scholarly journals Loneliness from young adulthood to old age: Explaining age differences in loneliness

2020 ◽  
pp. 016502542097104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise C. Hawkley ◽  
Susanne Buecker ◽  
Till Kaiser ◽  
Maike Luhmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Household Income ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Nonlinear Relationship ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Nationally Representative

Prior research in non-U.S. samples has found a complex nonlinear relationship between loneliness and age. This research has shown that established predictors of loneliness—poor health, being unmarried, living alone, and having infrequent social interactions—help to explain age differences in loneliness. However, while some variables were found to be universal predictors of loneliness at all ages, others were relevant in specific age groups only. In this study, we describe age differences in frequency of loneliness from age 18 to 89+ years in the U.S. and examine age differences in predictors of loneliness from age-specificity and age-normative perspectives. We used cross-sectional nationally representative data from the General Social Survey ( N = 2,477) and found a nonlinear relationship between age and loneliness that closely resembles prior research. However, we found no evidence for age-specific predictors of loneliness. Household income, household size, marital status, health, and frequency of socializing were “universal” predictors of loneliness; their associations with loneliness did not differ in strength with age. Our hypothesis that individuals who deviated from age-specific norms would experience more intense loneliness was not supported. Implications for research and loneliness interventions are discussed.

scholarly journals Self-reported health impacts of caregiving by age and income among participants of the Canadian 2012 General Social Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 169-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renate Ysseldyk ◽  
Natasha Kuran ◽  
Simone Powell ◽  
Paul J. Villeneuve
Keyword(s):  
General Social Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
The Self ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
Older Caregivers

Introduction Increases in life expectancy and the underlying age structure of the Canadian population have contributed to dramatic increases in the number of seniors who are caregivers. While caregiving is associated with several adverse health impacts, there is a need to better understand how these impacts might be different among older caregivers, and whether those impacts are modified by socioeconomic status. Methods We sought to address these research gaps by using cross-sectional data pro¬vided by participants of the 2012 Canadian General Social Survey (GSS). Descriptive analyses were performed to compare the self-reported health impacts that participants attributed to caregiving, and how these varied by age and income. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify which factors were associated with self-reported impacts on overall health among caregivers 65 years of age and older. Results The demographic characteristics of the care-providers varied substantially by age with older caregivers having lower incomes and devoting more time to caregiving relative to those who were younger. The self-reported impacts of caregiving on overall health were greatest among those between the ages of 35 and 64, and this pattern was evident across all income groups. Feelings of loneliness and social isolation as a result of caregiving responsibilities appeared to be mitigated by both greater age and income. However, across all age groups, caregiving was more likely to adversely impact exercise habits, healthy eating, and alcohol consumption than to promote more positive behaviours. Conclusion Providing care impacts health behaviours and mental health regardless of age and income. However, our findings suggest that older caregivers (who are most often women)—who provide the most hours of care and on reduced incomes relative to younger caregivers—appear less impacted in terms of health behaviours, perhaps as a result of fewer competing demands relative to younger caregivers. Taken together, these findings suggest that support systems must consider caregiver impacts that vary in com¬plex ways across age, sex, and income.

scholarly journals Ten-year trends of hypertension treatment and control rate in Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang-il Kim ◽  
Eunjeong Ji ◽  
Jung-yeon Choi ◽  
Sun-wook Kim ◽  
Soyeon Ahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Hypertension Treatment ◽  
Treatment Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Multistage Sampling ◽  
And Control

AbstractWe analyzed the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) database to determine the trends of hypertension treatment and control rate in Korea over the past 10 years. In addition, we tried to investigate the effect of chronic medical conditions on hypertension management. We investigated the hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rate from 2008 to 2017. KNHANES, which uses a stratified multistage sampling design, is a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey conducted by the Korean government. A total of 59,282 adults (≥ 20 years) were included, which was representative of the total population of around 40 million Koreans per year. The mean age was 50.7 ± 16.4 years and 42.6% were male. The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and obesity significantly increased over the 10 years. During this period, the hypertension treatment and control rate significantly improved. Hypertension treatment rate was significantly lower in the younger age group compared to the older age group, but the control rate among the treated patients was not significantly different between age groups. The treatment and control rates of hypertension were higher in patients with multimorbidity, which implies that it has a favorable effect on the treatment and control of hypertension. Hypertension treatment and control rate have improved over the past 10 years. The higher treatment and control rate in patients with multimorbidity suggest that the more aggressive surveillance might be associated with the improvement of hypertension treatment and control rate in Korea.

Is Marriage Counseling Perceived as Scientific? Examining the Views of U.S. Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-246
Author(s):  
Lisa F. Platt ◽  
Christopher P. Scheitle
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
General Public ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Marriage Counseling ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Utilization Of Services ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Public Policy Decisions

Whether marriage counseling is perceived by the general public to be scientific or not has a number of implications for utilization of services, treatment outcomes, and public policy decisions. The current study used a nationally representative sample ( N = 1,026) from the 2012 General Social Survey to examine two research questions. First, how scientific is marriage counseling viewed by the general public? Second, what demographic variables predict how scientific marriage counseling is perceived by the general public? The analyses indicate that marriage counseling is generally not viewed as scientific, with only 7% rating it as “very scientific” and 40% rating it as “not scientific at all.” These ratings are similar to those given for salesmanship and financial counseling. This opinion was consistent across all demographic groups measured with the notable exception of those individuals who attend religious services more frequently, who were more likely to rate marriage counseling as scientific. There was also a finding indicating the possibility of those who are currently married but previously divorced rate marriage counseling as more scientific than those who are currently married and never divorced. The implications for the field of marriage counseling in regard to health promotion, public policy, and client utilization are discussed. Future directions, including more in-depth inquiry about these opinions, are also presented.

scholarly journals Influence of Commercial Insurance Purchase on the Health Status of Chinese Residents

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bao-Chang Xu ◽  
Xiu-Juan Li ◽  
Meng-Yao Gao
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Research Result ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Commercial Insurance ◽  
Medical Reform ◽  
Internal Relations ◽  
Chinese General Social Survey ◽  
Better Than

Under the context of rapid economic and social development, and growing demands for a better life, Chinese residents have been increasingly concerned with their health status and issues. In this study, the internal relations between the purchase of commercial insurance by residents and their health status are analyzed and studied with a polytomous logit model based on the data of Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in 2015. According to the research result, purchase of commercial insurance significantly improved the health status of residents, with an improving effect for rural residents apparently better than that among urban residents. In addition, purchase of commercial insurance can promote the health status of residents by increasing their household income. This research will provide an effective reference for the innovative development and medical reform of the commercial insurance of China in the future, which is theoretically and practically significant to the implementation of the Healthy China Strategy.

scholarly journals Age Differences in Voice Evaluation: From Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation to Social Interactions

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine L. Lortie ◽  
Isabelle Deschamps ◽  
Matthieu J. Guitton ◽  
Pascale Tremblay
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
The Voice

Purpose The factors that influence the evaluation of voice in adulthood, as well as the consequences of such evaluation on social interactions, are not well understood. Here, we examined the effect of listeners' age and the effect of talker age, sex, and smoking status on the auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice, voice-related psychosocial attributions, and perceived speech tempo. We also examined the voice dimensions affecting the propensity to engage in social interactions. Method Twenty-five younger (age 19–37 years) and 25 older (age 51–74 years) healthy adults participated in this cross-sectional study. Their task was to evaluate the voice of 80 talkers. Results Statistical analyses revealed limited effects of the age of the listener on voice evaluation. Specifically, older listeners provided relatively more favorable voice ratings than younger listeners, mainly in terms of roughness. In contrast, the age of the talker had a broader impact on voice evaluation, affecting auditory-perceptual evaluations, psychosocial attributions, and perceived speech tempo. Some of these talker differences were dependent upon the sex of the talker and his or her smoking status. Finally, the results also show that voice-related psychosocial attribution was more strongly associated with the propensity of the listener to engage in social interactions with a person than auditory-perceptual dimensions and perceived speech tempo, especially for the younger adults. Conclusions These results suggest that age has a broad influence on voice evaluation, with a stronger impact for talker age compared with listener age. While voice-related psychosocial attributions may be an important determinant of social interactions, perceived voice quality and speech tempo appear to be less influential. Supplemental Materials https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5844102

scholarly journals Longitudinal pathways of exclusive and polytobacco cigar use among youth, young adults and adults in the USA: findings from the PATH Study Waves 1–3 (2013–2016)

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. s163-s169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn C Edwards ◽  
Eva Sharma ◽  
Michael J Halenar ◽  
Kristie A Taylor ◽  
Karin A Kasza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Tobacco Product ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Longitudinal Analyses ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nationally Representative

ObjectiveThe goal of this study is to examine the cross-sectional prevalence of use and 3-year longitudinal pathways of cigar use in US youth (12-17 years), young adults (18-24 years), and adults 25+ (25 years or older).DesignData were drawn from the first three waves (2013–2016) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of US youth and adults. Respondents with data at all three waves (youth, n=11 046; young adults, n=6478; adults 25+, n=17 188) were included in longitudinal analyses.ResultsWeighted cross-sectional prevalence of past 30-day (P30D) use was stable for adults 25+ (~6%), but decreased in youth (Wave 1 (W1) to Wave 3 (W3)=2.5% to 1.2%) and young adults (W1 to W3=15.7% to 14.0%). Among W1 P30D cigar users, over 50% discontinued cigar use (irrespective of other tobacco use) by Wave 2 (W2) or W3. Across age groups, over 70% of W1 P30D cigar users also indicated P30D use of another tobacco product, predominantly cigar polytobacco use with cigarettes. Discontinuing all tobacco use by W2 or W3 was greater in adult exclusive P30D cigar users compared with polytobacco cigar users.ConclusionsAlthough the majority of P30D cigar users discontinued use by W3, adult polytobacco users of cigars were less likely to discontinue all tobacco use than were exclusive cigar users. Tracking patterns of cigar use will allow further assessment of the population health impact of cigars.

scholarly journals Are perceived bad working conditions and perceived workplace bullying associated with doctor visits? Results of the nationally representative German General Social Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
André Hajek ◽  
Hans-Helmut König
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Acute Illness ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Performance Pressure ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Doctor Visits ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Doctor's Office

Abstract Background The reason for doctor visits associated with bad working conditions (and workplace bullying) remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between perceived working conditions as well as workplace bullying and the number of doctor visits as well as the reason for seeing a doctor. Methods Data were derived from the German General Social Survey, a representative cross-section of the population in the year 2014. Self-reported doctor visits in the last 3 months were used as outcome measure. Self-rated working conditions (noise, bad air; time/performance pressure; bad working atmosphere; overtime; shifts/night work; hard physical labour) and workplace bullying were assessed. The reason for seeing a doctor was also recorded (acute illness; chronic illness; feeling unwell; requesting advice; visit to the doctor’s office without consulting the doctor (e.g., need to get a prescription); preventive medical check-up/vaccination). Regression analysis stratified by sex was conducted. Results Adjusting for various potential confounders, Poisson regressions showed that workplace bullying was associated with increased doctor visits in men, but not in women. Contrarily, time/performance pressure at work was only associated with increased doctor visits in women, but not in men. Furthermore, the probability of visiting the doctor for reasons of acute illness or feeling unwell increased with workplace bullying in men. The probability of visiting the doctor because of feeling unwell increased with time/performance pressure in women. Conclusions Our findings stress the association between adverse working conditions (workplace bullying as well as time/performance pressure at work) and doctor visits, with remarkable gender differences. Longitudinal studies are required to confirm the present findings and to obtain further insights into this relationship.

Understanding Female Gun Ownership

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria D. H. Koeppel ◽  
Matt R. Nobles
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gun Ownership ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
New Research

This research examines female gun ownership trends from 1973 to 2010. Nationally representative General Social Survey data are used to compare rates for male and female gun ownership. In light of the specific marketing trends by gun manufacturers beginning in the mid-1990s as well as previous findings within the literature, we test (a) whether an increase in female gun ownership is observed from 1973 to 2010, (b) whether female gun owners report increased fear of crime, and (c) the extent to which other gun-owning motivations, especially hunting, shape women’s gun ownership. Our analysis confirms a decline in women’s gun ownership, but in contrast to previous studies emphasizing a link between fear of crime and female gun ownership, we find that hobbies and lifestyle factors may better explain women’s interests in firearms. We could conclude by highlighting avenues for new research that better take into account the heterogeneity of gun ownership in the United States.

Is the ratio of flow-mediated dilation and shear rate a statistically sound approach to normalization in cross-sectional studies on endothelial function?

2009 ◽  
Vol 107 (6) ◽  
pp. 1893-1899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Atkinson ◽  
Alan M. Batterham ◽  
Mark A. Black ◽  
Nigel T. Cable ◽  
Nicola D. Hopkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shear Rate ◽  
Endothelial Function ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Flow Mediated Dilation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age Cohorts ◽  
Statistical Assumptions

It has been deemed important to normalize flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a marker of endothelial function, for between-subject differences in the eliciting shear rate (SR) stimulus. Conventionally, FMD is divided by the area under the curve of the SR stimulus. In the context of a cross-sectional comparison across different age cohorts, we examined whether this ratio approach adhered to established statistical assumptions necessary for reliable normalization. To quantify brachial artery FMD and area under the curve of SR, forearm cuff inflation to suprasystolic pressure was administered for 5 min to 16 boys aged 10.9 yr (SD 0.3), 48 young men aged 25.3 yr (SD 4.2), and 15 older men aged 57.5 yr (SD 4.3). Mean differences between age groups were statistically significant ( P < 0.001) for nonnormalized FMD [children: 10.4% (SD 5.4), young adults: 7.5% (SD 2.9), older adults: 5.6% (SD 2.0)] but not for ratio-normalized FMD ( P = 0.10). Moreover, all assumptions necessary for reliable use of ratio-normalization were violated, including regression slopes between SR and FMD that had y-intercepts greater than zero ( P < 0.05), nonlinear and unstable relations between the normalized ratios and SR, skewed data distributions, and heteroscedastic variance. Logarithmic transformation of SR and FMD before ratio calculation improved adherence to these assumptions and resulted in age differences similar to the nonnormalized data ( P = 0.03). In conclusion, although ratio normalization of FMD altered findings about age differences in endothelial function, this could be explained by violation of statistical assumptions. We recommend that exploration of these assumptions should be routine in future research. If the relationship between SR and FMD is generally found to be weak or nonlinear or variable between samples, then ratio normalization should not be applied.

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