PTSD at Late Life: Context and Treatment

2012 ◽  
pp. 490-503
Author(s):  
Lee Hyer ◽  
Catherine A. Yeager
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychotherapy Research ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Posttraumatic Symptoms ◽  
Current State ◽  
Life Context

Our knowledge about the role of aging as a moderating or mediating influence on the expression of posttraumatic symptoms, and their remission and resolution, is nascent. This is reflected in the current state of empirically supported psychotherapies for older adults with PTSD. At this time, there are no empirically validated psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacologic treatments for this age group. This chapter highlights general issues and other factors unique to aging, such as changes in cognition, that must be taken into consideration when embarking on PTSD treatment with older adults. We review extant psychotherapy research that has applicability to this cohort: treatment studies on anxiety and depression for older adults, as well as treatment studies for younger adults with PTSD. Next, we describe promising PTSD interventions for older adults that have yet to be tested on large samples or in randomized controlled trials. The chapter culminates in the presentation of a multi-modal psychotherapy intervention designed to address factors unique to aging, and which involves a gentler version of trauma-related therapy that allows exposure to be optional.

scholarly journals AGE DIFFERENCES IN POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT: ROLE OF SELF-RELEVANCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S785-S785
Author(s):  
Tze Kiu Wong ◽  
Helene H Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Older People ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Previous studies usually found that older people are less politically engaged than younger adults, especially when considering political behavior other than voting. The current study extends the Selective Engagement hypothesis (Hess, 2014) to political engagement. 81 younger adults and 79 older adults rated 8 issues on self-relevance and their willingness to engage in political discussion, arguments and collective action on each issue. The predicted moderating effect of self-relevance was not found, but older people indeed are more willing to discuss (B = 0.07, p = 0.027) and argue with others on more self-relevant issues (B = 0.06, p = 0.031). Perceived cost of collective action was found to be a moderator, such that self-relevance was less important than other factors for high-cost actions (B = -0.016, p = 0.013). The current research sheds light on potential ways to increase older adults’ engagement in social issues.

Spiritual Exercise as Techne: Philosophy as a Way of Liberating Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 640-655
Author(s):  
Shu-Fen Lin ◽  
Wei-Ding Tsai ◽  
Denis Igorevich Chistyakov
Keyword(s):  
Education System ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Spiritual Exercises ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Modern Education ◽  
Current State ◽  
Life Context ◽  
Meaningful Existence

The study of education systems as social phenomena has led scholars to question the role of education in modern society. The question of how to improve education naturally leads to concerns about what is wrong with the present education system. If education is meant to elevate the next generation, how can it meet the goal of ensuring a meaningful existence for those being educated? Scholars have demonstrated that education has been reduced to a process of the construction of objects, where curriculum as techne commodifies students into products with market value. We propose that the tendency of interpreting techne as technology is a perspective of the modern age, and the rules of modern education are based on the rules of modern technology, under the guidance of the paradigm of productivity. We will introduce a broader interpretation of techne which frames it as the cultivation of virtue, i.e., virtue-techne. On this basis, education could be viewed as techne in the sense of praxis (practice, exercise), rather than as fabrication in the sense of production. We highlight the rising rate of student suicides in Taiwan in recent years, where we determine the education system lacks a focus on praxis. This article investigates alternative praxis-oriented notions of education, from Aristotle's cultivation of virtue to Hadot's "spiritual exercises," to advocate for a shift away from the production paradigm. Indebted to Heidegger, we clarify his "techne as revealing" by emphasizing two frameworks for education: The first, modern education being valued by its adherence to metrics based in the paradigm of production. The second, education as a process wherein its value is derived from the life context of the participating individual. Finally, as a comparative study, we explore the current state of education in Russia and Taiwan, and present the case of one high school in Taiwan which has adopted the practice of spiritual exercises in its curriculum, including a required hike to the peak of Taiwan's tallest mountain, to cultivate a sense of (and value for) the liberated life before its students graduate.

scholarly journals EXPLORING AGE, GENDER, AND RELATIONSHIP CLOSENESS DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES TO IGNORED DISRESPECT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S305-S305
Author(s):  
Jenessa C Steele ◽  
Amanda Chappell ◽  
Rachel Scott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Relationship Closeness ◽  
Close Condition

Abstract Emotional responses to disrespect tend to be negative (Hawkins, 2015). Little is known about how responses to disrespect vary across age groups and relationship closeness. It is unknown whether older adults have more emotional protection against disrespectful experiences, or are more deeply affected due to relationship closeness. Overall, we might expect that older adults react less negatively to disrespect compared to young adults, as they are more-skilled emotion regulators (Carstensen, 1991; English & Carstensen, 2014). We aimed to explore if, and under which circumstances, older adults are more or less sensitive to disrespect compared to younger adults. Three hundred participants responded to six scenarios illustrating ignored disrespect. Participants were randomly assigned to close or distant relationship disrespect scenarios. Relationship closeness was first determined by requesting participants identify a person in each layer of Kahn and Antonucci’s (1980) Social Convoy Model. Identified names were then automatically inserted into the six scenarios. Emotional responses and sensitivity to each scenario were recorded. Participants in the close condition reported more sensitivity to disrespect and negative emotions than participants in the distant condition. Females reported more sensitivity to disrespect and negative emotions than males. We did not find overwhelming support for age differences in responses to disrespect. A single scenario indicated younger participants more sensitive to disrespect than older participants. Findings suggest it is more hurtful to be disrespected by someone close to you and females may be more sensitive to disrespect than males. More research investigating the role of age in disrespect is needed.

Differences in anxiety and depression symptoms: comparison between older and younger clinical samples

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1523-1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviana M. Wuthrich ◽  
Carly J. Johnco ◽  
Julie L. Wetherell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Symptom Profiles

ABSTRACTBackground:Anxiety and depression symptoms change over the lifespan and older adults use different terms to describe their mental health, contributing to under identification of anxiety and depression in older adults. To date, research has not examined these differences in younger and older samples with comorbid anxiety and depression.Methods:One hundred and seven treatment-seeking participants (47 older, 60% female, and 60 younger, 50% female) with anxiety and mood disorders completed the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule and a symptom checklist to examine differences in symptom severity, symptom profiles and terms used to describe anxiety and mood.Results:The findings indicated several key differences between the presentation and description of anxiety and depression in younger and older adults. Older adults with Social Phobia reported fearing a narrower range of social situations and less distress and interference. Older adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) reported less worry about interpersonal relationships and work/school than younger adults, however, there were no differences between age groups for behavioral symptoms endorsed. Further older adults reported phobia of lifts/small spaces more frequently than younger adults. Depressed older depressed adults also reported more anhedonia compared to younger adults, but no differences in terms of reported sadness were found. Finally, older and younger adults differed in their descriptions of symptoms with older adults describing anxiety as feeling stressed and tense, while younger adults described anxiety as feeling anxious, worried or nervous.Conclusions:Clinicians need to assess symptoms broadly to avoid missing the presence of anxiety and mood disorders especially in older adults.

Inferences and Confidence in Warning Texts: The Role of Age and Prior Knowledge

2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Adams ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers ◽  
Arthur D. Fisk
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Text Passage

Understanding warnings is important, regardless if prior knowledge with respect to such information exists. The goal of the current study was to investigate younger and older adults' ability to draw inferences under different conditions of prior knowledge, and how confident participants were about their decisions. Participants read two-sentence text passages, which either resembled real warnings (real) or were the opposite of real warnings (reversed). Participants evaluated whether information in a given statement was consistent (true) or inconsistent (false) with information given in a text passage. Statements either repeated information explicitly or implied in the text passage. Participants also rated their confidence in the correctness of their answer. Data showed no age-related differences in accuracy when the text passages resembled real warnings. When text passages were reversed, older adults were less accurate than younger adults, yet more confident when inferences were required.

Aging, Attention, and Bimanual Coordination

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Lee ◽  
Laurie R. Wishart ◽  
Jason E. Murdoch
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Digit Number ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Movement Frequency ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Coordination Patterns

ABSTRACTAlthough aging is normally associated with declines in motor performance, recent evidence suggests that older adults suffer no loss in some measures of bimanual coordination relative to younger adults. Two hypotheses for this finding were compared in the present research. One hypothesis was based on the assumption that these coordination patterns are automatic and relatively impervious to the effects of aging. An alternative explanation is that older adults maintain this level of bimanual coordination at a cost of increased attention demand. These hypotheses were tested in an experiment in which bimanual coordination patterns (in-phase and anti-phase) were paced at two metronome frequencies (1 and 2 Hz), either alone or together, with serial performance of an attention-demanding task (adding 3s to a two-digit number at a 1 Hz pace). The results of the study provided some support for both hypotheses. The automaticity view was supported only for the coordination patterns at the 1 Hz metronome frequency. Support for an attention allocation hypothesis was shown in the observed-movement frequency data, as older adults tended to sacrifice movement frequency at the 2 Hz metronome pace in order to maintain performance in the movement and counting tasks. These findings are discussed relative to recent accounts of the role of automaticity in the absence of age-related differences in the performance of cognitive tasks.

scholarly journals YOUNG PEOPLE FEEL WISE, OLD PEOPLE FEEL ENERGETIC: COMPARING AGE STEREOTYPES AND SELF-EVALUATIONS ACROSS ADULTHOOD

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S787-S787
Author(s):  
Anna E Kornadt ◽  
Catherine E Bowen ◽  
Svenja M Spuling ◽  
Maja Wiest
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young People ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Old People ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Stereotypes ◽  
The Stability

Abstract Using questionnaire data from the MIDUS study (N=6.325) we examined the extent to which people in their late 20s, 40s, and 60s think that positive stereotypic “old” and “young” characteristics describe themselves, their age peers, and other age groups. A constellation of “old” characteristics (e.g., wise, caring, calm) was seen as more descriptive of older adults, while a constellation of “young” characteristics (e.g., healthy, energetic) was seen as more descriptive of younger adults. Self-evaluations were highly positive and largely consistent across age groups. Compared to their age peers, younger adults saw themselves as having as many positive “young” characteristics but more positive “old” characteristics whereas older adults saw themselves as having more positive “young” characteristics but fewer positive “old” characteristics. The results support the stability of the aging self despite the existence of age stereotypes and the role of negative age stereotypes as a frame of reference for making self-evaluations.

scholarly journals The Influence of Verbatim Versus Gist Formatting on Younger and Older Adults’ Information Acquisition

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 557-557
Author(s):  
Julia Nolte ◽  
Corinna Loeckenhoff ◽  
Valerie Reyna
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Trace Theory ◽  
Fuzzy Trace Theory

Abstract It is well-established that pre-decisional information seeking decreases with age (Mata & Nunes, 2010). However, it is still unknown whether age differences in information acquisition are influenced by the type of information provided. Fuzzy-trace theory suggests that decision makers prefer gist-based over verbatim-based processing, and that this preference increases across the lifespan. Therefore, we hypothesized that age differences arise when presenting participants with verbatim details (such as exact numbers) but not gist information (such as ”extremely poor” or “good”). In a lab-based experiment, 68 younger adults and 66 older adults completed a gist-based and a verbatim-based search task before making health insurance choices. Younger and older adults reviewed similar amounts of information in either condition. In line with Fuzzy-trace theory, however, older adults sought more information when presented with gist rather than verbatim information. The role of age-associated covariates and implications for decision-making will be discussed.

scholarly journals Role of stereopsis losses in older adults’ performance on the fine-grain movement illusion task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlena Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Motion Perception ◽  
Intraindividual Variability ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Actual Distance ◽  
Staircase Procedure ◽  
Fine Grain

Accurate motion perception is necessary for older adults to safely navigate their environments. Yet it is not clear how stereopsis losses contribute to findings of motion perception deficits in older adults. To assess the contribution of stereopsis losses, three groups (younger adults, older adults with intact stereopsis, older adults with poor stereopsis) were recruited for a fine-grain movement task. The distance participants perceived a dot to move across a computer screen was assessed using a staircase procedure. While all participants perceived the dot to move further than the actual distance, older adults with poor stereopsis showed more exaggeration in their estimates than younger adults and older adults with intact stereopsis. However, the groups did not differ in the intraindividual variability of their estimates. These results suggest stereopsis losses in the context of aging may signal neural or oculomotor changes that result in reduced accuracy of positional perception.

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