People Internalized More Attitudes Toward Aging During the Pandemic

Abstract Older adults are viewed as being vulnerable to COVID-19. Previous research revealed that individuals would internalize or dissociate with attitudes toward aging when they aged. In this study, data collected before the COVID-19 pandemic were compared with those collected during the pandemic to assess whether the pandemic might make older adults internalize or dissociate with attitudes toward aging to a greater extent.123 Hong Kong participants (50.4% females, M=60.59±13.28 years old) were recruited in a two-wave survey (wave 1 in 2018 and wave 2 in 2020) on attitudes toward aging and future self-views. After comparing the correlations between attitudes toward aging and future self-views in the two waves, we found stronger positive correlations between these 2 variables in wave 2 than in wave 1 in the personality and finance domains, but not in the family, independence, or health domains. These findings suggest that internalization of attitudes toward aging might be domain-specific. The pandemic might make older adults more likely to internalize positive personality attitudes toward aging and negative finance attitudes toward aging into their future self-views. Professionals may consider utilizing the internalization process to promote a positive attitude toward aging during the pandemic.

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Present-Future Self-Continuity and Intergenerational Communication as Predictors of Young Adults’ Evaluations of Older Adults and Attitudes Toward Aging

Journal of Language and Social Psychology ◽

10.1177/0261927x211068539 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0261927X2110685

Author(s):

Jessica Gasiorek

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Intergenerational Communication ◽

Perceived Similarity ◽

Attitudes Toward Aging ◽

Future Self

This study examined how young adults’ perceived similarity to their future self at age 70 ( present-future self-continuity) and experiences of environmental “chatter” about aging predicted their views of older adults, and their anxiety and efficacy related to aging. Experiencing nonaccommodation from older adults predicted greater anxiety, lower efficacy, and more negative views of older adults; greater present-future self-continuity predicted higher efficacy about aging. Young adults’ present-future self-continuity also moderated the effects of accommodation from older adults on these outcomes.

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Intimacy as a Distinct Construct: Validating the Intimacy Scale among Older Adults of Residential Care Homes in Hong Kong

The Open Family Studies Journal ◽

10.2174/1874922401507010060 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 60-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wallace C.H. Chan ◽

Siu M. To ◽

Karen L.Y. Wong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Residential Care ◽

Care Homes ◽

Limited Attention ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Chinese Context ◽

The Family ◽

Positive Correlations

Objectives: Intimacy is a construct that has received limited attention in the Chinese context. This study aimed to validate the Intimacy Scale among older adults in residential care homes in Hong Kong. Methods: Seventy-eight Chinese older adults were invited to respond to the Chinese version of the scale and other measurements validating the scale. Results: The scale demonstrated good internal consistency and item-total correlation. Correlations supported the construct validity of the scale: significant positive correlations were found between perceived intimacy with the family caregiver and life satisfaction, presence of meaning and perceived family support. No correlation was found between intimacy and frequency of the family caregiver’s visit. Conclusion: We found the Intimacy Scale to be a valid measurement for assessing the quality of the relationship between older adults and family caregivers in the Hong Kong Chinese context. Assessing how older adults perceive the level of intimacy with family caregivers is important for helping professionals when working with older adults and their family members.

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Attitudes Toward Aging: A Glance Back at Research Developments Over the Past 75 Years

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbz155 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 75 (6) ◽

pp. 1125-1129

Author(s):

Li Chu ◽

Jennifer C Lay ◽

Vivian Hiu Ling Tsang ◽

Helene H Fung

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Future Directions ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

The Past ◽

Different Types ◽

Attitudes Toward Aging ◽

Perceptions Of Aging ◽

Aging Attitudes ◽

Global Aging

Abstract With global aging, it is crucial to understand how older adults and the process of aging are viewed by members of society. These attitudes can often influence how older adults are treated. Since the Journal of Gerontology was founded, we have gained increasing insights into attitudes toward aging, with several notable research developments, including clearer conceptualization of different types of aging attitudes (e.g., life-domain-specific attitudes and self-perceptions of aging), a wider variety of measurements, better understanding of how different social determinants shape aging attitudes, and more sophisticated investigations of cultural variance and invariance in aging attitudes. In this article, we highlight these major shifts in the field of aging attitudes in the past 75 years, discuss the contributions of these developments, and point to potential future directions.

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The Hidden Cost of Age Oppression: Adultism, Ageism, and Interest in Serving Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1996 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 594-594

Author(s):

Katherine King ◽

Kirsten Graham ◽

Briana Reid ◽

Molly Church ◽

Juan Rosario

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Doctoral Students ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Clinical Psychology ◽

Career Choices ◽

Hidden Cost ◽

Psychology Doctoral Students ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Psychology Doctoral

Abstract Adultism is an underappreciated influence on young adults’ career choices and a hidden contributing factor to the geropsychology workforce shortage. This study reports on the development of an Adultist Concerns scale and its correlations with several factors relevant to careers in aging. Clinical psychology doctoral students (n = 109) completed the new scale along with measures of ageism, training interests, and experience working with older adults. The Adultist Concerns scale had strong internal consistency (α = .952) and factor loadings .853 and .929. Females scored significantly higher than males (p = .003). There were significant positive correlations between Adultist Concerns and both overall ageist behaviors (p = .002) and negative ageist behaviors specifically (p = .002). Adultist concerns were significantly negatively correlated with age (p = .000), interest in working with older adults (p = .003), and experience with this population (p = .043).

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Dental Care Use, Edentulism, and Systemic Health among Older Adults

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/00220345211019018 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002203452110190

Author(s):

C.D. Meyerhoefer ◽

J.V. Pepper ◽

R.J. Manski ◽

J.F. Moeller

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Chronic Illness ◽

Dental Care ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Past Research ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Systemic Health ◽

Time Invariant ◽

Retirement Study

Past research suggests there are systematic associations between oral health and chronic illness among older adults. Although causality has not yet been credibly established, periodontitis has been found to be associated with higher risk of both heart disease and stroke. We advance this literature by estimating the direct association between dental care use and systemic health using multiple waves of the 1992 to 2016 Health and Retirement Study. Through the inclusion of individual fixed effects in our regression models, we account for unobservable time-invariant characteristics of individuals that might otherwise bias estimates of the association between dental care use and health. We find statistically significant negative associations between dental care use and the number of health conditions, self-reported overall health, the incidence of heart disease, and the incidence of stroke. In particular, the use of dental care within the past 2 y is associated with a 2.7% reduction in the likelihood of being diagnosed with a heart condition and a reduction in the likelihood of a stroke diagnosis of between 5.3% and 11.6%. We also find large positive correlations between edentulism and the measures of chronic illness. Associations from models estimated separately for men and women are qualitatively similar to one another. These findings provide additional motivation for the consideration of a Medicare dental benefit.

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The Relationship between Dynamic Balance and Jumping Tests among Adolescent Amateur Rugby Players. A Preliminary Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010312 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 312

Author(s):

Bartosz Wilczyński ◽

Jakub Hinca ◽

Daniel Ślęzak ◽

Katarzyna Zorena

Keyword(s):

Injury Risk ◽

Dynamic Balance ◽

Study Data ◽

Balance Test ◽

Risk Of Injury ◽

Counter Movement Jump ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

The Relationship ◽

Rugby Players

Rugby is a demanding contact sport. In light of research, poor balance, reduced jumping ability, muscle strength, and incorrect landing patterns might contribute to the increased risk of injury in athletes. Investigating the relationship between tests assessing these abilities might not only allow for the skillful programming of preventive training but also helps in assessing the risk of injury to athletes. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dynamic balance, vertical and horizontal jumps, and jump-landings movement patterns. Thirty-one healthy amateur adolescent rugby players (age: 14.3 ± 1.6 years, height 171.4 ± 9.7 cm, body mass 80 ± 26 kg) participated in the study. Data were collected by the Y-balance Test (YBT), Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), Single Leg Hop for Distance (SLHD), and Landing Error Score System (LESS). Significant positive correlations were found between SLHD both legs (SLHDb) and YBT Composite both legs (COMb) (r = 0.51, p = 0.0037) and between SLHDb and CMJ (r = 0.72, p < 0.0001). A relationship was also observed between the CMJ and YBT COMb test (r = 0.51, p = 0.006). Moderate positive correlations were found between the dominant legs in SLHD and the posterolateral (r = 0.40, p = 0.027), posteromedial (r = 0.43, p = 0.014), and composite (r = 0.48, p = 0.006) directions of the YBT. These results indicate that variables that are dependent on each other can support in the assessment of injury-risk and in enhancing sports performance of young athletes.

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The media image of Chinese older people: From stigmatic stereotype to diverse self-representation

Global Media and China ◽

10.1177/20594364211012513 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 205943642110125

Author(s):

Kun Li

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older People ◽

Old Age ◽

Media Studies ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Media Image ◽

Past Life ◽

The Media ◽

Leisure And Recreation ◽

Chinese Older People

From the perspective of communication and media studies, this article explores a comparison between the image of older adults presented on media and online self-representation facilitated by the use of smartphones. The qualitative textual analysis was conducted with a sample (228 posts, from 1 January to 31 December,2019) selected from a representative WeChat Public Account targeting at older adults in China. The results demonstrate that leisure and recreation is the most frequently mentioned topic (58%) with memories of past life receiving the least references (3%). The striking features of popular posts among older people include a highly emotional tone, bright colours and multimedia. Sentiment analyses shows 68.42%, 13.16% and 18.42% of positive, neutral and negative emotions, respectively. A generally positive attitude of self-representation is in a sharp contrast with the stigmatic media image of older adults. The article concludes that the visibility of Chinese older people may help to reduce the stigma surrounding old age in China.

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