scholarly journals SOCIAL CAPITAL AND HEALTH AT OLDER AGES IN GHANA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S747-S747
Author(s):  
Kojo Paul Ayernor

Abstract Significant increases in life expectancy and declining fertility confirms that population ageing is fast becoming a reality in several West African nations, and the demographic transition is expected to continue well into this century. This study examines the association between social capital, self-rated health, and depression among older adults aged 50 years and over in Ghana. It draws on a small scale, yet nationally representative longitudinal data from the Global Ageing Study (SAGE-WHO, 2003-2007). Social capital is conceptualized through four dimensions: personal control, generalized trust, safety in the community and free expression. Although there were not significant findings on social capital and depression, results demonstrated significant associations between social capital and self-rated health. The relationship between social capital and self-rated health suggests the need to extend and expand upon research regarding the relationship between social capital, health, and well-being in later life in aging African communities.

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482097252
Author(s):  
Na Sun ◽  
Cassandra L. Hua ◽  
Xiao Qiu ◽  
J. Scott Brown

Objective: This research has two primary goals: to examine the relationship between urban residence and trajectories of depressive symptoms and to investigate whether this relationship differs by social isolation and loneliness. Method: Data are from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 51+ ( n = 3,346 females and 2,441 males). We conduct latent growth curve analysis to predict both baseline and trajectories of depression based on urban or rural residency. Results: Residing in urban or rural areas is neither significantly associated with baseline nor the development of late-life depressive symptoms. For females, the relationship between urban residence and baseline depressive symptoms is explained by socioeconomic factors. Discussion: Findings of this study serve to better understand how social and geographic contexts shape long-term well-being of older adults.


2020 ◽  
pp. 089826432098124
Author(s):  
Ju Young Kim ◽  
Hanzhang Xu ◽  
Grace Cruz ◽  
Yasuhiko Saito ◽  
Truls Østbye

Objectives: Later-life re-partnership has been linked to healthy aging, but little is known about Philippine older adults’ perception of love and remarriage in older age. Methods: Using two nationally representative surveys on aging in the Philippines, we estimated the proportion of older adults reporting acceptance. Using weighted logistic regression, we assessed sociodemographic and health factors associated with acceptance as well as the relationship of this acceptance with social activity and health behaviors. Results: Only seventeen percent of respondents reported acceptance. Per multivariable analyses, unmarried men and married women reported acceptance, and acceptance was associated with increased social activity and smoking in men, less smoking in women, and more drinking in both genders. Discussion: Most older adults in the Philippines reported love and remarriage in old age as unacceptable. Through these results, we can understand how attitudes toward later-life relationship impact older adults’ health and well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Massoomeh Hedayati ◽  
Aldrin Abdullah ◽  
Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki

There is continuous debate on the impact of house quality on residents’ health and well-being. Good living environment improves health, and fear of crime is recognised as a mediator in the relationship between physical environment and health. Since minimal studies have investigated the relationship, this study aims to examine the impact of the house quality on fear of crime and health. A total of 230 households from a residential neighbourhood in Malaysia participated in the study. Using structural equation modelling, the findings indicate that housing quality and fear of crime can account for a proportion of the variance in residents’ self-rated health. However, there is no significant relationship between housing quality and fear of crime. Results also show that fear of crime does not mediate the relationship between housing quality and health. This study suggests that the environment-fear relationship should be re-examined theoretically.  


Author(s):  
Kazuya Nogi ◽  
Haruhiko Imamura ◽  
Keiko Asakura ◽  
Yuji Nishiwaki

Previous studies have shown both positive and non-positive associations between social capital and health. However, longitudinal evidence examining its comprehensive effects on well-being is still limited. This study examined whether structural social capital in the local community was related to the later well-being of Japanese people aged 40 or above. A 3.6-year longitudinal study was conducted in a rural Japanese town. “Well-being” was measured using three indicators (happiness, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms), and those who were high in well-being in the baseline 2015 survey and responded to the follow-up 2018 survey were analyzed (n = 1032 for happiness, 938 for self-rated health, and 471 for depressive symptoms). Multilevel Poisson regression analysis adjusted for covariates showed that having contact with fewer neighbors was associated with a decline in happiness at both the community level (adjusted relative risk = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.20–1.63) and the individual level (adjusted relative risk = 1.51, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–2.17), but participation in local community activities was not. The results suggest that dense personal networks might be more important in areas with thriving local community activities, not only for individuals but also for all community members.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bozick

Abstract Background Self-rated health (SRH) is one of the most commonly used summary measures of overall health and well-being available to population scientists due to its ease of administration in large-scale surveys and to its efficacy in predicting mortality. This paper assesses the extent to which SRH is affected by its placement before or after questions about bodyweight on a survey, and whether differences in placement on the questionnaire affects SRH’s predictive validity. Methods I assessed the validity of SRH in predicting the risk of mortality by comparing outcomes of sample members who were asked to rate their health before reporting on their bodyweight (the control group) and sample members who were asked to rate their health after reporting on their bodyweight (the treatment group). Both the control and treatment group were randomly assigned via an experiment administered as a module in a nationally representative sample of adults in the USA in 2019 (N = 2523). Results The odds of reporting a more favorable appraisal of health are 30% lower for sample members who were in the treatment group when compared with the control group. Additionally, the SRH of treatment group members is significantly associated with their risk of mortality, while the SRH of control group members is not. Conclusion The findings from this study suggest that for researchers to maximize the utility of SRH, closer attention needs to be paid to the context of the survey within which it asked. SRH is highly sensitive to the questions that precede it, and this sensitivity may in turn mischaracterize the true health of the population that the survey is intending to measure.


Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Szcześniak ◽  
Grażyna Bielecka ◽  
Iga Bajkowska ◽  
Anna Czaprowska ◽  
Daria Madej

An extensive review of the psychological literature shows that interactions between religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles and other aspects of human functioning are complex and affected by “third” factors. Still, we have only a few studies that confirm R/S struggles as a source of well-being and indicate the ways in which it happens. In the present study, we aimed to verify whether the relationship between R/S struggles and life satisfaction was mediated by dispositional gratitude that seems to offer protection in times of adversity and turmoil. The sample consisted of 440 Roman Catholics (331 women) from Poland aged between 18 and 40. We applied the Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Gratitude Questionnaire. In line with our hypotheses, it was confirmed that respondents with higher life satisfaction were more likely to display a higher sense of trust in God. They also declared a lower fear/guilt and perception of God as abandoning people. Gratitude correlated positively and significantly with religious comfort, and negatively with emotions towards God and social interactions surrounding religion. Moreover, it can be affirmed that dispositional gratitude mediated the relationship between three of four dimensions of religious strain and life satisfaction: religious comfort, negative emotions towards God, and negative social interactions surrounding religion.


Author(s):  
Megan Sullivan

The understanding of the relationship between a parent’s incarceration and a child’s outcomes has continued to evolve since the 1950s. Until very recently, however, most researchers have undertaken small-scale studies focused on the period when the parent is imprisoned, and most advocates and practitioners have had few resources at their disposal. All educators benefit from understanding how and why children of incarcerated parents may need support and from recognizing gaps in research. This chapter addresses developmental and other associated outcomes of parental incarceration and offers concrete practices schools can use to support children. In order to most effectively help students, school-based professionals should recognize the myriad ways parental incarceration impacts children’s emotional, physical, social and academic well-being.


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