scholarly journals Social Islands: Examining the Intersection of Isolation and Technology Use

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 462-463
Author(s):  
Joseph Svec ◽  
Megan Gilligan
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Life course theory suggests that social relationships are tied to overall well-being. In the extant literature social isolation negatively impacts physical and mental health outcomes in later life. In this study, we focus specifically on the association between social isolation and older adult’s self-rated health status. We also examine whether and the extent to which technology use augments negative health consequences attributed to isolation. Using data on 3,758 older adults (ages 65+) from the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, we contribute to current scholarly examinations at the intersection of technology and isolation. We conduct a series of ordinal logistic regressions to estimate the odds of respondents’ higher self-rated health (from poor = 1 to excellent = 5) on subjective measures of social isolation (i.e. feel left out, lack of companionship and isolated from others) in addition to whether respondents live with a partner and have an adult child who lives in close geographic proximity. Preliminary results show that individuals who perceived higher levels of social isolation evaluated their own health status as poorer. We also find that the use of computers for virtual communications corresponds with higher self-rated health statuses, regardless of the proximity of children or other family members. However, a negative interaction between computer use and isolation indicates the positive effects of technology are limited for those who are highly isolated. These findings suggest that technology impacts on health are nuanced, where an overreliance on technology as a substitute may not consistently yield positive outcomes.

scholarly journals Financial Hardship and the Pain of Social Disconnection During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 96-96
Author(s):  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak ◽  
Timothy Goler ◽  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Sfurti Maheshwari
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Financial Hardship ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Two Measures

Abstract Considerable scholarly attention has been directed at increasing social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their adverse impact on later life psychological well-being. Notably absent is the focus on financial hardship in the context of overlapping unprecedented economic and public health crisis. It is unclear whether loneliness continues to differ across different levels of financial hardship even amidst immense uncertainty, social isolation, and anxiety induced by the pandemic. Based on our nationwide web-based survey of adults aged 50 years and older (n=1861), we used ordinal logistic regression to examine the influence of financial hardship on loneliness and assessed the role of socioeconomic status (SES), emotional support, and health status in contributing to such influence. We found significantly higher odds of greater loneliness (β = .28, p < .001) among individuals who reported experiencing greater financial hardship. Among two measures of SES, only household income contributed substantially to the influence of financial hardship on loneliness. We documented significantly lower emotional support and greater health disadvantage among individuals experiencing greater financial hardship. Consideration of emotional support and health status explained the remaining influence of financial hardship, due to their association with both financial hardship and loneliness. Despite a sense of shared vulnerability and social isolation across the general population, our findings suggest that SES inequalities in later life loneliness are maintained even in the midst of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Roles of Resilience and Environmental Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanfa Tan ◽  
Chienchung Huang ◽  
Yun Geng ◽  
Shannon P. Cheung ◽  
Shuyan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Using Data

Psychological well-being is an important indicator of well-being and has been found to be associated with a multitude of positive life outcomes. Using data collected from 1,871 Chinese college students from September 23 to October 5, 2020, this study examined students' psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated how resilience and pandemic-related environmental stress may affect psychological well-being. Results showed that resilience had strong positive effects on psychological well-being during the pandemic. Meanwhile, environmental stress had a moderate effect and marginally reduced psychological well-being. The magnitudes of the estimates suggested that increasing resilience can effectively buffer the negative effect of environmental stress on psychological well-being.

Relationship Quality Among Older Cohabitors: A Comparison to Remarrieds

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1808-1817
Author(s):  
Matthew R Wright
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Union Type ◽  
Quality Relationships

Abstract Objectives Later life marital patterns have undergone shifts over the past few decades, including a rapid growth of cohabiting unions. Despite the increase in older adult cohabitation, research on this population has been slow to keep up. Intimate relationships are linked to well-being and relationship quality is especially important because high-quality relationships offer a number of benefits for well-being, whereas poor-quality relationships often are detrimental. This study compares cohabiting and remarried individuals on two measures of relationship quality. Method Using data from the 2010 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study, I investigate the positive and negative relationship quality of cohabitors relative to their remarried counterparts and whether the association of union type and relationship quality varies by race. Results Across both positive and negative relationship quality, I found few differences between cohabiting and remarried individuals. Black cohabitors report higher positive relationship quality than remarrieds, whereas White cohabitors and remarrieds do not differ. Discussion These findings suggest that cohabiting unions and remarriages are comparable among White older adults, but that Black cohabitors may gain more in terms of positive relationship quality than their remarried counterparts.

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.

Autism Spectrum Disorders in Later Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye In (Jane) Hwang ◽  
Kitty-Rose Foley ◽  
Samuel Arnold ◽  
Julian Trollor
Keyword(s):  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Biological Marker ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Autistic Adults

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is typically recognized and diagnosed in childhood. There is no established biological marker for autism; rather, the diagnosis is made based on observation of behavioral traits, including (a) persistent deficits in social interaction and communication, and (b) restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, autistic individuals are a highly heterogeneous group and differ widely in the presentation and severity of their symptoms. The established prevalence of ASD is approximately 1% of the population. Information about autism in adulthood is limited; most of the literature examines childhood and adolescence. While the term “later life” has traditionally been associated with those over the age of 65, a dire lack of understanding exists for those on the autism spectrum beyond early adulthood. Individuals remain on the spectrum into later life, though some mild improvements in symptoms are observed over time. Autistic adults experience high levels of physical and mental health comorbidities. Rates of participation in employment and education are also lower than that of the general population. Quality of life is reportedly poorer for autistic adults than for nonautistic peers, though this is not affected by age. More robust studies of the health, well-being, and needs of autistic adults are needed, especially qualitative investigations of adulthood and aging and longitudinal studies of development over the lifespan.

Physical and Mental Health of Live-In Female Migrant Domestic Workers: A Randomly Sampled Survey in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 802-822
Author(s):  
Roger Yat-Nork Chung ◽  
Jonathan Ka-Long Mak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Religious Activities ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Migrant Domestic Workers

There has been a rising trend of labor migration globally. Given their alien status within the legal framework of the host countries, migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are especially vulnerable to poor employment conditions that may affect their health status, yet there is still a lack of quantitative evidence in this population hitherto. Using randomly sampled data from a cross-sectional survey of 2,017 live-in female MDWs in Hong Kong, a setting with a high concentration of MDWs, this study examined the association of employment conditions with physical and mental health among the MDWs. We observed poorer physical and mental health status among the MDWs when compared with the general population in Hong Kong. Our findings suggest that employment conditions, including household size, working on the rest day, and housing type, and age were associated with physical health, while employment conditions, including not ever receiving wages on time, frequency of financial remittances, paying the employment agency, having a private room, fulfillment of work-related needs, physical abuse, and discrimination, and sociodemographic characteristics, including age and duration of migration, were associated with mental health. Social support in general did not confound these associations, but religious activities and daily contact with friends were also associated with mental health. Our findings have important implications in designing interventions and policies to improve the physical and mental well-being of this vulnerable migrant population.

scholarly journals EMOTIONS AND WELL-BEING IN LATER LIFE CHILDHOOD HAPPINESS, SELF-MASTERY, AND LATER-LIFE HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S576-S576
Author(s):  
Haena Lee ◽  
Markus H Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Self Rated Health

Abstract Considerable work has documented that positive childhood memories, especially childhood happiness, predict better health among young adults. However, it is not known whether growing up happy has enduring health consequences across the life course. Using two waves of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (2010-2011 and 2015-2016; N = 1,937), we investigate the relationship between childhood happiness and changes in physical, mental, and biological functioning in later life. Childhood happiness was retrospectively assessed using a question: “When I was growing up, my family life was always happy.” Self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and frailty over a five-year period were examined to reflect changes in functional status. Childhood SES and living arrangement were examined to assess childhood sociodemographic background. Educational attainment, family support and strain, and self-mastery were considered as potential mediators. We find that, among other childhood factors, childhood happiness significantly predicts older adult health. Specifically, childhood happiness was associated with better self-rated health and lower depressive symptoms at follow-up, net of baseline health conditions. We did not find a relationship between frailty and childhood happiness. Unlike prior work, we found no significant effect of childhood SES on the measured outcomes. Associations between childhood happiness and self-rated health and depression were mediated by psychosocial resources including self-mastery and perceived social support from family members. This implies that growing up in nurturing, cherished family environment has the potential to cultivate social relationships and build resilience which could provide an important pathway to successful aging.

Jogging, nordic walking and going for a walk - inter-disciplinary recommendations to keep people physically active in times of the covid-19 lockdown in Tyrol, Austria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Frühauf ◽  
Martin Schnitzer ◽  
Wolfgang Schobersberger ◽  
Günter Weiss ◽  
Martin Kopp
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Health It ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Nordic Walking ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Outdoor Sports ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Hiking Trails

Physical activity has a strong impact on physical and mental health. It prevents diseases, strengthens the immune system, and helps to reduce stress. Moreover, physical activity increases the psychological well-being, with outdoor exercise showing even more positive effects. In times when national regulations also restrict the possibilities for exercise, the authors—referring to scientifically sound findings and adhering to the current social distancing rules—recommend allowing moderate outdoor sports activities (jogging, Nordic walking, going for a walk) and the use of park trails, hiking trails, and forest roads in easy terrains.

scholarly journals Social Isolation, Resilience, and Psychological Well-Being in Older Chinese Americans

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 294-294
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Katherine Wang ◽  
Yaolin Pei ◽  
Bei Wu ◽  
Xiang Qi
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Chinese Americans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Older Chinese Americans

Abstract Using data collected in 2018 on 398 older Chinese Americans aged 55+ residing in Hawaii, we examined the associations of social isolation with psychological well-being and the mediating role of resilience. Social isolation was measured by their marital status, living arrangement, contact with children/family/friends, and participation in social activities. Psychological well-being was measured by psychological distress, life satisfaction, and happiness. Results from multivariate linear regressions and ordered logistic regressions showed social isolation was positively associated with psychological distress (β=0.017, p<0.05), and negatively associated with life satisfaction (β=-0.220, p<0.001) and happiness (β=-0.086, p<0.05) . By contrast, resilience was associated with lower psychological distress and higher life satisfaction and happiness. Moreover, mediation analysis showed that resilience contributed to 32% of the association between social isolation and psychological distress, 24.9% of the association between social isolation and life satisfaction, and 16.3% of the association between social isolation and happiness.

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