scholarly journals Marital quality and loneliness in later life

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Marital Quality ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Dyadic Data ◽  
Initial Wave ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Unpleasant Experience ◽  
The U.S

Loneliness is not merely an unpleasant experience but is harmful for older adults’ health and well-being as well. While marriage buffers against loneliness in later life, even married adults experience loneliness, and aspects of adults’ marriages may either protect against or actually foster loneliness among spouses. The current study analyzed dyadic data from 1,114 opposite-sex married Irish couples who participated in the initial wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (2009–2011) in order to extend findings of two prior dyadic studies of marital quality and loneliness in the U.S. to older married couples in Ireland and to directly compare two theoretical and methodological frameworks used by these studies to explain associations between husbands’ and wives’ reports of marital quality and loneliness in later life. Results revealed that both spouses’ perceptions of positive and negative marital quality were significantly related with husbands’ and wives’ loneliness and that spouses’ reports of loneliness were significantly related with one another. Findings also indicated that associations between marital quality and loneliness were similar for Irish and American couples in later life. Comparison of differing modeling strategies suggested that emotional contagion may serve as a pathway for dyadic partner effects.

scholarly journals Cognitive Functioning, Gender, and Marital Quality Among Older Married Couples: A Dyadic Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 605-605
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Gallagher ◽  
Jeffrey Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Quality Outcomes ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Marital Strain

Abstract Older spouses influence one another in myriad ways, and dyadic effects of marital quality on health and well-being have been well-established. However, little attention has been paid to dyadic implications of cognitive functioning, including for spouses’ perceptions of the relationship itself. This study examines associations of older husbands’ and wives’ cognitive functioning with both partners’ reports of four marital quality outcomes. Structural equation modeling analyzed data from 1,414 opposite-sex couples drawn from the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Findings revealed that (a) wives’ poorer cognitive functioning was associated with wives’ reporting greater closeness and higher ratings of enjoying time with a spouse, whereas (b) husbands’ poorer cognitive functioning was associated with wives’ reporting greater marital strain, lower marital support, lower closeness, and lower ratings of enjoying time with a spouse. This suggests that cognitive functioning/impairment has dyadic consequences for marital quality, which are highly gendered.

scholarly journals Cross-National Perspectives on Health and Well-Being in Later Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 484-484
Author(s):  
Jennifer Ailshire ◽  
Yuan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Cross National

Abstract Cross-national comparisons are increasingly being used to re-evaluate whether our theories of aging are dependent on sociocultural context and to develop new insights into both long-standing and emerging issues in aging. The papers in this symposium use harmonized data from the Gateway to Global Aging to examine a range of topics in aging and provide new insights into key questions in aging research. Liu et al., determine whether social relationships mediate the association between early life adversity and later life health and well-being using longitudinal data from the U.S. and England. Considering multiple domains of the social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status, social relationships, and health care access, Cho et al. identify which are related to self-rated health in China, Japan, and South Korea. Cheng et al. test the age-as-leveler hypothesis for explaining how socioeconomic differentials in health change in older ages in China and 19 European countries to determine if the protective effect of socioeconomic status on multi-morbidity changes with age. Harmonized data facilitate international comparisons papers, but additional efforts are sometimes needed to calibrate specific measures across international surveys. A major challenge in cross-national aging research, for instance, has been the limited ability to compare cognition across countries. Nichols and colleagues present a novel method for cocalibration of cognitive function across the U.S., England, and India that could be used for additional cross-national comparative research. The papers in this symposium demonstrate both the potential and challenges of cross-national studies of health and well-being among older adults.

scholarly journals Perceived Control and Aging: A Mini-Review and Directions for Future Research

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Robinson ◽  
Margie E. Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Control Beliefs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Health And Well Being

This brief review on perceived control and aging is organized according to 3 perspectives of research involving description, explanation, and modification. An extensive body of literature has utilized cross-sectional and correlational methods to describe the sociodemographic variations and outcomes associated with perceived control. This work has focused on differences in perceived control as a function of age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and culture and has identified positive associations with many aging-related outcomes involving health and well-being. With growing evidence regarding the health benefits of perceived control in the context of a declining sense of control with aging, there has been an increased effort to uncover the mechanisms involved, with the hopes of developing methods to maintain and/or promote adaptive control beliefs throughout adulthood. Through longitudinal and experimental work, researchers are beginning to clarify the directionality and elucidate the mechanisms to explain the associations. Recent evidence from longitudinal studies shows that control beliefs have an impact on subsequent changes in health. Yet, the findings suggest that it is not a unidirectional relationship. A conceptual model suggesting an ongoing reciprocal relationship between perceived control and health and well-being is discussed. Research examining the mechanisms that link perceived control to aging-related outcomes can help to inform and to develop effective interventions that are tailored to the individual's specific barriers and goals. We consider new directions for research, including more attention to intraindividual variability and reactivity to daily challenges, such as stress, with the goal of advancing our understanding of how perceived control contributes to aging-related outcomes. More work is needed to develop strategies to enhance control beliefs in later life. Although it will not always be possible to modify control beliefs, researchers can take these beliefs into account when developing interventions. A personalized approach is recommended as a way to tailor interventions that are compatible with individuals' beliefs about control to facilitate adaptive behavior change. Conclusions focus on selected issues and considerations for future research.

scholarly journals INFORMAL VOLUNTEERING AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING DURING LATER LIFE IN THE U.S

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 458-458
Author(s):  
T Yamashita ◽  
D Carr ◽  
J Keene
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Informal Volunteering ◽  
The U.S

scholarly journals Discordant Chronic Conditions and Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Associations Among Middle-Aged and Older Couples

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney A Polenick ◽  
Kira S Birditt ◽  
Angela Turkelson ◽  
Benjamin C Bugajski ◽  
Helen C Kales
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Older Couples ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives Individuals often manage chronic conditions in middle and later life that may diminish well-being. Little is known, however, about discordant conditions (i.e., two or more conditions with competing self-management requirements) among older couples and their links to depressive symptoms. We considered discordant conditions at both the individual level and the couple level (i.e., between spouses), along with their long-term implications for depressive symptoms. Methods The U.S. sample included 1,116 middle-aged and older couples drawn from five waves (2006–2014) of the Health and Retirement Study. Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models evaluated whether individual-level and couple-level discordant chronic health conditions were concurrently linked to depressive symptoms, and whether these associations became stronger over time. Models controlled for age, minority status, education, prior wave depressive symptoms, and each partner’s baseline report of negative marital quality and number of chronic conditions in each wave. Results Wives and husbands reported significantly greater depressive symptoms when they had individual-level discordant conditions about 2 years after baseline, and these links intensified over time. Beyond this association, husbands had significantly greater depressive symptoms when there were couple-level discordant conditions. Discussion Individual-level and couple-level discordant conditions may have lasting implications for depressive symptoms during midlife and older adulthood.

scholarly journals Growing Older in Social Work: Perspective on Systems of Support to Extend Working Lives—Findings from a UK Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula McFadden ◽  
John Moriarty ◽  
Heike Schröder ◽  
Patricia Gillen ◽  
Gillian Manthorpe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Quality Of Working Life ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Social work, like many other human service professions, is ageing. This article reports and discusses the findings of a UK social work survey undertaken in 2018 (1,397 responses). It investigated how organisational policies and individual factors were affecting individual social workers’ decisions about working in later life. The survey measured (i) social workers’ attitudes to ageing at work and self-reported planning around retirement; (ii) mental health and well-being, quality of working life and home and work interface and (iii) intention to leave work and retirement planning. Statistical analysis enabled examination of how the interrelationship of these factors and relevant individual characteristics interact within the systemic work environment. Findings revealed that all participants had considered factors that might cause them to retire early. Framing the findings in an ecological conceptual model suggests that age-inclusive professional and organisational cultures, age-positive human resource management, support from line managers, fair working conditions and the ability to manage health and well-being, might enable social workers to extend their working lives in line with government policy. These findings provide insights for social work workforce policymakers and for employers to assist in their development of organisational and individual adjustments to sustain well-being in the social work profession.

Marital Quality and Well-Being Among Older Adults: A Typology of Supportive, Aversive, Indifferent, and Ambivalent Marriages

2020 ◽  
pp. 016402752096914
Author(s):  
Yingling Liu ◽  
Laura Upenieks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Marital Quality ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Multiple Indicators ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Synergistic Relationship

A large body of work has linked marital quality to the health and well-being of older adults, but there is a lack of agreement on how to best measure dimensions of marital quality. Drawing on a stress-process life course perspective, we construct a typology of marriage type that captures the synergistic relationship between positive and negative marital qualities and health. Using data from Wave 1 (2005/2006) and Wave 2 (2010/2011) of the NSHAP survey from the United States, we examine the association between supportive, aversive, ambivalent, and indifferent marriages for older adults that remained married over the study period on multiple indicators of well-being (depression, happiness, and self-rated health; N = 769 males and 461 females). Results suggest that older adults in aversive marriages reported lower happiness (men and women) and physical health (men). There was less evidence that those in ambivalent and indifferent marriages reported worse well-being.

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