Influences on Psychological Well-Being and Ill-Being in Older Women

Abstract Background Disturbed sleep is prevalent in older adulthood and particularly among women. Greater psychological well-being (PWB) is associated with better sleep, but intraindividual variability in PWB has not been examined. Purpose The current study examined whether mean levels and variability in PWB were associated with sleep disturbances in midlife and older women. Methods Participants (N = 189) completed up to seven daily diaries and an end of the week assessment every 3 months for nine waves. Participants answered questions about their nightly sleep disturbances and reported their PWB using Ryff’s six dimensions of PWB. Results Regression models indicated that greater variability in one aspect of PWB, positive relations with others, was related to greater sleep disturbance even after adjusting for mean levels of well-being. Greater variability in environmental mastery, purpose in life, and self-acceptance were also associated with sleep disturbance, but these associations were no longer significant after adjusting for mean levels of well-being. Conclusions Results suggest that fluctuations in positive relations with others are related to sleep in adult women above and beyond mean levels of well-being. Results highlight the importance of considering variability in addition to mean levels of PWB.

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Physical activity and psychological well-being in older women

Women s Health Issues ◽

10.1016/s1049-3867(96)00033-3 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 3-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Diane L. Gill ◽

Kathleen Williams ◽

Lavon Williams ◽

Brian D. Butki ◽

Byoung Jun Kim

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Women ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being

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Socioeconomic Status and Psychological Well-Being Predict Cross-Time Change in Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Older Women Without Diabetes

Psychosomatic Medicine ◽

10.1097/psy.0b013e318157466f ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 69 (8) ◽

pp. 777-784 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Vera K. Tsenkova ◽

Gayle Dienberg Love ◽

Burton H. Singer ◽

Carol D. Ryff

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Older Women ◽

Glycosylated Hemoglobin ◽

Well Being ◽

Time Change ◽

Psychological Well Being

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A Study of Family Support, Friendship, and Psychological Well-Being among Older Women in Hong Kong

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.2190/2k1w-hwlp-jkd5-lrp6 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 299-319 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Oi-Ling Siu ◽

David R. Phillips

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Family Support ◽

Older Women ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Measures ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Support Provision ◽

Dual Channel ◽

Perceived Importance

The “dual-channel” hypothesis (Lawton, 1996), which suggests the dual-antecedent pattern for positive and negative aspects of psychological well-being, was tested by examining the differential relationships between objective and subjective measures of family support (family contact, family quality, perceived importance of family) and friendship (friends support, friends quality, perceived importance of friendship) to two facets of psychological well-being (positive and negative affect). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of 60 older women aged 60 to 85 in one district of Hong Kong. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for age and marital status, demonstrated that two subjective measures (family quality and perceived importance of friendship) were significant predictors of positive affect; and one subjective measure (family quality) was a significant predictor of negative affect. The “dual-channel” hypothesis was partially supported. Recommendations regarding informal support provision for older women are discussed.

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