scholarly journals Personal Growth through Spousal Bereavement in Later Life

2013 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-193
Author(s):  
sujie chang
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Spousal Bereavement

scholarly journals Learning in Later Life: The Perspective of Successful Ageing

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Salomėja Šatienė
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Successful Ageing ◽  
Older Adult Education

Abstract The integrated approach to the development of educational theory of later life learning should be informed by comprehensive knowledge of ageing as a social construct. Establishment of the role of later life learning in the context of successful ageing paradigm encompasses both sociological and educational perspectives taking into consideration the complexity of older people’s engagement in society and participation in education with regard to social use for the learning outcomes and personal growth. In the context of successful ageing, it should provide the answers to the questions related to the meaning and role of learning in later life. The present research aims to explore the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing and to analyze the characteristic features of non-formal later life learning in Lithuania in the perspective of successful ageing based on the review some recent literature on psychological and social aspects of successful ageing and older adult education and research in the fields of educational and psychosocial gerontology. It pursues answers to the questions as to “How can learning in later life contribute to successful ageing? What are the implications for the role of learning in the models of successful ageing? How is the role of third-age learning conceptualized in the perspective of successful ageing?” The answers to these questions provide better insight into the conceptual background of older adult education and suggests prospective research on the issue of the role of learning in older age. The multidimensional nature of the concept of successful ageing revealed by the literature review suggests that the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing is analyzable in relationship with health, psychological and social domains. The role of learning in later life is manifested through its impact on maintenance of cognitive function, psychological resources and social functioning. The positive impact of learning in later life on mental health through maintenance of cognitive function and the utilization of psychological resources through stimulation of personal growth and self-efficacy of older adult learners has been supported by findings of many recent studies. Education has been identified as one of the predictors of active engagement with life as an essential component of successful ageing.

Successful Aging, Life Satisfaction, and Generativity in Later Life

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley J. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Older People ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Developmental Task ◽  
Survey Questionnaire

This article explores the meanings older people attach to successful aging and life satisfaction and how these concepts can be differentiated. Forty elderly employees of the Ozarks Area Foster Grandparent Program (ages 61–92) were randomly selected and interviewed using an open-ended survey questionnaire. These questions explored understandings of successful aging and life satisfaction, the factors essential for each, and the differences perceived between these concepts. Qualitative data were coded by two independent reviewers. Respondents' understandings of successful aging involved attitudinal or coping orientations nearly twice as often as those for life satisfaction. Descriptions of life satisfaction emphasized the fulfillment of basic needs and was viewed as a precursor to successful aging. Content analysis confirmed five features of successful aging: interactions with others, a sense of purpose, self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. The findings suggest that generativity contributes to successful aging and remains a vital developmental task in later life.

The course of spousal bereavement in later life

1993 ◽  
pp. 240-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale A. Lund ◽  
Michael S. Caserta ◽  
Margaret F. Dimond
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Spousal Bereavement

scholarly journals Child’s Developmental Disabilities and Parental Well-being in Midlife and Old Age: Does Race Matter?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 916-916
Author(s):  
Juha Lee ◽  
Manjing Gao ◽  
Chioun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Differential Vulnerability ◽  
Differential Exposure ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Having a child with developmental disabilities (DD) compromises parents’ health and well-being. We have little knowledge on whether the association is robust to the presence of exposure-outcome confounders and how it varies by race. Guided by life-course perspectives, we evaluate (1) the association between having a child with DD and parental well-being and (2) racial disparities in the likelihood of having a child with DD (differential exposure), and/or the effect of having a child with DD on parental well-being (differential vulnerabilities). We advance prior studies by including a wide array of parent’s early-life adversities (ELAs, e.g., poverty and abuse), which may link the predictor to the outcome. Using the core, Refresher, and Milwaukee samples from Midlife in the United States (N=9,640, 25% non-Whites), we conducted regression analysis with race as a moderator. Compared to having a healthy child, parents having a child with DD reported lower well-being even after controlling for ELAs. While the likelihood of having a child with DD (around 10%) is similar for both non-Hispanic Whites and African Americans, African American parents are more adversely affected by having a child with DD across most of the eudaimonic well-being indicators (i.e., autonomy, self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, personal growth, environmental mastery). The later-life well-being of racial minorities is disproportionally affected by having a child with DD. Future research avenues include identifying life-course pathways that contribute to this differential vulnerability.

Understanding the context of perceived health ratings: The case of spousal bereavement in later life

1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel S. Caserta ◽  
Dale A. Lund ◽  
Margaret F. Dimond
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Spousal Bereavement

Landscapes of loss: spaces of memory, times of bereavement

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 739-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
JENNY HOCKEY ◽  
BRIDGET PENHALE ◽  
DAVID SIBLEY
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Domestic Space ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Sheltered Housing ◽  
Spousal Bereavement ◽  
Spousal Caregiving ◽  
Ongoing Relationship ◽  
Inner World

The qualitative study described in this paper explores later life spousal bereavement as a spatialised experience. It draws on interviews with 20 older widowed people who were living alone, half in owner-occupied accommodation and half in sheltered housing. Moving beyond the older adult's ‘inner’ world of grief, it examines changes in the use and meaning of both public and domestic space in order to provide an holistic, culturally-located analysis. The following themes are identified as important: the type of housing, interviewees’ spatialised social relationships, the experience of spousal caregiving prior to bereavement and the ongoing relationship between the living and the dead partner.

scholarly journals Impact of Doing Good on the Aging Self: Growth and Change Themes in Narratives of Prosocial Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 462-462
Author(s):  
Laura Graham ◽  
Jeanne Nakamura ◽  
Noah Ringler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Narrative Studies ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Growth And Change

Abstract Contemporary theories consider development to be lifelong, suggesting a potential for personal growth in older adulthood. Narrative studies have found benefits of having growth themes in older adults’ broad life stories, yet there is limited research focusing on the specific experiences in later life that elicit growth. One potential for personal growth during older age is through prosocial behavior, but studies have overlooked how older adults narrate such experiences and the perceived impact the narratives have on the self. We conducted interviews with a sample of 47 older adults engaged in prosocial commitments to examine the types of perceived self-change as well as patterns in high points and low points of the experience. Narrative analyses revealed the majority of participants reported a change in the self, and half of the sample used growth themes to characterize the self-change. Inductive coding of change narratives revealed an emergent category of virtuous change (e.g., transcendence, wisdom, humanity), as well as a variety of other change categories (e.g., competence, cognitive abilities, negative changes). Those who grew narrated high points and low points with more integration than those who did not, displaying a multifaceted, complex understanding of significant episodes through a blend of both positive and negative elements within one story. These findings suggest that an integrated understanding of prosocial experiences may provide an avenue toward personal growth. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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