other types of stroke. A smaller difference between intercristal and interspinous diameters and a smaller external conjugate diameter were independently associated with HS, whereas no pelvic measurements were associated with OS. We conclude that a smaller pelvis in women may impact the health of their offspring in adulthood.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 1189-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaori Fujishiro ◽  
Leslie A MacDonald ◽  
Michael Crowe ◽  
Leslie A McClure ◽  
Virginia J Howard ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Positive associations between education and late-life cognition have been widely reported. This study examines whether occupational complexity mediates the relationship between education and late-life cognition, and whether the magnitude of mediation differs by race, gender, or education level. Methods Data were from a population-based cohort of non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites aged ≥45 years (n = 7,357). Education was categorized as less than high school, high school, some college, and college or higher. Using linear regression, we estimated the direct effect of each successive increase in education on cognitive functioning and indirect effects via substantive complexity of work. Results Occupational complexity significantly mediated 11%–22% of the cognitive gain associated with higher levels of education. The pattern of mediation varied between White men and all other race–gender groups: among White men, the higher the education, the greater the mediation effect by occupational complexity. Among Black men and women of both races, the higher the education, the smaller the mediation effect. Discussion Higher levels of education may provide opportunity for intellectually engaging environments throughout adulthood in the form of complex work, which may protect late-life cognition. However, this protective effect of occupational complexity may not occur equally across race–gender subgroups.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110530
Author(s):  
Chao Fang ◽  
Sam Carr

This article reports on a qualitative study to investigate what bereavement means to older people. Drawing upon 80 in-depth interviews collected from eight British and Australian retirement communities, our study revealed that facing bereavement while ageing includes experiences of losing both others and the wholeness of the self. Core themes identified how the experience of losing others can be compounded by ageing-related challenges, undermining older people’s defence from bereavement and frustrating their fundamental meaning and being. The older people’s dynamic responses were also captured, highlighting the importance of supporting their agency to deal with the deeper pain of loss. By extending the concept of bereavement in later life, we also called for a more grief literate culture to mitigate the multifaceted and often deeper distresses of bereavement that older people may face alongside ageing.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L Brown ◽  
I-Fen Lin ◽  
Alyssa Vielee ◽  
Kagan A Mellencamp

Abstract Background and Objectives Marital dissolution has become more common in midlife with the doubling of the divorce rate among middle-aged adults. Guided by the stress model that stipulates losing economic, social, and psychological resources lowers well-being, we posited that midlife adults who experienced divorce or widowhood were at greater risk of cognitive impairment than the continuously married. Subsequent repartnering was expected to negate the increased risk. Research Design and Methods We used data from the 1998-2016 Health and Retirement Study to estimate discrete-time event history models using logistic regression to predict cognitive impairment onset for men and women. Results Roughly 27% of men who experienced spousal death in midlife went on to experience mild cognitive impairment by age 65. For women, experiencing divorce or widowhood was associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment onset although these differentials were accounted for by economic, social, and psychological resources. Men and women who repartnered after marital dissolution did not appreciably differ from their continuously married counterparts in terms of their likelihoods of cognitive impairment onset. Discussion and Implications A stressful life event, midlife marital dissolution can be detrimental to cognitive well-being, placing individuals at increased risk of developing dementia in later life. The growing diversity of partnership experiences during the second half of life points to the continued importance of examining how union dissolution and formation shape health and well-being.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document