scholarly journals Caregiving Across the Life Course: Life History Findings from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 797-797
Author(s):  
Marina Larkina ◽  
Jacqui Smith
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
The People ◽  
Multiple Caregiving ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Age Range

Abstract Informal caregiving, defined as unpaid care provided to a relative or friend with some sort of special need, is a topic of research across different disciplines. Previous research highlights the prevalence and heterogeneity of caregivers in terms of their age, gender, relationship with the care recipient, and the duration of care provision. However, most research focuses on a specific episode of caregiving. Little is known about the people who provide care to multiple recipients throughout their own life. To fill this gap, we examined data from the HRS Spring 2017 Life History Mail Survey (N = 3520; age range 50-101 yrs). Participants reported their relationship with people to whom they had provided unpaid care for ≥ 6 months (max 5) and listed the start and end years of care. Compared with people who had not provided care, caregivers (N = 1000, 28%) were more likely to be women, white, and currently widowed. They cared for their parents (67%), spouses (22%), children (11%), or other relatives (16%) and 30% reported providing care two or more times (M = 1.44, SD = 0.81). Respondents, who reported multiple episodes of caregiving were more likely to be women, widowed, aged between 25 and 50 at the time of first providing care. People who first cared for their spouse were less likely to report multiple caregiving episodes comparing with those who cared for parents or children. Future research will examine the health and well-being consequences associated with caregivers’ histories of providing unpaid care to others.

New Territories of Positive Life-Span Development: Wisdom and Life Longings

2009 ◽  
pp. 170-184
Author(s):  
Susanne Scheibe ◽  
Ute Kunzmann ◽  
Paul B. Baltes
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
Life Orientation ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Life Course

In search for concepts that help understand how individuals strive for growth and perfection within the boundaries and constraints of human lives, we describe theory and research on the concepts of wisdom, or expert knowledge about human nature and the life course, and Sehnsucht (life longings), the recurring and strong desire for ideal (utopian), alternative states and expressions of life. Both represent relatively new concepts on the agenda of lifespan research, originating from an interest in identifying major topics of public and humanist discourse about the potentials and constraints of life-span development and finding ways to measure them with the methods of normative psychological science. Despite their complexity and multiple meanings, progress has been made in the theory-driven operationalization of wisdom and life longings, allowing new insights into their ontogenesis and role for positive development. Emerging research shows that wisdom and life longings do not directly promote a hedonic life orientation or happiness: neither the insight that life is incomplete (wisdom) nor the experience of this incompleteness (life longings) is compatible with feelings of unequivocal joy and pleasure. Yet, there is emerging evidence that they contribute to other aspects of positive development, emphasizing personal growth, meaning, and the aligning of one's own and other's well-being. We suggest that future research should focus on the links of wisdom and life longings with multiple developmental outcomes and the possible interplay of both concepts in promoting positive development.

Perceived benefits for informal caregivers after an 8-week yoga intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Alysha A. Walter, MS, CTRS ◽  
Marieke Van Puymbroeck, PhD, CTRS, FDRT ◽  
Brent L. Hawkins, PhD, LRT/CTRS ◽  
Kathleen Woschkolup, MD ◽  
Enrique Urrea-Mendoza, MD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Data ◽  
Yoga Intervention ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Positive Aspects Of Caregiving

An informal caregiver (ICG) is a family member and/or friend who provides unpaid care to an individual with a disability or chronic disease. ICGs often put their healthcare second while caring for their loved ones; and this may lead to negative impacts on their well-being. ICGs attended an 8-week therapeutic yoga intervention for their care recipients with Parkinson’s disease. ICGs who participated in the yoga classes were assessed utilizing a retrospective pretest and traditional post-test to determine the presence of depressive symptoms and positive aspects of caregiving. Although the sample size was small, data revealed improvements in depressive symptoms and positive aspects of caregiving. Focus group and individual interview data revealed five qualitative categories: yoga engagement, relationship improvement, psychological improvements, functional improvements, and community engagement. Future research should expand participation of ICGs in yoga trials to determine the extent of changes in psychosocial well-being.

The narrative reconstruction of psychotherapy

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Adler ◽  
Dan P. McAdams
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Ego Development ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Personal Agency ◽  
Narrative Reconstruction ◽  
Current Psychological ◽  
The Life Course

Going to psychotherapy represents an atypical, usually unanticipated, and often emotionally significant experience in the life course. As with many such events, people construct stories about therapy experiences in order to make sense out of them and to provide their lives with a sense of unity and purpose. Yet beyond these purposes, the storying of psychotherapy is also central to the maintenance of the therapeutic gains achieved during the course of treatment (e.g., Frank, 1961; Spence, 1982). In the present study, the psychotherapy stories of 76 community adults are assessed using grounded theory methodology to determine narrative patterns that distinguish between individuals who currently show different constellations of psychological health. Two dimensions of current psychological health — ego development, or complex meaning making processes, and psychological well-being — serve as the basis for comparisons between participants. Four ways of storying psychotherapy are described, and preliminary interpretations for these types are suggested. In summary: participants high in ego development and high in well-being emphasized their personal agency throughout their stories; participants high in ego development and low in well-being prominently featured their therapists and pointed to the therapeutic alliance as the mechanism of treatment; participants low in ego development and high in well-being adopted components of dominant cultural narratives of therapy; and the stories of participants low in ego development and low in well-being presented an interpretive challenge, lacking a certain standard of narrative coherence. The themes we identified lay the groundwork for future research on the narrative construction of psychotherapy and may prove useful to clinicians as they strive to help their clients to co-construct successful stories about their therapeutic work together.

Examining the Influence of Care-Recipient Resistance on Family Caregiver Emotional and Physical Well-Being: Average Frequency Versus Daily Fluctuation

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumi Shirai ◽  
Susan Silverberg Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Average Frequency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Daily Fluctuation ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
The Impact

Although existing cross-sectional research suggests that dependent older family members’ resistive behavior (care-recipient [CR] resistance: verbal or nonverbal rejection or resistance toward caregiver [CG] assistance) can be challenging for informal family CGs, we know little about the impact of the occurrence patterns of CR-resistance—average frequency versus daily fluctuation—on CG emotional and physical well-being. To document CGs’ daily experiences with CR-resistance and their emotional and physical well-being, the present study applied short-term repeated measures, collecting data on 8 consecutive days from 63 CGs in Southern Arizona, the United States. Multilevel modeling of the daily data revealed that neither average frequency nor daily fluctuation in CR-resistance alone had a significant impact on CG emotional/physical health. However, the combination of experiencing relatively high frequency and high daily fluctuation in CR-resistance was associated with significant increases in CG physical health symptoms ( b = .34, p < .01). Specifically, on days when a CG faced more CR-resistance than his or her usual amount, significant increases in physical health symptoms existed for CGs with relatively high average frequency of CR-resistance, but not for CGs with relatively low average frequency of CR-resistance. Based on our results, it appears that monitoring and maintaining a reasonable level of CR-resistance are effective strategies to maintain CG resilience to the negative impact of CR-resistance daily fluctuation. The findings are interpreted in light of Stress Theory, and recommendations for future research and practical interventions are offered.

scholarly journals Barriers to Receipt of Social Care Services for Working Carers and the People They Care For in Times of Austerity

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
NICOLA BRIMBLECOMBE ◽  
LINDA PICKARD ◽  
DEREK KING ◽  
MARTIN KNAPP
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The People ◽  
The Uk

AbstractReconciliation of unpaid care and employment is an increasingly important societal, economic and policy issue, both in the UK and internationally. Previous research shows the effectiveness of formal social care services in enabling carers to remain in employment. Using quantitative and qualitative data collected from carers and the person they care for in 2013 and 2015, during a period of cuts to adult social care in England, we explore barriers experienced to receipt of social care services. The main barriers to receipt of services identified in our study were availability, characteristics of services such as quality, and attitudes of carer and care-recipient to receiving services. These barriers have particular implications for carers' ability to reconcile care and employment.

Personality and Value Preference as Predictors of Social Well-being

2020 ◽  
pp. 097168582096535
Author(s):  
Dharmendra Nath Tiwari ◽  
Girishwar Misra
Keyword(s):  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
National Capital Region ◽  
Negative Contribution ◽  
The People ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
National Capital ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Personality Disposition

This article explored the role of personality disposition and value preference as predictors of social well-being in the context of ecological setting. Ecological contexts like rural and urban are critical, particularly in a developing country like India, because they represent significant disparities and variations in the lived experiences of the people. The participants ( n = 360) from the age range of 15–65 years (M = 33.50, SD = 11.99) were drawn from two ecological settings, that is, rural (Gorakhpur Region, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India) and urban (National Capital Region of Delhi, India) and from both the genders. They completed the measures of social well-being, value preference and personality dispositions. The results showed that the different facets of social well-being were differentially related to the aspects of personality and value preference. Ecological setting had significant influence on the measures of personality disposition, value preference and social well-being. Regression analysis showed that except neuroticism, all other factors of personality had consistent positive contribution as the predictors of social well-being. It was also observed that social value and growth factors of value preference had significant contribution, whereas personal value and protection—factors of value preference—had negative contribution as the predictors of social well-being.

scholarly journals Iridescent Life Course: LGBTQ Aging Research and Blueprint for the Future – A Systematic Review

Gerontology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen I. Fredriksen Goldsen ◽  
Sarah Jen ◽  
Anna Muraco
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Life Course Framework ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Over Time

Background: LGBTQ* (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer) older adults are demographically diverse and growing populations. In an earlier 25-year review of the literature on sexual orientation and aging, we identified four waves of research that addressed dispelling negative stereotypes, psychosocial adjustment to aging, identity development, and social and community-based support in the lives of LGBTQ older adults. Objectives: The current review was designed to develop an evidence base for the field of LGBTQ aging as well as to assess the strengths and limitations of the existing research and to articulate a blueprint for future research. Methods: Using a life course framework, we applied a systematic narrative analysis of research on LGBTQ aging. The review included 66 empirical peer-reviewed journal articles (2009–2016) focusing on LGBTQ adults aged 50 years and older, as well as age-based comparisons (50 years and older with those younger). Results: A recent wave of research on the health and well-being of LGBTQ older adults was identified. Since the prior review, the field has grown rapidly. Several findings were salient, including the increas­ed application of theory (with critical theories most often used) and more varied research designs and methods. While ­existing life course theory provided a structure for the investigation of the social dimensions of LGBTQ aging, it was limited in its attention to intersectionality and the psychological, behavioral, and biological work emerging in the field. There were few studies addressing the oldest in these ­communities, bisexuals, gender non-binary older adults, intersex, ­older adults of color, and those living in poverty. ­Conclusions: The Iridescent Life Course framework highlights the interplay of light and environment, creating dynamic and fluid colors as perceived from different angles and perspectives over time. Such an approach incorporates both queering and trans-forming the life course, capturing intersectionality, fluidity over time, and the psychological, behavioral, and biological as well as social dimensions of LGBTQ aging. Work is needed that investigates trauma, differing configurations of risks and resources over the life course, inequities and opportunities in representation and capital as LGBTQ adults age, and greater attention to subgroups that remain largely invisible in existing research. More depth than breadth is imperative for the field, and multilevel, longitudinal, and global initiatives are needed.

scholarly journals SOCIAL ISOLATION, LONELINESS, AND MEN'S HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S213-S213
Author(s):  
Harry O Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Men’S Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Men's Health ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
The Social ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Strong and fulfilling relationships are important components of men’s health and well-being across the life course; however, social isolation and loneliness are important but under-assessed conditions among older men. This is important to note because older men often subscribe to common masculinity themes regarding independence and self-sufficiency which places them at greater risk for social isolation and loneliness in comparison to older women. The purpose of this presentation is to review the social isolation and loneliness literature specifically among older men by 1) discussing gender differences, and the potential mechanisms behind these differences, in social isolation and loneliness, 2) examining health, behavioral and physiological effects of social isolation and loneliness specifically among older men, and 3) providing future research directions for understanding social isolation and loneliness among older men including understanding social isolation and loneliness and their associative outcomes among diverse samples of older men.

scholarly journals Touchscreen interventions and the well-being of people with dementia and caregivers: a systematic review

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1261-1280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie Tyack ◽  
Paul M. Camic
Keyword(s):  
Learning Style ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The People ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Cochrane Reviews ◽  
Informal Carers ◽  
Key Aspects

ABSTRACTBackground:Dementia can have significant detrimental impacts on the well-being of those with the disease and their carers. A range of computer-based interventions, including touchscreen-based interventions have been researched for use with this population in the hope that they might improve psychological well-being. This article reviews touchscreen-based interventions designed to be used by people with dementia (PWD), with a specific focus in assessing their impact on well-being.Method:The data bases, PsycInfo, ASSIA, Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane Reviews were searched for touchscreen-based interventions designed to be used by PWD with reported psychological well-being outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed using Pluye and Hong's (2014) Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) checklist.Results:Sixteen papers were eligible. They covered 14 methodologically diverse interventions. Interventions were reported to be beneficial in relation to mental health, social interaction, and sense of mastery. Touchscreen interventions also reportedly benefit informal carers in relation to their perceived burden and the quality of their relationships with the people they care for. Key aspects included the user interface, provision of support, learning style, tailored content, appropriate challenge, ergonomics, and users’ dementia progression.Conclusions:Whilst much of the existing research is relatively small-scale, the findings tentatively suggest that touchscreen-based interventions can improve the psychological well-being of PWD, and possibilities for more rigorous future research are suggested.

scholarly journals Personality and Friendship Satisfaction in Daily Life: Do Everyday Social Interactions Account for Individual Differences in Friendship Satisfaction?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Edmund Wilson ◽  
Kelci Harris ◽  
Simine Vazire
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
The People ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Friendship Satisfaction

Who are the people who maintain satisfying friendships? And, what are the behaviours that might explain why those people achieve high friendship satisfaction? We examined the associations between personality (self-reports and peer-reports) and friendship satisfaction (self-reports) among 434 students. We also examined whether role personality (how people act with their friends) and quantity and quality of social interactions using ecological momentary assessment mediate the associations between personality and friendship satisfaction. Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and (low) neuroticism were associated with higher levels of friendship satisfaction. These associations could not be accounted for by individual differences in role personality. In addition, our results suggest that quantity of time spent with friends and quality of friend interactions (depth of conversation, self-disclosure and lack of emotion suppression), although associated with friendship satisfaction, do not account for the associations between trait personality and friendship satisfaction. Future research should examine other potential interpersonal processes that explain why some people are more satisfied with their friendships than others and the consequences of friendship satisfaction (e.g. for well-being).

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