Sibling Social Comparison in Mid- to Later Life: Links with Well-Being and Relationship Quality

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110307
Author(s):  
Alexander C. Jensen ◽  
Hannah B. Apsley ◽  
Laura E. Thackeray ◽  
Breanna T. Shoaf
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sibling Relationship ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Sibling Conflict ◽  
Sibling Closeness

Social comparison processes between siblings play an important role in the ways siblings influence one another at younger ages, but to our knowledge, no studies have examined social comparison processes between siblings in mid- to later life. The current study examined (1) factors associated with the propensity for social comparisons with a sibling and (2) how social comparison is linked to well-being and sibling relationship quality. Data came from 491 adults from across the United States ( M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female). Results indicated that adults who are the same sex as their sibling are more likely to engage in social comparison with their sibling. Additionally, an inclination for social comparison with a sibling was linked to more depressive symptoms, more sibling conflict, and greater sibling closeness. Overall, comparison with a sibling in adulthood may be linked to both positive and negative outcomes.

scholarly journals Transitions in loneliness in later life: the role of social comparisons and coping strategies

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Deborah Morgan ◽  
Vanessa Burholt ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Adaptive Consequences

Abstract This study explored the coping strategies and social comparisons used by older adults on different loneliness trajectories (decreased loneliness, stable loneliness and degenerating loneliness). The adaptive consequences of social comparison in later life are recognised as an important strategy for preserving life satisfaction regardless of age-related losses. Coping strategies are also important in managing loneliness. Narrative interviews were conducted with lonely older adults (N = 11) who had participated in Wave One of the Maintaining Function and Well-being in Later Life Study Wales (CFAS Wales). The study found key differences in the coping strategies employed by older adults on different loneliness trajectories. Differences in coping styles between those who reported decreased loneliness and those who were chronically lonely stemmed from perceptions as to whether loneliness was modifiable or not. Different types of social comparison were also found to modulate the loneliness experience. The findings indicate that higher-order strategies (problem, emotional and meaning focused) are not distinct entities but are part of a dynamic process. The management of loneliness in later life may be dependent on several factors, including older adults’ interpretations of the cause of loneliness. These interpretations will have implications for interventions aimed at alleviating chronic loneliness, where the focus may have to be on changing older adult's perceptions of unmodifiable loneliness.

Relationship Quality Among Older Cohabitors: A Comparison to Remarrieds

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1808-1817
Author(s):  
Matthew R Wright
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Union Type ◽  
Quality Relationships

Abstract Objectives Later life marital patterns have undergone shifts over the past few decades, including a rapid growth of cohabiting unions. Despite the increase in older adult cohabitation, research on this population has been slow to keep up. Intimate relationships are linked to well-being and relationship quality is especially important because high-quality relationships offer a number of benefits for well-being, whereas poor-quality relationships often are detrimental. This study compares cohabiting and remarried individuals on two measures of relationship quality. Method Using data from the 2010 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study, I investigate the positive and negative relationship quality of cohabitors relative to their remarried counterparts and whether the association of union type and relationship quality varies by race. Results Across both positive and negative relationship quality, I found few differences between cohabiting and remarried individuals. Black cohabitors report higher positive relationship quality than remarrieds, whereas White cohabitors and remarrieds do not differ. Discussion These findings suggest that cohabiting unions and remarriages are comparable among White older adults, but that Black cohabitors may gain more in terms of positive relationship quality than their remarried counterparts.

Kirogi Women’s Psychological Well-Being: The Relative Contributions of Marital Quality, Mother–Child Relationship Quality, and Youth’s Educational Adjustment

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther S. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Transnational Family ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Mother Child Relationship ◽  
Parent Child

The current study is based on the responses of 153 married Korean mothers accompanying their youth in the United States or in New Zealand while their spouses remained in Korea. Kirogi means “wild geese” in Korean and has come to refer to split-family transnational living for the sake of children’s education. Spillover, or a positive correlation, between indicators assessing marital and parent–child relationship quality was tested within the transnational family context. It was also hypothesized that mother–child relationship quality and youth’s educational progress would be positively and uniquely predictive of indicators of maternal well-being when compared with marital quality due to education-focused Confucian values among Koreans. Results indicated positive correlations between indicators of marital and parent–child relationship quality; and only measures of marital quality had unique associations with maternal well-being.

Relationship social comparisons: Comparison interpretations and attributions as predictors of relationship quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1069-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian M. Morry ◽  
Kenny C. Chee ◽  
Trinda L. Penniston ◽  
Tamara A. Sucharyna
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Upward Comparison ◽  
Downward Comparison ◽  
Relationship Success ◽  
Comparison Direction ◽  
Dating Relationship

How individuals interpret a relationship social comparison is important to their relationship quality. We asked whether relationship social comparison interpretations (RSCIs) differ from relationship attributions. Individuals were randomly assigned to compare their dating relationship to a friend’s relationship that was doing better (upward comparison) or worse (downward comparison) than their own. Individuals then completed measures for the RSCI and attributions for their own relationship success/failure (Study 1) and attributions for their friend’s relationship success/failure (Study 2). Correlations indicated that the RSCI and attributions were not isomorphic. Simultaneous regressions indicated that the RSCI was a more consistent predictor of relationship quality than were attributions. How individuals interpret social comparisons not just the comparison direction should be studied.

HIV/AIDS in Later Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Sayegh ◽  
David J. Moore ◽  
Pariya Fazeli Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Successful Aging ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Persons Living With Hiv ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

Since the first cluster of people with HIV was identified in 1981, significant biomedical advances, most notably the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART), have led to considerably increased life expectancy as well as a reduction in the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS. As a result, HIV/AIDS is no longer considered a terminal illness, but rather a chronic illness, and many persons living with HIV/AIDS are beginning to enter or have already reached later life. In fact, Americans ages 50 years and older comprise approximately half of all individuals with HIV/AIDS and represent the most rapidly growing subpopulation of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Despite significant advances in HIV/AIDS treatment and prognosis, older adults living with HIV (OALH) face a number of unique challenges and circumstances that can lead to exacerbated symptoms and poorer outcomes, despite demonstrating generally better ART adherence than their younger counterparts. These detrimental outcomes are due to both chronological aging and cohort effects as well as social and behavioral factors and long-term ART use. For instance, neurocognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, apathy, and fatigue, are often observed among OALH, which can result in feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and reduced social support. Taken together, these factors can lead to elevated levels of problems with everyday functioning (e.g., activities of daily living) among OALH. In addition, sociocultural factors such as race/ethnicity, ageism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, geographic region, socioeconomic status and financial well-being, systemic barriers and disparities, and cultural values and beliefs play an influential role in determining outcomes. Notwithstanding the challenges associated with living with HIV/AIDS in later life, many persons living with HIV/AIDS are aging successfully. HIV/AIDS survivor and community mobilization efforts, as well as integrated care models, have resulted in some significant improvements in overall HIV/AIDS patient care. In addition, interventions aimed at improving successful aging outcomes among OALH are being developed in an attempt to effectively reduce the psychological and physical morbidity associated with HIV disease.

The State of Interventions for Sibling Conflict and Aggression: A Systematic Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 396-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Jenkins Tucker ◽  
David Finkelhor
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sibling Relationship ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sibling Conflict ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Children's Social Skills

Sibling conflict and aggression is often a pervasive part of family life that parents want help managing and can have negative effects on children’s well-being. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate current research regarding programs to reduce sibling conflict and aggression and promote positive sibling relationships. Online databases, reference lists, and Google Scholar were searched using key words and inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied. The search located five unique studies of programs focused on school-aged children. Heterogeneity of the studies precluded meta-analysis, but characteristics of the studies were systematically described. Three interventions were aimed at directly improving children’s social skills and two interventions trained parents on mediation techniques to use during sibling conflicts. Overall, of the four studies that included assessment of children’s social skills, the results were positive. Two of the three studies that evaluated sibling relationship quality demonstrated improved sibling interactions compared with the control group. With further research and evidentiary support, these programs have promise to modify sibling behaviors as part of current parenting education programs or as a stand-alone program to address sibling conflict and aggression.

scholarly journals Give Thanks in All Circumstances? Gratitude Toward God and Health in Later Life After Major Life Stressors

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 465-465
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks ◽  
Joanne Ford-Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Life Stressors ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Development Framework

Abstract Gratitude is foundational to well-being throughout the life course, and an emerging body of work suggests that older adults may be more inclined to attribute gratitude to a non-human target (God). Drawing on life course theory and Erikson’s lifespan development framework, we use data from a national sample of Christian older adults from the United States (N = 1,005) to examine whether gratitude towards God buffers the noxious health effects of the death of a loved one or personal illness. Results suggest that gratitude towards God tends to predict better age-comparative and global self-rated physical health in the aftermath of stress, a moderation effect which is partially mediated by stronger beliefs in God-mediated control (that God is a collaborative partner in dealing with problems). We conclude by proposing some interventions for clinicians and counselors centered around gratitude and religiosity that may assist older adults in coping with major life stressors.

scholarly journals The Longest-Lasting Relationship: Patterns of Contact and Well-Being Among Mid- to Later-Life Siblings

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 2240-2249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander C Jensen ◽  
Makayla K Nielson ◽  
Jeremy B Yorgason
Keyword(s):  
Latent Class ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
High Group ◽  
Relationship Patterns ◽  
Family Experiences

Abstract Objectives Adults in mid to later life experience shrinking social networks, which may hinder well-being. Siblings may be important sources of social contact. Yet, little is known about adults’ patterns of contact with siblings and how contact is linked to well-being. Method Participants included 491 adults from across the United States (M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female) recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk; they reported on their contact with their sibling in person, over the phone, via email, texting, and social media. Results Latent class analysis found evidence for four patterns of contact (classes) among siblings: low, medium, high, and traditional. Those with high contact reported greater life satisfaction than those in the other groups. Those in the high group reported lower self-rated health when they recalled being treated less favorably, relative to their sibling, by their mother as children. Discussion These findings suggest that differing patterns of sibling contact exist among older adults. In some cases, contact may promote well-being. In other cases, more contact may serve as a reminder of hurtful or painful past family experiences related to mothers’ differential treatment, in which case more contact may be linked to poorer health.

scholarly journals Sibling relationship quality and Mexican-origin adolescents’ and young adults’ familism values and adjustment

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Killoren ◽  
Sue A. Rodríguez De Jesús ◽  
Kimberly A. Updegraff ◽  
Lorey A. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sibling Relationship ◽  
Mexican Origin ◽  
Sibling Relationship Quality ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Familism Values ◽  
Older Siblings

We examined profiles of sibling relationship qualities in 246 Mexican-origin families living in the United States using latent profile analyses. Three profiles were identified: Positive, Negative, and Affect-Intense. Links between profiles and youths’ familism values and adjustment were assessed using longitudinal data. Siblings in the Positive profile reported the highest familism values, followed by siblings in the Affect-Intense profile and, finally, siblings in the Negative profile. Older siblings in the Positive and Affect-Intense profiles reported fewer depressive symptoms than siblings in the Negative profile. Further, in the Positive and Negative profiles, older siblings reported less involvement in risky behaviors than younger siblings. In the Negative profile, younger siblings reported greater sexual risk behaviors in late adolescence than older siblings; siblings in opposite-sex dyads, as compared to same-sex dyads, engaged in riskier sexual behaviors. Our findings highlight sibling relationship quality as promotive and risky, depending on sibling characteristics and adjustment outcomes.

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