scholarly journals HELPING OTHERS IS A MIXED BLESSING: IMPLICATIONS FOR DAILY WELL-BEING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S235-S235
Author(s):  
Meng Huo ◽  
Yee Ng ◽  
Karen Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
Mixed Blessing ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Abstract The literature documents mixed findings regarding how helping others influences individuals’ mental and physical health. We assessed various types of support that older adults offered (e.g., emotional, practical, advice) and examined how helping others was associated with older adults’ daily mood and physical activity. This study utilized data from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study, where 293 participants aged 65+ reported on their helping behaviors and mood at the end of each day across 5 days. Participants also wore Actical accelerometers to track physical activity. Multilevel models revealed that older adults reported greater negative mood and less physical activity on days when they provided emotional support. Yet, giving advice was associated with increased positive mood that day. Moreover, older adults spent less time being sedentary on days when they offered practical help. This study offers insights into psychological and health consequences of helping others by examining older adults’ everyday lives.

scholarly journals Social Encounters and Mood: The Moderating Role of Narcissism

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 250-250
Author(s):  
Karen Fingerman ◽  
Shiyang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Social Encounters ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Abstract Social contacts may lead to more positive and less negative emotions in late life, yet we know little about how narcissism influences such associations, and whether contacts with close and not-close social partners impact mood differently. This study examined associations between social contacts, narcissism, and mood on the within- and between- person level. Older adults aged 65 + (N = 303) completed ecological momentary assessments in which they reported social contacts and mood every 3 hours for 5 to 6 days. Older adults had higher positive mood after contacting either close or not-close social partners, but only not-close social partners reduced negative mood. Multilevel models found positive associations between average social contacts number and positive mood among people scored lower on narcissism, and positive associations between social contacts and negative mood for those who scored higher on narcissism. Findings suggest the necessity of considering interpersonal differences in interventions targeting well-being.

scholarly journals Urban Adolescence: The Role of Neighbourhood Greenspace in Mental Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie A. E. Mueller ◽  
Eirini Flouri
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Urban Adolescents ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Antisocial Behaviour ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mental Well Being

Mental health and well-being in adolescence are associated with many short- and long-term outcomes. The evidence suggests that greenspace may play a role in adolescents' mental well-being, but we do not know much about the specifics of this link. In this paper, we investigated the role of other factors in the association. In a cross-sectional study, we investigated the role of neighbourhood greenspace in emotional and behavioural outcomes in 11-year-old urban adolescents participating in the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 4,534). We used linear regression models to test for an association of greenspace with self-esteem, happiness, positive mood, negative mood, and antisocial behaviour. We also investigated effect modification/moderation by garden access, physical activity, and perceived area safety. We did not find a main effect of greenspace, but we did find interaction effects. First, in adolescents without a garden, higher levels of greenspace were associated with lower levels of self-esteem and positive mood. Second, in adolescents who reported lower levels of physical activity, higher levels of greenspace were associated with lower levels of negative mood. Third, in adolescents who perceived their areas to be unsafe, higher levels of greenspace were associated with higher levels of antisocial behaviour. Our findings suggest that merely more greenspace in the neighbourhood may not be sufficient to promote the mental well-being of urban adolescents in the UK. However, greenspace does seem to have an influence under certain conditions which should be investigated further in future studies.

scholarly journals Older adults’ empathy and daily support exchanges

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 3814-3834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Huo ◽  
Jamie L. Fuentecilla ◽  
Kira S. Birditt ◽  
Karen L. Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Instrumental Support ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
Social Partners

Older adults’ empathy may shape the frequency and types of support that they exchange with their social partners as well as the implications of these exchanges. This study drew on the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study, which included adults aged 65 and over and tracked them across 5–6 days using mobile phone surveys. Participants ( n = 293) rated their empathy and reported their daily support exchanges (e.g., emotional support, instrumental support, advice) as well as mood. Findings showed that more empathic older adults provided each type of support more often. They also received more emotional support than less empathic older adults. Moreover, older adults’ empathy moderated the associations between providing support and their daily mood. More empathic older adults maintained their mood regardless of whether they provided support. By contrast, less empathic older adults reported reduced positive mood on days when they provided emotional support and increased positive mood when they provided instrumental support. Greater empathy is associated with more frequent support exchanges; however, more empathic older adults appear immune to such exchanges in terms of their mood. Interestingly, less empathic older adults may find providing emotional support draining but instrumental support rewarding, probably because they are less equipped to cope with others’ emotions.

scholarly journals TAKING A BREAK: DAILY RESPITE EFFECTS OF ADULT DAY SERVICE AS ACTUAL TIME AWAY FROM CAREGIVING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S595-S595
Author(s):  
Molly J Wylie ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Yin Liu ◽  
Steven H Zarit
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Diary Data ◽  
Break Time ◽  
Time Away

Abstract Adult day service (ADS) can provide emotional and physical relief for caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD). Studies have examined differences between caregivers of service users and non-users; less known, however, is how actual hours away from caregiving responsibilities through using ADS impact caregivers’ daily outcomes. Using daily diary data from 173 family caregivers whose relatives are using ADS (day N = 1,359), this study investigated within-person differences in respite hours across 8 consecutive days and how daily respite hours are associated with daily well-being (i.e., mood and health symptoms). On average, caregivers reported 7.12 respite hours on ADS days and 1.74 respite hours on non-ADS days. Multilevel models revealed that having more respite hours is associated with better positive mood, but not with negative mood and health symptoms – after controlling for ADS use. Further, when caregivers perceived more break time from caregiving responsibilities, they showed better positive mood.

scholarly journals Daily Social Media Use, Social Ties, and Emotional Well-Being in Later Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 301-302
Author(s):  
Karen Fingerman ◽  
Yijung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Media Use

Abstract Research has seldom explored older adults’ daily social media use and its interface with ‘offline’ social ties. Using data from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study (N = 310; Mage = 73.96), we investigated whether more daily social media use was associated with the same-day negative or positive mood in later life, and how these associations varied with older adults’ daily social encounters and social network structure. More daily social media use was associated with less same-day negative mood. Additionally, more daily social media use was associated with less negative mood on days with more in-person encounters, compared to the days with fewer in-person encounters. More daily social media use was also associated with more positive mood for individuals with a relatively small social network, but not for their counterparts. Post-hoc analyses supported a compensatory function of social media for those older adults lacking social connections in their daily lives.

scholarly journals Resilience at Information Processing Level in Older Adults: Maintained Attention for Happy Faces when Positive Mood is Low

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ineke Demeyer ◽  
Inke Urbain ◽  
Rudi De Raedt
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Processing Level ◽  
Age Related

AbstractEven though ageing is associated with declining cognitive capabilities, research has demonstrated an age-related improvement in affective well-being. This improvement can be related to increased resilience, developing as changes in emotion regulation at information-processing level. During negative mood, emotion regulation becomes a priority as demonstrated by an increased preference for positive over negative information in older adults. However, the effect of a positive mood on older adult’s attentional preferences has not been established yet. To investigate this, 37 older adults were randomly assigned to a relaxation or a control condition (music). Mood state was assessed before and after the manipulation. Attentional bias was measured by an exogenous cueing task, in which the location of the target was correctly or incorrectly cued by happy, sad or neutral facial pictures. Both groups showed a decrease in negative mood (p < .001, 95% CI [2.73, 5.97], d = .82) without changes in positive mood. The relaxation group showed a significantly bigger increase in feeling relaxed (p = .017, η2p = .15). No significant group differences were found for attentional bias. However, over the whole group, less positive mood after the manipulation was associated with more maintained attention for positive information (r = –.49, p < .01). These results indicate that older adults deploy emotion regulation strategies in attention during low positive mood. Flexible attentional processing of emotional information might serve as a resilience factor to maintain well-being during later stages of life.

scholarly journals Friendships in Old Age: Daily Encounters and Emotional Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yee To Ng ◽  
Meng Huo ◽  
Marci E Gleason ◽  
Lisa A Neff ◽  
Susan T Charles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Stressful Experiences ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Abstract Objectives Having friends in old age is linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Yet, we know little about older adults’ emotional experiences when they encounter friends throughout the day. This study examined whether older adults reported (a) more pleasantness, (b) fewer conversations about stressful experiences, and (c) better mood when they had contact with friends compared to when they had contact with other social partners or were alone throughout the day. We also examined whether these experiences varied by the friendship closeness. Method Adults aged 65+ (n = 313) from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study provided background information and listed and described their close social partners. Participants then completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys every 3 hr for 5 to 6 days where they reported their encounters with social partners, rated the pleasantness and indicated whether they discussed stressful issues during these encounters, and rated positive and negative mood. Results Multilevel models revealed that encounters with friends were more pleasant and were associated with fewer discussions about stressful experiences compared to encounters with romantic partners or family members throughout the day. Encounters with friends were also associated with better mood, though this link only held for encounters with friends who were not considered close. Discussion Findings are discussed in terms of functionalist theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, relationship ambivalence, and the benefits of less close ties. This work facilitates the understanding of how daily contact with friends can promote older adults’ emotional well-being.

scholarly journals Physical Activity, Social Support, and Mood in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 726-726
Author(s):  
Morgan Inman ◽  
Clare Murphy ◽  
Jessica Strong
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Mood States

Abstract Research shows that increased physical activity is associated with improved mood and reduced symptoms of depression in older adults. Prior research has also found that loneliness and social isolation have a significant impact on the mental and physical well-being of older adults, with higher amounts of social connectedness and social activity associated with more frequent positive mood states. Overall social isolation is increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this could have a large impact on the physical and mental health of older adults. A group of 36 community dwelling older adults (Mean age = 70.5) completed questionnaires measuring physical activity, social activity, and social support, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses found that perceived social support and average social network size significantly predicted positive mood states (F(2,33)=3.32, p&lt;0.05) accounting for 16.7% of the variance, with a large effect. After adding average number of hours of sedentary activity the model was not significant. Perceived social support was more predictive of positive mood (β=0.32) compared to network size (β=0.17). There was a trend for the same three variables to predict negative mood (F(3,32)=2.76, p=0.06) accounting for 22% of the variance. Sedentary behaviour was the most predictive (t=2.68, p&lt;0.05, β= 0.49). This suggests that perceived social support is most predictive of positive mood, and sedentary behaviour is predictive of negative mood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals HIS AND HER EVERYDAY LIFE: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN OLDER ADULTS’ SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S58-S58
Author(s):  
Meng Huo ◽  
Karen L Fingerman ◽  
Yee To Ng
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Reduced Physical Activity ◽  
Older Men And Women

Abstract The literature links social integration to better physical health, but little research asks how contact with diverse social partners influences older adults’ physical activity in a daily context. We examined this link using the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study and explored whether this link varied by gender. The sample included 175 older women and 138 older men who reported their contact with close partners (e.g., family/friend) and not-close partners (e.g., acquaintances) throughout each day across 5 days. Participants also wore Actical accelerometers to track physical activity. Multilevel models revealed significant gender differences. Older men had reduced physical activity when having contact with close partners, whereas older women maintained physical activity during such contact. Both older men and women had increased physical activity when having contact with not-close partners, but this link was stronger for men. This study advances our understanding of gender differences in older adults’ social experiences and well-being.

scholarly journals Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-481
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p&lt;0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p&lt;0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p&lt;0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p&lt;0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.

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