Building Friendships Through Volunteering in Late Life: Does Gender Moderate the Relationship?

Abstract Friendship plays a crucial role in maintaining social connectedness in late life. Volunteering helps older adults to stay socially engaged and often times provides the opportunity to meet and make new friends. A small literature suggests that volunteering may be associated with friendship, but many studies are limited by reliance on small, non-probability samples and simplistic analytic approaches. The literature is also unclear on how volunteering behaviors relate to specific characteristics of friendships and whether there are gender differences that condition these relationships. Using the 2014 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N=1,638 ), we investigate whether volunteer status and hours volunteered in 2014 are associated with friendship characteristics in 2018 (i.e., number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency) among community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and above (M=65.60 years old, SD=8.31). We also examine whether gender moderated these relationships. Volunteer status and hours in 2014 were positively associated with the number of close friends and contact frequency in 2018. Only those who volunteered 200 hours or more in 2014 were positively associated with friendship quality in 2018. Regarding gender differences, men who volunteered 200 hours or more in 2014 had higher friendship quality in 2018 than women, while women who volunteered 100-199 hours in 2014 had greater contact frequency in 2018 than men. Hence, our results suggest volunteering is integral in shaping late-life friendships and volunteering might be more critical for understanding friendship characteristics among older men and women.

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Mean nocturnal respiratory rate predicts cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older men and women

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/13993003.02175-2018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 1802175 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mathias Baumert ◽

Dominik Linz ◽

Katie Stone ◽

R. Doug McEvoy ◽

Steve Cummings ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Osteoporotic Fractures ◽

Older Men ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Sleep Study ◽

Men And Women ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

The Relationship ◽

Older Men And Women

Respiratory frequency (fR) predicts in-hospital and short-term mortality in patients with a variety of pathophysiological conditions, but its predictive value for long-term cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the general population is unknown. Here, we investigated the relationship between mean nocturnal fR and mortality in community-dwelling older men and women.We measured mean nocturnal fR during sleep from overnight polysomnography in 2686 men participating in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS) Sleep study and 406 women participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) to investigate the relationship between mean nocturnal fR and long-term cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.166 (6.1%) men in the MrOS cohort (8.9±2.6 years’ follow-up) and 46 (11.2%) women in the SOF cohort (6.4±1.6 years’ follow-up) died from cardiovascular disease. All-cause mortality was 51.2% and 26.1% during 13.7±3.7 and 6.4±1.6 years’ follow-up in the MrOS Sleep study and the SOF cohorts, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusted for significant covariates demonstrated that fR dichotomised at 16 breaths·min−1 was independently associated with cardiovascular mortality (MrOS: hazard ratio (HR) 1.57, 95% CI 1.14–2.15; p=0.005; SOF: HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.41–4.76; p=0.002) and all-cause mortality (MrOS: HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04–1.32; p=0.007; SOF: HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.02–2.20; p=0.04).In community-dwelling older men and women, polysomnography-derived mean nocturnal fR ≥16 breaths·min−1 is an independent predictor of long-term cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Whether nocturnal mean fR can be used as a risk marker warrants further prospective studies.

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WHAT DOES MY PERSONALITY SAYS ABOUT MY FRIENDSHIPS IN LATER LIFE?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.586 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S164-S164

Author(s):

Emily Lim ◽

Elizabeth A Gallagher ◽

Cindy N Bui ◽

Celeste Beaulieu ◽

Elizabeth Simpson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Friendship Quality ◽

Later Life ◽

Openness To Experience ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Study Results ◽

Contact Frequency ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Personality traits, such as those identified in the Big Five Personality Model (i.e., openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), may be associated with different aspects of friendship among older adults. Additionally, men and women form and maintain their friendships differently, which may result in gender differences in their friendships. This study examined the relationship between specific personality traits and friendship characteristics, including friendship quantity, frequency of social interactions with friends, positive and negative friendship quality. The study also explored whether gender moderates the relationship between personality traits and friendships in later life. This study used data from 7,250 community-dwelling older adults, aged 65 years and above (M=75.4 years old, SD=6.91), who participated in 2012 and 2014 Leave-Behind Questionnaire of the Health and Retirement Study. Results from the linear regression analysis indicated significant main effects for the different personality traits and friendship quantity, quality and social interaction frequency, but no main effect for gender was found. However, the moderating effect of gender was significant for the relationship between specific personality traits (i.e. openness to experience, agreeableness and extraversion) and social interaction with friends, as well as for positive and negative friendship quality. For example, older women who scored high on openness to experience reported significantly lower social contact frequency with friends (B=-.16, p<.05) and higher negative friendship quality (B=.08, p<.05) than men who scored high on openness to experience. Study results provide insights for understanding better how personality traits and gender play a role in friendships in later life.

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Volunteering and Friendship in Later Life: Does Gender Moderate the Relationship?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1341 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 416-416

Author(s):

Emily Lim ◽

Changmin Peng ◽

Jeffrey Burr

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Life ◽

Positive Association ◽

Late Life ◽

Friendship Quality ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Older Men ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Contact Frequency

Abstract Friendship, which is an essential part of social life and beneficial to individuals’ well-being, plays a crucial role in maintaining social connectedness in late life. Volunteering is an avenue for older adults to stay socially engaged, and also provides older adults the opportunity to meet and make new friends. A limited literature suggests that volunteering may be associated with friendship, but many studies are limited by reliance on small, non-probability samples and overly simplistic analytic approaches. The literature is also unclear with respect to how volunteering behaviors relate to specific characteristics of friendships and whether there are gender differences underlying these relationships. Using the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,306), this study investigates the association between volunteering characteristics (i.e., volunteer status and hours) and friendship characteristics (i.e., the number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency) among community-dwelling older adults. We also examine whether gender moderated these relationships. Results from linear regression analyses indicate that volunteer status and the number of volunteer hours were positively associated with each dimension of friendship. Also, the positive association between volunteering at 1–99 hours, 100–199 hours, and 200 hours or more and number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency were stronger for older women than for older men. Findings demonstrated that volunteering is integral in shaping late-life friendships. The differential benefits of volunteering between older men and women also suggest that volunteering might be more critical for older women’s friendships.

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Empathy as moderator of gender differences in Chinese insurance agents' business ethical sensitivity

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.6155 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 45 (6) ◽

pp. 1029-1042 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Na Zhang ◽

Jian Zhang ◽

Jing Wang

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Business Ethics ◽

Research Field ◽

Ethical Sensitivity ◽

Men And Women ◽

Insurance Agents ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Ethics Research ◽

The Relationship ◽

Insight Into

To expand the business ethics research field, and to increase society's understanding of Chinese insurance agents' business ethics, we investigated how gender differences are related to agents' business ethical sensitivity and whether or not these relationships are moderated by empathy. Through a regression analysis of the factors associated with the business ethical sensitivity of 417 Chinese insurance agents, we found that gender played an important role in affecting business ethical sensitivity, and empathy significantly affected business ethical sensitivity. Furthermore, empathy had a moderating effect on the relationship between gender and business ethical sensitivity. Both men and women with strong empathy scored high on business ethical sensitivity; however, men with strong empathy had higher levels of business ethical sensitivity than did women with little empathy. The findings add to the literature by providing insight into the mechanisms responsible for the benefits of empathy in increasing business ethical sensitivity.

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P-174: Type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline in a large sample of community-dwelling older men and women

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1016/j.jalz.2007.04.137 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 3 (3S_Part_2) ◽

pp. S154-S154

Author(s):

Olivia I. Okereke ◽

Jae H. Kang ◽

Nancy R. Cook ◽

J. Michael Gaziano ◽

JoAnn E. Manson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Older Men ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Men And Women ◽

Large Sample ◽

Older Men And Women

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The impact of family members on the self-reported health of older men and women in a rural area of Bangladesh

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x04002314 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 903-920 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

OMAR RAHMAN ◽

JANE MENKEN ◽

RANDALL KUHN

Keyword(s):

Rural Area ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

Older Men ◽

Older Woman ◽

Men And Women ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Reported Health ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Older Men And Women

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the co-residence of spouses and children affects self-reported general health among older men and women in a rural area of Bangladesh. Binary logistic regression has been used to explore the impact of spouses and children on self-reported health, with particular attention to the gender of children and interactions with chronic disease. The data are from the Matlab Health and Socio-Economic Survey. A sample of 765 women and 979 men aged 60 or more years with at least one surviving child was available. The principal result is that for an older woman, optimum self-reported health is most likely when a spouse and at least one son and one daughter are present. Any deviation from this family pattern (either no spouse or children of only one sex) leads to a significantly increased risk of poor self-reported health. On the other hand, among older men there were no differences in self-reported health among the various spouse-child combinations. The relationship between a balanced gender distribution of children and optimum self-reported health among older women may explain the levelling out of fertility at roughly three children per women despite intensive family planning promotion in the area. Further reductions in fertility (an important policy concern) may depend on improving the substitutability of sons and daughters in the support of their elderly mothers.

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0826 Gender Differences in Sleep Knowledge of Community-Dwelling Older Adults

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.822 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A315-A315

Author(s):

C M Baldwin ◽

D G Link ◽

D W Coon ◽

S F Quan

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Sleep Disorders ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Test Scores ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Short Sleep Duration ◽

Drowsy Driving ◽

Men And Women ◽

Short Sleep ◽

Post Test

Abstract Introduction This work compares sleep knowledge of community-dwelling older adult men and women. Methods Data were derived from a community-based sleep training program that assessed pre- and post-test knowledge of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Insomnia, short sleep duration (SSD), restless leg syndrome (RLS), circadian rhythm disorders (CRD), and drowsy driving (DD) on a 1 (none) to 5 (great deal of knowledge) Likert-like scale. Data were analyzed with frequencies for age, sex, and sources of sleep information, and ANOVA to determine gender differences using SPSS (V24) with significance set at p<.05. Results Participants (N=158; 68% women) were 56 years and older residing in a retirement community. Pre-test means±standard deviations showed women versus men had greater knowledge of Insomnia (3.5±1.3 vs. 2.9±1.0, p=.004) whereas men showed more knowledge of DD (3.2±1.1 vs. 2.6±1.3, p=.01). A trend was noted for women to have greater knowledge of SSD (3.6±1.2 vs. 3.2±1.0, p=.05). Post-test ANOVA showed a further increase in Insomnia knowledge for women versus men (4.4±0.8 vs. 4.1±0.7, p=.04); however, overall pre/post-test scores for each of the sleep disorders across men and women increased significantly at the p<.001 level. Notably, more women to men reported accessing various resources for sleep information: newspapers/magazines (46:7), friends/family (29:9), the internet (25:11), TV (37:7), and physicians/nurses (45:20). Conclusion Findings indicate, prior to sleep training, women have greater knowledge of insomnia and short sleep duration, while men have more knowledge of drowsy driving. Women’s greater understanding of insomnia persists even after sleep training; however, pre- to post-test scores for both sexes across sleep disorders show significant learning outcomes. One possible reason for women’s greater knowledge of insomnia and short sleep could be their greater likelihood to access information on health and healthy lifestyle factors, including sleep, as well as their greater health care utilization. Support N/A

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BROODING MODERATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CEREBROVASCULAR BURDEN AND VASCULAR DEPRESSION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3216 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S877-S878

Author(s):

Manuel Herrera Legon ◽

Daniel Paulson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Late Life ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Self Report ◽

Future Research ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Vascular Depression ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Objective: The vascular depression hypothesis posits that cerebrovascular burden confers risk for late-life depression. Though neuroanatomical correlates of vascular depression (prefrontal white matter hyperintensities) are well established, little is known about cognitive correlates; the identification of which may suggest therapeutic targets. Aims of this study are to examine the hypothesis that the relationship between cerebrovascular burden and depressive symptoms is moderated by brooding, a type of rumination. Method: A sample of 52 community-dwelling, stroke-free, individuals over the age of 70, without history of severe mental illness or dementia completed the Ruminative Responses Scale, and provided self-report (cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol) CVB data. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptomatology. Results: Results of a bootstrapped model were that self-reported measures of CVB predicted depressive symptomatology. This relationship was significantly moderated by brooding. Among older adults, those who self-reported high CVB and medium to elevated levels of rumination experienced disproportionately more depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: These findings suggest that brooding rumination may be one correlate of the vascular depression syndrome. Future research should examine neuroanatomical correlates of rumination among older adults, and further explore brooding as a therapeutic target for those with late-life depression.

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