scholarly journals Better Off Alone: Daily Solitude Is Associated With Lower Negative Affect in More Conflictual Social Networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1152-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kira S Birditt ◽  
Jasmine A Manalel ◽  
Heidi Sommers ◽  
Gloria Luong ◽  
Karen L Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Network Quality ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Older adults are often considered at risk for social isolation. Little is known, however, about how often older adults lack social contact (in person, phone, electronic) throughout the day, the implications of lacking contact (i.e., solitude), and whether the effects of solitude vary by the broader social context. Research Design and Methods Participants were from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study (DEWS) which included 313 older adults (aged 65+) who completed baseline interviews followed by 5–6 days of ecological momentary assessments approximately every 3 hr. Results Individuals reported having no social contact (i.e., solitude) on 11% of the occasions. Solitude predicted lower negative and positive affect on those occasions. The solitude-negative affect link varied by social network quality. Solitude predicted lower negative affect among individuals with more conflictual social networks but not among those with less conflictual networks. Discussion and Implications Overall, solitude may serve as an adaptive strategy for individuals embedded in demanding or irritating social contexts.

scholarly journals Day-to-Day Contact and Help Among Neighbors Measured in the Natural Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Seifert
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Empirical evidence suggests that the concept of “neighboring” (i.e., social contact and social support within a neighborhood) is related to between-person differences in well-being among older adults. However, little is known about the within-person differences in older adults’ everyday lives, which limits the ecological validity of prior findings. This study examined within-person associations between neighboring and the existence of positive valence, loneliness, and attachment to one’s neighborhood. Research Design and Methods The sample consisted of 4,620 observations of 20 days, drawn from 77 adults aged between 61 and 90 years. A mobile application on a smartphone was used for data collection. Results The results of the multilevel analysis suggest that daily contact with one’s neighbors was not significantly associated with daily positive valence, but it was positively related to daily feelings of not being alone and daily attachment to one’s neighborhood. Discussion and Implications The study makes noteworthy contributions to the field of gerontology by applying a micro-longitudinal research design to assess real-life within-person information.

scholarly journals Age Moderates Perceived COVID-19 Disruption on Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Knepple Carney ◽  
Allyson S Graf ◽  
Grace Hudson ◽  
Ellen Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives It is not fully understood how large-scale events affect well-being. Older adults showed the highest levels of resilience following the September 11th (9/11) terrorist attacks, but during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, there were no age-related differences in well-being. The current study examined the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disruption on well-being throughout adulthood. Research Design and Methods Perceived stress and affect were examined in 166 community-dwelling adults (Mage = 35.65; SD = 15.53; range = 18–79) in relation to the perceived disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic to their lives. Results A significant moderation was found for age and COVID-19 disruption on perceived stress [F(5, 153) = 8.88, p < .05, R2 = .22] and negative affect [F(5, 154) = 4.91, p < .05, R2 = .14], but not for positive affect. For participants over 50, those who rated COVID-19 as a low or high disruption had similar scores on stress and negative affect, but with younger aged participants, perceiving high disruption corresponded with higher levels of stress and negative affect. Discussion and Implications Findings are consistent with the strength and vulnerability integration (SAVI) model, wherein older adults try to maintain positive emotional well-being, with middle-aged and older adults in the current study having experienced less negative impact on well-being. Middle-aged and older adults may be better able to regulate negative emotions from COVID-19 than younger adults. SAVI proposes a greater negative impact on older adults when they experience sustained stressors; as the challenges with COVID-19 continue, further data will need to be examined.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of an App-Based Mindfulness-Meditation Program Among Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leeann Mahlo ◽  
Tim D Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
The Body ◽  
Study Interval ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Few studies have focused on the utility of mindfulness-meditation for well-being in older adults. The present study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an app-based mindfulness-meditation program among older adults. Research Design and Methods A community-based sample of 46 participants aged between 63 and 81 (M = 70.85, SD = 4.70) engaged with a 30-day app-based mindfulness-meditation program for 10 min daily on their smartphones. Each meditation session comprised focusing on the breath, mentally scanning the body, monitoring the mind’s activity, and cultivating a nonjudgmental orientation toward experiences. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, day 10, and day 30. Results On average, participants completed 25 sessions and almost 4 h of application use across the 30 days. Results of linear mixed effects models showed significant improvements in positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction across the study interval, but no meaningful change in total mindfulness or perceived stress. Furthermore, relative to high levels of smartphone efficacy, low smartphone efficacy was associated with higher perceived stress and negative affect, and less life satisfaction at baseline; and steeper improvements on these outcomes across the study interval. On average, older adults rated the app-based mindfulness-meditation training as interesting, enjoyable, valuable, and useful. Discussion and Implications The findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of an app-based mindfulness-meditation program with community-dwelling older adults and demonstrate potential benefits for well-being. Results suggest the value of further research investigating the efficacy of digital mindfulness-meditation interventions for older adults via larger randomized controlled trials.

Social Contact Frequency and Pain among Older Adults with HIV: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S Herbert ◽  
Jennalee S Wooldridge ◽  
Emily W Paolillo ◽  
Colin A Depp ◽  
Raeanne C Moore
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Momentary Assessment

Abstract Background Social relationships are important for pain management among individuals with HIV, but the impact of daily social contact on pain responses in real-time, real-world settings has never been specifically examined. Purpose The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between social contact frequency and pain, and the role of negative and positive affect in this relationship among older adults with HIV using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Methods A total of 66 (Mage = 59.3, SD = 6.3, range: 50–74) older adults with HIV completed EMA surveys that included social contact frequency, pain level, and negative and positive affect four times per day for 2 weeks. Mixed-effects regression models were used to examine concurrent and lagged associations between social contact frequency, pain, and negative and positive affect. Results Greater recent social contact frequency was associated with less severe current pain (unstandardized B = −0.04, 95% CI: −0.08, −0.01, p = .014), while greater current pain was associated with lower subsequent social contact frequency (unstandardized B = −0.07, 95% CI: −0.11, −0.03, p < .001). Further, higher current negative affect was related to greater current pain, and this relationship was dampened by increased recent social contact frequency (unstandardized B = −0.17, 95% CI: −0.26, −0.08, p < .001). Neither negative nor positive affect was significantly associated with the relationship between current pain and subsequent social contact frequency. Conclusions Social contact frequency and pain are bidirectionally and inversely associated among older adults with HIV. Further, recent social contact influences current pain by attenuating negative affect. Together, these results highlight the need to address social engagement in interventions for pain among older adults with HIV.

scholarly journals Reactive, Agentic, Apathetic, or Challenged? Aging, Emotion, and Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel A Young ◽  
Christian E Waugh ◽  
Alyssa R Minton ◽  
Susan T Charles ◽  
Claudia M Haase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Advanced age is generally associated with improved emotional well-being, but the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a global stressor that gravely threatened the physical well-being and ostensibly challenged the emotional well-being of older adults disproportionately. The current study investigated differences in emotional experiences and coping strategies between younger and older adults during the pandemic, and whether these differences were accounted for by age differences in appraisal of the pandemic. Research Design and Methods We asked younger (n = 181) and older adult (n = 176) participants to report their stress, appraisals the pandemic, emotions, and the ways in which they were coping with the pandemic. Results Results indicated that older adults experienced less stress and less negative affect and used greater problem-focused coping and less avoidant coping in response to the pandemic than younger adults. Further, age differences in affect and coping were partially accounted for by age differences in appraisals of the pandemic. Discussion and Implications Despite their objectively higher risk of illness and death due to the pandemic, older adults experienced less negative affect and used more agentic coping strategies than younger adults.

scholarly journals CHATTIER WITH FRIENDS: OLDER ADULTS’ DAILY SOCIAL CONTACT AND CONVERSATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S172-S173
Author(s):  
Yee To Ng ◽  
Meng Huo ◽  
Karen Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Abstract Studies suggest conversation improves cognitive skills among older adults. While contact with family members is common in late life, contact with friends and acquaintances is relatively less frequent. Yet, we know little about how often older adults engage in conversation when they have contact with different social partners. This study used data from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study to investigate how older adults talk with different social partners on a daily basis. Participants (N = 303) completed an initial interview about their social partners and reported on their contact with each social partner in ecological momentary assessments every 3 hours across 5 to 6 days. Participants also wore Electronically Activated Recorders (EAR), which captured snippets of their daily conversation. Findings revealed that contact with family members (e.g., spouse, children, siblings) occurred most often, with less frequent contact with other social partners (e.g., acquaintances, neighbors), and then friends. Multilevel models also revealed that participants talked more (i.e., saying more words in each 30-second snippet and had a greater proportion of snippets when they talked) when they had contact with their friends than when they had contact with family members or other social partners. Results from these multiple methods suggest that daily contact with friends could potentially encourage conversation that may facilitate cognitive functioning among older adults.

scholarly journals Ecological Momentary Assessment of Social Contact Satisfaction and Momentary Affect in Chinese Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 816-816
Author(s):  
Huiying Liu ◽  
Vivian Lou
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Multilevel Modelling ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Momentary Assessment

Abstract Previous researches have examined the influences of satisfaction with social relations on affective well-being on a long time-frame among older adults. Using the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method, we examined within-person changes in social contact satisfaction in relation to momentary affect on short time-scales in 78 community-dwelling older Chinese. Each participant provided up to 7 EMA surveys per day during a one-week period and reported his/her satisfaction, positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Multilevel modelling was used for testing the within-person concurrent and time-lagged relations of social interactions and affect. Higher satisfaction was concurrently associated with more PA and less NA. The satisfaction of prior contact was predictive of greater low-arousal PA during the next contact. Prior NA was predictive of lower satisfaction at the next contact. Such dynamic interplays of social and affective experiences should be considered to support the maintenance of affective well-beings in older Chinese.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Stresses and Joys

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda R Whitehead ◽  
Emily Torossian
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Coping Theory ◽  
Concern For Others ◽  
Stress Experience ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is experienced differently across individuals, and older adults’ different life experiences lead to a variety of ways of coping. The present study explores older adults’ reports of what about the pandemic is stressful, and what brings joy and comfort in the midst of stress. Research Design and Methods An online survey asked 825 U.S. adults aged 60 and older to complete questionnaires assessing 3 psychological well-being indicators: perceived stress, negative affect, and positive affect. Participants also responded to open-ended questions about what was stressful and what brought joy or comfort at the time of the survey. A mixed-method approach first qualitatively analyzed the open-ended responses, content analysis identified themes most frequently reported, and quantitative analysis examined the associations between various stressors and joys and the psychological well-being indicators. Results Qualitative analysis revealed 20 stress categories and 21 joy/comfort categories. The most commonly reported stressors were confinement/restrictions, concern for others, and isolation/loneliness; the most commonly reported sources of joy/comfort were family/friend relationships, digital social contact, and hobbies. Demographic comparisons revealed variations in experience. Independent t tests revealed stress from concern for others, the unknown future, and contracting the virus to be significantly associated with poorer psychological well-being; faith, exercise/self-care, and nature were associated with more positive psychological well-being. Discussion and Implications Results are discussed in the context of stress and coping theory, highlighting the importance of understanding the unique stress experience of each individual for effective distress intervention.

Initially Negative Affect Predicts Lower Satisfaction With Future Social Contact: A Time-Lagged Analysis Using Ecological Momentary Assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiying Liu ◽  
Boye Fang ◽  
Yuekang Li ◽  
Vivian W Q Lou
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Momentary Assessment

Abstract Objectives Prior research has linked subjective features of social situations with short-term changes in affect (e.g., across days, hours), but little is known about the directionality of such links. Our study examined the concurrent and lead–lag relationships between social contact satisfaction and affect in the flow of daily life. Method Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), wherein 78 late-middle-aged and older adults reported on 2,739 social contacts (average 5.02 per day, SD = 2.95) across seven consecutive days, we examined how the level of social contact satisfaction was concurrently and prospectively associated with affect (high-arousal and low-arousal positive affect [PA], high-arousal and low-arousal negative affect [NA]). Results Higher contact satisfaction was concurrently associated with more high- and low-arousal PA and less high- and low-arousal NA. The influence of contact satisfaction remains for predicting greater low-arousal PA (quietness, calmness) during the next social contact. NA (either high- or low-arousal) predicted lower satisfaction during the next social contact, but such sustainable influence was not observed for PA. Discussion The study reveals a cycle in which elevated NA may trigger unsatisfactory social contact, which subsequently predicted less low-arousal PA such as quietness and calmness. Our study provided a more nuanced and differentiated picture of the temporal sequencing of everyday social contact and momentary affect. Practitioners may gain insights from our study into the development of just-in-time adaptive interventions that aim for the betterment of affective well-being in old age.

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