scholarly journals Maternal Differential Treatment in Later Life Families and Within-Family Variations in Adult Sibling Closeness

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gilligan ◽  
J. J. Suitor ◽  
S. Nam
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Differential Treatment ◽  
Adult Sibling ◽  
Sibling Closeness

Look Who’s Talking: Mediums of Contact Among Mid-to Later-Life Siblings

2020 ◽  
pp. 009141502091295
Author(s):  
Melanie S. Hill ◽  
Alexander C. Jensen ◽  
Sarah M. Coyne ◽  
Jeremy B. Yorgason
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Adult Siblings ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Telephone Contact ◽  
Sibling Closeness

Adult siblings maintain contact and remain close to one another. The current study used participants recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk ( n = 491) to conduct regression analyses examining five methods of contact (in person, telephone, email, texting, and social media) predicting sibling closeness and conflict. Further, two- and three-way interactions assessed the role of sibling dyad composition (e.g., women with a sister and women with a brother). Results suggested that as contact in person, through social media, the telephone, or email increased, sibling closeness increased, while increased contact through email indicated less conflict. Assessing sibling dyad composition suggested as telephone contact increased, sibling closeness increased for all sibling dyads, especially for women with a sister compared to men with a brother. In-person and texting contacts were beneficial for women with a brother. Even in mid- to later-life, siblings connect through synchronous and asynchronous mediums, and this contact appears beneficial for sisters.

The Effects of Early Parental Death on Sibling Relationships in Later Life

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Y. Mack
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Death ◽  
Sibling Relationships ◽  
Parental Death ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Adult Sibling ◽  
Intact Families ◽  
Adult Sibling Relationships ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Long Term Impact

The present study draws on elements of kinship and life course perspectives to examine the influence of parental death during childhood on adult sibling contact and closeness. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households ( N = 3,684), comparisons are made between adults who experienced early parental death and those with no history of childhood family disruptions, and between adults who experienced early maternal death and those who experienced paternal death during childhood. Results from Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analyses indicate that adults who experienced parental death during childhood do not have more sibling contact, but are closer to their siblings in adulthood than adults who grew up in intact families. In addition, adults who experienced maternal death during childhood have less sibling contact than adults who experienced paternal death, but there are not differences between these two groups in terms of closeness. These findings indicate that it is important to assess the long-term impact of early parental death on adult outcomes and that gender of the deceased parent may have more significant implications for some dimensions of adult sibling relationships than others.

Sibling Social Comparison in Mid- to Later Life: Links with Well-Being and Relationship Quality

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110307
Author(s):  
Alexander C. Jensen ◽  
Hannah B. Apsley ◽  
Laura E. Thackeray ◽  
Breanna T. Shoaf
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sibling Relationship ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Sibling Conflict ◽  
Sibling Closeness

Social comparison processes between siblings play an important role in the ways siblings influence one another at younger ages, but to our knowledge, no studies have examined social comparison processes between siblings in mid- to later life. The current study examined (1) factors associated with the propensity for social comparisons with a sibling and (2) how social comparison is linked to well-being and sibling relationship quality. Data came from 491 adults from across the United States ( M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female). Results indicated that adults who are the same sex as their sibling are more likely to engage in social comparison with their sibling. Additionally, an inclination for social comparison with a sibling was linked to more depressive symptoms, more sibling conflict, and greater sibling closeness. Overall, comparison with a sibling in adulthood may be linked to both positive and negative outcomes.

scholarly journals LOOK WHO’S TALKING: TRADITIONAL AND ELECTRONIC MEDIUMS OF CONTACT LINKED WITH LATER-LIFE SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S327-S327
Author(s):  
Melanie S Hill ◽  
Jeremy B Yorgason ◽  
Sarah Coyne ◽  
Alexander C Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Practical Support ◽  
Sibling Closeness ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Conflictual Relationship

Abstract The sibling role is often the longest lasting relationship between individuals. As such, older adults may turn to siblings in later life as it is a relationship that is already familiar. Having a close and less conflictual relationship with a sibling may be especially important as older adults value siblings for emotional and practical support exhibited through contact. Minimal research has examined mediums of contact used between sibling dyads despite the increase use in technology among older adults. Using a sample of 491 Americans (Mage = 58.96) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk), the current study examined five mediums of contact (i.e., in person, telephone, e-mail, texting, and social media) and how each type independently is related to sibling closeness and conflict. Further, using regression analyses in STATA, two and three-way interactions were examined to assess the role of sibling dyad composition affecting this relationship. Results indicated that contact through telephone was associated with higher sibling closeness for all sibling dyads, and that association was stronger for females with a sister compared to males with a brother. Further, in person and texting contact was especially beneficial for females with a brother. Main effects revealed contact in person, via social media, over the telephone, or through email, reported more sibling closeness, while those who engaged in more email contact reported less conflict. Thus, even in later life, siblings are keeping in contact with one another through both traditional and electronic mediums of communication, and this contact appears especially beneficial for sisters.

Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽  
Tihana Brkljačić ◽  
Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽  
Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽  
Renata Franc
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

Images of Aging in the Psychotherapeutic Context

GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva-Marie Kessler ◽  
Catherine E. Bowen
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Process ◽  
Images Of Aging ◽  
Client Communication

Both psychotherapists and their clients have mental representations of old age and the aging process. In this conceptual review, we draw on available research from gerontology, social and developmental psychology, and communication science to consider how these “images of aging” may affect the psychotherapeutic process with older clients. On the basis of selected empirical findings we hypothesize that such images may affect the pathways to psychotherapy in later life, therapist-client communication, client performance on diagnostic tests as well as how therapists select and apply a therapeutic method. We posit that interventions to help both older clients and therapists to reflect on their own images of aging may increase the likelihood of successful treatment. We conclude by making suggestions for future research.

Can a Theory of Suicide Predict All “Suicides” in the Elderly?

Crisis ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon A. Leenaars
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Suicide Notes ◽  
Psychiatric Study

Summary: Older adults consistently have the highest rates of suicide in most societies. Despite the paucity of studies until recently, research has shown that suicides in later life are best understood as a multidimensional event. An especially neglected area of research is the psychological/psychiatric study of personality factors in the event. This paper outlines one comprehensive model of suicide and then raises the question: Is such a psychiatric/psychological theory applicable to all suicides in the elderly? To address the question, I discuss the case of Sigmund Freud; raise the topic of suicide and/or dignified death in the terminally ill; and examine suicide notes of the both terminally ill and nonterminally ill elderly. I conclude that, indeed, greater study and theory building are needed into the “suicides” of the elderly, including those who are terminally ill.

Negative Life Events Associated With Deliberate Self-Harm in an African Population in Uganda

Crisis ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Kinyanda ◽  
H. Hjelmeland ◽  
S. Musisi
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Negative Life Events ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Dose Effect ◽  
Deliberate Self Harm ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Suicide Interventions

Abstract. Negative life events associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH) were investigated in an African context in Uganda. Patients admitted at three general hospitals in Kampala, Uganda were interviewed using a Luganda version (predominant language in the study area) of the European Parasuicide Study Interview Schedule I. The results of the life events and histories module are reported in this paper. The categories of negative life events in childhood that were significantly associated with DSH included those related to parents, significant others, personal events, and the total negative life events load in childhood. For the later-life time period, the negative life events load in the partner category and the total negative life events in this time period were associated with DSH. In the last-year time period, the negative life events load related to personal events and the total number of negative life events in this time period were associated with DSH. A statistically significant difference between the cases and controls for the total number of negative life events reported over the entire lifetime of the respondents was also observed, which suggests a dose effect of negative life events on DSH. Gender differences were also observed among the cases. In conclusion, life events appear to be an important factor in DSH in this cultural environment. The implication of these results for treatment and the future development of suicide interventions in this country are discussed.

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