scholarly journals The Impact of Distal Influences and Proximal Resources on the Mental Health of African American Older Adults: Findings From the Georgia Centenarian Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meneka C Johnson Nicholson ◽  
Peter Martin ◽  
Megan Gilligan ◽  
Carolyn E Cutrona ◽  
Daniel W Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
African American Older Adults

Abstract Background and Objectives Over the years, a large amount of research has been devoted to the investigation of factors that led to mental health outcomes in older adults. For African American older adults, their lived experiences place them at high risk for mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of early life influences (i.e., education, childhood life events, and childhood financial well-being) and present psychosocial resources (i.e., individual, financial, and social) on current mental health outcomes in a sample of African American older adults in their 60s, 80s, and 100s. Research Design and Methods Using data from the Georgia Centenarian Study, 125 participants were interviewed about their mental health, resources, and early life influences. Results A structural equation model was tested and resulted in a good fit. Results indicated that the more social resources African American older adults had available, the lower the number of depressive symptoms they reported. African Americans with higher levels of financial well-being during childhood reported higher self-rated mental health. Older adults had higher levels of financial resources. Level of education showed a positive relationship with financial resources. Indirect effects of distal influences on health outcomes via current resources were not found. Discussion and Implications The findings are of direct practical relevance and can be used to more readily identify older African Americans who may be susceptible to poorer mental health outcomes based upon the impact of their unique distal and proximal psychosocial resources.

The impact of childhood parental quality on mental health outcomes in older adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 819-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.A. Burns ◽  
V. Loh ◽  
J.E. Byles ◽  
H.L. Kendig
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Parental Quality ◽  
The Impact

Sexuality and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 452-470
Author(s):  
Anne J Maheux ◽  
Sophia Choukas-Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Hookup Culture ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Sexual experience is considered an important developmental milestone for emerging adults. Whereas some sexual experiences incur benefits, others are associated with negative mental health outcomes. This chapter first describes the cultural context in which emerging adults experience their sexuality, including sexualized media, sexual scripts, hookup culture, and technology, and the impact of these contextual forces on emerging adults’ psychological well-being. The mental health effects of sexual behaviors are also discussed as they relate to various relational contexts, including committed romantic relationships, casual “hookups,” and ongoing casual relationships (e.g., “friends with benefits”), with an emphasis on the disproportionate negative outcomes for women and the limited empirical research on the impact of these experiences on racial and sexual minority individuals. The chapter further discusses the mental health outcomes affecting emerging adults with sexual and gender minority identities. The chapter concludes with important directions for future work, including longitudinal studies and greater attention to intersectionality.

The impact of delayed management of fall-related hip fracture management on health outcomes for African American older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 942-950
Author(s):  
Molly P. Jarman ◽  
Claire Sokas ◽  
Michael K. Dalton ◽  
Manuel Castillo-Angeles ◽  
Tarsicio Uribe-Leitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Fracture Management ◽  
The Impact ◽  
African American Older Adults

How “Conditions of Confinement” Impact “Conditions of Employment”: The Work-Related Well-Being of Provincial Correctional Officers in Atlantic Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Ricciardelli ◽  
Nicole Gerarda Power
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Correctional Officers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Atlantic Canada ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Stressors ◽  
The Impact

Internationally, researchers studying correctional officer (CO) work have examined CO self-presentation, staff-prisoner relationships, and emotional labor. We build on this research by drawing on occupational literature to examine officer mental health outcomes that result from correctional work. We examine the impact of working in prison on COs' well-being, paying particular attention to aspects of the work content (operational stressors) and context (organizational stressors). In conducting semi-structured interviews with COs in Atlantic Canada, we found that COs identified a number of operational stressors as impacting their mental health, specifically generalized violence among prisoners, direct and vicarious violence, and ongoing harassment. COs identified organizational stressors, including a work culture that discourages visible emotional responses to operational stressors, a lack of support from management, and inadequate procedures for dealing with workplace violence and harassment, as factors that exacerbate and contribute to negative mental health outcomes.

Association between personality traits and mental health outcomes in older adults with lifetime trauma exposure: a nationwide community sample

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 1533-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee Eun Park ◽  
Hye Won Suk ◽  
Su Jeong Seong ◽  
Ji Hoon Sohn ◽  
Bong-Jin Hahm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Lifetime Trauma ◽  
Mental Well Being

ABSTRACTBackground:This study evaluated the impacts of earlier traumatic events on the mental health of older adults, in terms of mental disorders and mental well-being, according to sociodemographic variables, trauma-related characteristics, and personality traits in a nationally representative sample of older Koreans.Methods:A total of 1,621 subjects aged 60 to 74 years from a Korean national epidemiological survey of mental disorders responded face-to-face interviews. The Korean Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to investigate lifetime trauma exposure (LTE) and psychiatric diagnoses. The EuroQol health classification system and life satisfaction scale were used to assess quality of life (QoL), and the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10) to measure personality traits.Results:Five-hundred and seventy-seven subjects (35.6%) reported a history of LTE (mean age at trauma, 30.8 years old). Current mental disorders were more prevalent in elderly people with LTE, while better current QoL was more frequent in those without LTE. Among older people with LTE, lower extraversion and higher neuroticism increased the risk of current mood or anxiety disorders, whereas higher extraversion increased the probability of experiencing mental well-being after adjusting for sociodemographic and trauma-related variables.Conclusion:Personality traits, especially extraversion, and neuroticism, may be useful for predicting the mental health outcomes of LTE in older adults. Further longitudinal studies investigating the relationship between traumatic events and mental health outcomes are needed.

scholarly journals Well-Being and Perceived Stress of Adolescent Young Carers: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Wepf ◽  
Agnes Leu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Young Carers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAdolescent young carers have been described as a hidden group at risk of mental health problems. However, research has not yet clarified the effect of caring when considering the related family situation. We aimed to examine the impact of a caring role on adolescents’ mental health and to gain knowledge about adolescent young carers’ specific needs. We collected cross-sectional data from adolescents (15–21 years, N = 2525) recruited through educational institutions in German-speaking Switzerland. Based on self-reported answers regarding the presence or absence of a family member with health problems and youth’s caring activities, the participants were grouped into three subsamples. We compared mental health outcomes (well-being and perceived stress) in current carers and their peers, and we conducted multiple regression analyses for predicting these outcomes among all adolescents and the subsample of carers. Adolescent young carers had lower levels of well-being and higher levels of perceived stress than their peers. However, when controlling for background variables, well-being levels were lower only when carers were compared to adolescents from a healthy family background. Indicators of family instability predicted mental health outcomes independently of being a carer. More recognition for the caring role predicted better well-being and perceived stress outcomes, and more support in caring predicted better well-being but not perceived stress outcomes. The findings suggest that a caring role is not necessarily related to decreased well-being in adolescents, but it is associated with higher levels of perceived stress. The way professionals and services respond to young carers’ specific needs should be improved.

scholarly journals The effect of parental roles on mental health outcomes of unemployment: a gender perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (13/14) ◽  
pp. 16-33
Author(s):  
Concetta Russo ◽  
Alessandra Decataldo ◽  
Marco Terraneo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parental Roles ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the extent to which family roles and settings can mediate the impact of unemployment on psychological well-being among Italian households.Design/methodology/approachUsing the European Health Interview Survey data for 2015, the authors adopt linear regression models to evaluate the effect of family settings on the mental health outcomes of unemployment, in particular on the likelihood of developing depression. The latter is measured using the internationally validated Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). Since the gender gap in occupation has not ceased to exist in Italy, special attention is paid to the differences between males and females in the workforce.FindingsThe results suggest that involvement in parental roles has a moderating influence on unemployment mental health outcomes among both men and women, although it has a higher effect on the female workforce. Moreover, the study shows that “not living far from the family of origin” could be considered a crucial moderating factor for both gender categories.Originality/valueThe novelty of this paper lies in its consideration of the implications the social definition of gender roles may have on gender-related expectancies and attributions in life domains, such as work and family.

scholarly journals Life Course Nature Exposure and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5146
Author(s):  
Dongying Li ◽  
Tess Menotti ◽  
Yizhen Ding ◽  
Nancy M. Wells
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Future Research

Recently, an emerging body of literature has examined the relationships between early life nature exposure and mental health in later life; however, no critical synthesis yet exists regarding the extent and strength of these relationships. This study presents the first systematic review of studies in this growing area. Following the PRISMA framework, we searched six databases (i.e., Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL); conducted identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion analyses; and identified a final set of 29 articles. The review set comprises primarily longitudinal studies, with several cross-sectional studies using retrospective measures of childhood nature exposure. The majority of included studies were published between 2016 and 2020 and conducted in Europe and North America. Five domains of mental health outcomes are associated with early-life nature exposure: incidence of mental disorders, psychiatric symptoms and emotions, conduct problems in children, cognitive function, and subjective well-being. The evidence lends support to an overall beneficial role of early nature exposure on mental health, although inconsistencies are reported. Taken together, the evidence does not suggest that exposure at any given life stage is more saliently associated with mental health outcomes than at others. We discuss the validity concerns and methodological remedies and offer directions for future research.

scholarly journals The Health and Well-Being of African-American Older Adults With a History of Incarceration

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 506-506
Author(s):  
Rodlescia Sneed
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Formerly Incarcerated ◽  
Older Prisoners ◽  
Health Related ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
African American Older Adults

Abstract African-Americans are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Longer prison stays and release programs for older prisoners may result in an increased number of community-dwelling older adults with a history of incarceration. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in research on health-related outcomes for currently incarcerated older adults; however, there has been little inquiry into outcomes for formerly incarcerated African-American older adults following community re-entry. In this study, we used secondary data from the Health and Retirement Study to describe employment, economic, and health-related outcomes in this population. Twelve percent of the 2238 African-Americans in our sample had been previously incarcerated. Those who had been previously incarcerated had higher rates of lung disease, arthritis, back problems, mobility problems, and mental health issues than their counterparts. They also had higher rates of hospitalization and lower use of dental health services. Further, while they did not experience lower employment rates than those with no criminal history, those who had been incarcerated had more physically demanding jobs and reported greater economic strain. Given the disproportionate incarceration rates among African-Americans, the aging of the prison population, and the increase in community re-entry for older prisoners, research that explores factors that impact the health and well-being of formerly incarcerated individuals has broad impact. Future work should focus on addressing the needs of this vulnerable population of African-American older adults.

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