Age Differences in Attachment Orientations among Younger and Older Adults: Evidence from Two Self-Report Measures of Attachment

2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Segal ◽  
Tracy N. Needham ◽  
Frederick L. Coolidge
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Preoccupied Attachment

The attachment patterns of younger and older adults were studied using two-dimensional self-report measures of adult attachment. Community-dwelling younger ( n = 144, M = 22.5 years, SD = 3.6) and older ( n = 106, M = 68.6 years, SD = 8.3) adults completed the Measure of Attachment Qualities (MAQ; Carver, 1997) and the Relationship Style Questionnaire (RSQ; Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). Although the MAQ and RSQ are believed to be measuring similar constructs, they are derived from different theoretical perspectives. Correlations between the two measures were in the expected directions proving modest evidence for their convergent validity. Regarding cross-sectional results, as was expected, older adults scored lower than younger adults on the ambivalent-worry attachment scale of the MAQ and the preoccupied attachment scale of the RSQ. There were no age differences regarding secure, avoidant, and dismissing attachment. It appears that older adults experience anxious types of attachment less frequently than younger adults. Although these results primarily speak to age differences and possible cohort effects, they also provide some support for socioemotional selectivity theory and its hypothesized improved relationships in later life.

The Influence of Age on Emotion Regulation Strategies and Psychological Distress

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 668-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Brummer ◽  
Lusia Stopa ◽  
Romola Bucks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Emotional Suppression ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Regulation Strategies

Background: To date there is promising, yet limited, evidence to suggest that differences exist between older and younger adults’ emotion regulation styles. Aims: The study aimed to explore emotion regulation style across the adult lifespan by assessing whether self-reported reappraisal, or suppression, differs across age groups, and how these emotion regulation strategies may impact upon psychological distress. Method: Three hundred and seventeen younger, 175 middle-aged and 85 older adults’ emotion regulation styles and levels of psychological distress were measured using self-report questionnaires and examined using a cross-sectional design. Results: The findings suggest that, compared to younger adults, older adults make greater use of suppression, the emotion regulation strategy. This greater use of suppression by older adults was not related to increased levels of psychological distress. By contrast, younger adults who reported high levels of suppression reported higher levels of psychological distress. In addition, older adults reported less anxiety and stress than younger adults, with no age differences in depression. Conclusions: Findings suggest a possible decoupling of the use of emotional suppression and psychological distress with age. Suppression may be a useful form of emotion regulation for the stressors experienced in later life and, arguably, therefore may not be associated with the negative outcomes observed in younger adults.

scholarly journals Worry and Depression in the Old and Young: Differences and Mediating Factors

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Armstrong ◽  
Viviana M. Wuthrich ◽  
Ashleigh Knight ◽  
Richard Joiner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Negative Thinking ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Age Range

Objective: This study examined whether differences in habitual negative self-thinking and coping strategies might contribute to the age differences in worry and depression. Method: 60 undergraduate students (age range: 18–24 years, M = 19.10, SD = 1.3) and 45 community-dwelling older adults (age range: 60–89 years, M = 73.5, SD = 7.5) participated. Participants completed self-report measures of worry, depression, negative self-thinking, and coping styles. Results: We replicated previous findings that older adults were less worried and less depressed than younger adults. Older adults also reported engaging in less habitual negative thinking and using more problem solving as a coping strategy than younger adults. Furthermore, negative self-thinking and problem-solving skills were found to partially mediate age differences in worry and fully mediate depression scores. Conclusions: These results suggest that habitual negative thinking and problem-solving skills play a role in explaining the lower rates of worry and depression in older populations.

scholarly journals THE TRUTH ABOUT AGE DIFFERENCES IN PERFORMANCE ON VARYING LENGTHS OF LIKERT-TYPE TEST ITEMS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S707-S707
Author(s):  
Julie Lutz ◽  
Aaron Metzger ◽  
Nicholas A Turiano ◽  
Rachael Spalding ◽  
Emma Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Response Scale ◽  
Type Response ◽  
Scale Length

Abstract Guidelines for self-report assessment with older adults emphasize the use of shorter Likert-type or agree/disagree response formats to reduce cognitive load (e.g., Yesavage et al., 1983). However, these suggestions are not founded on empirical studies directly comparing younger and older adults’ responses on different scales. Thus, the current study tested differential responding on varying Likert-type response scale lengths between younger, middle-aged, and older adults. Participants completed three versions of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Neuroticism scale with 3, 5, and 7 Likert-type response scale lengths in counterbalanced orders with other questionnaires between versions. Six multi-group confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) assessed measurement invariance across scale lengths and age groups. Invariance of convergent validity networks was also assessed with multi-group CFAs of the associations between the IPIP and measures of depression, anxiety, anger, worry, and affect. The final sample consisted of 835 adults (327 18-44; 279 45-64; and 229 65 or older) via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Measurement invariance was supported in analyses by age within each scale length and by scale length within each age group, indicating that response patterns across all scale lengths and age groups did not significantly differ. Analyses of convergent validity also supported invariance, suggesting that responses across all scale lengths and age groups reflect the same underlying construct. This study indicates that, among community-dwelling adults, shortened response scale lengths do not yield significantly different or more valid responses for older adults compared to younger adults.

scholarly journals Chronic diseases, multimorbidity, and handgrip strength among older adults from Southern Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Júlia PESSINI ◽  
Aline Rodrigues BARBOSA ◽  
Erasmo Benício Santos de Moraes TRINDADE
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Comorbid Chronic Diseases

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the association between various chronic diseases, multimorbidity, and handgrip strength in community dwelling older adults in Southern Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out with 477 older adults (60 years and older) who resided in Antônio Carlos, Santa Catarina state. Subjects aged 60-79 years were selected by probability sampling (n=343) and all subjects aged 80 years or older (n=134) were evaluated. Chronic diseases were identified by self-report. A mechanical dynamometer verified handgrip strength (i.e., the outcome). Adjustments variables were age, literacy, living arrangement, smoking, body mass index, cognitive function, and comorbid chronic diseases. Sex-stratified analyses were conducted with simple and multiple linear regression. Results: A total of 270 women (73.2±8.8 years) and 207 men (73.3±9.0 years) were assessed. In the adjustment analysis, cancer (β=-3.69; 95%CI=-6.97 to -0.41) and depression (β=-1.65; 95%CI=-3.20 to -0.10) were associated with lower handgrip strength in women. For men, diabetes (β=-5.30; 95%CI=-9.64 to -0.95), chronic lung disease (β=-4.74; 95%CI=-7.98 to -1.50), and coronary heart disease (β=-3.07; 95%CI=-5.98 to -0.16) were associated with lower handgrip strength values. There was an inverse trend between number of diseases and handgrip strength for men only. Conclusion: The results showed an independent association between chronic diseases and handgrip strength. As such, handgrip strength is a valid measure to use for prevention or intervention in chronic disease and multimorbidity.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF RELIGIOSITY IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG CHINESE OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S976-S976
Author(s):  
Ru Jia ◽  
Dexia Kong ◽  
XinQi Dong
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Religious Activities ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Religious Services ◽  
At Home

Abstract This study aims to examine the relationship between religiosity and depressive symptoms in a large cohort of community-dwelling U.S. Chinese older adults living in the Greater Chicago area, which has received relatively little research attention. Cross-sectional self-report data was obtained from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago between 2011 and 2013 (N=3,157). Depressive symptoms were measured by the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). A score of 5 and above indicated the presence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between religiosity and depressive symptoms. Out of 3,157 participants, 20.3% participants had a score of or above 5 on PHQ-9. 35.4% reported religiosity as being “important” (24.7%) and “very important” (10.7%); 16% reported attending organized religious services at least once a month (3.1% reported once a month; 12.3% reported once a week; 0.6% reported almost every day); 23% reported having religious services at home at least once a month (10.3% reported once a month; 3.2% reported once a week; 9.5% reported almost daily). Results showed that recognizing religiosity as important is significantly negatively associated with depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR]=0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.89-0.99). However, no significant associations between depressive symptoms and religious activity attendance or religious service at home were observed. Findings suggest that senses of belonging and life meaning may help reduce depressive symptoms, rather than the religious activities per se. Future interventions could reduce depressive symptoms of U.S. Chinese older adults through religiosity.

scholarly journals The Turkish adaptation and psychometric properties of the Geriatric Anxiety Scale

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faika Sanal Karahan ◽  
Erdal Hamarta ◽  
Ali Yavuz Karahan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Turkish Version ◽  
Internal Reliability

The purpose of the present study is to translate and adapt the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS), a 30-item self-report measure of anxiety among older adults, into Turkish and examine its basic psychometric properties. We tested the translated GAS in a sample of community-dwelling older adults in Konya, Turkey (N=100; Mage=71.4 years, SD=6.5; range=65-88) without a history of mental disorder and sufficient cognitive abilities. To assess the convergent validity, Turkish versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were administered. The mean GAS total score was 13.33 (SD=11.86). Due to low item-total correlations (<0.30), two items (items 2 and 3) were removed from the Turkish version of the GAS. The internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) was excellent for the total score (0.91) and acceptable for the subscales (somatic = 0.71; cognitive = 0.85; affective = 0.84). Regarding the convergent validity, the GAS total score was significantly and positively correlated with the total scores of the BAI (r=0.87, P<0.05) and GDS (r=0.57, P<0.05), with large effect sizes. Implications: The newly translated Turkish version of the GAS has promising utility in an older adult Turkish sample. Future studies of this measure are warranted.

scholarly journals Aging and Decision Making: Socio-Emotional and Contextual Factors

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 557-557
Author(s):  
JoNell Strough ◽  
Corinna Loeckenhoff ◽  
Susan Charles
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Maintaining sound decision-making skills in later life is a key concern in the face of population aging. The four presentations in this symposium highlight the importance of considering socio-emotional and contextual factors when investigating adult age differences in decision making. Together, they show that features of decision contexts such as the way information is presented, along with social relationships and emotional responses, have distinct implications for understanding age effects in decision-related processing and outcomes. Drawing from fuzzy trace theory, Nolte, Löckenhoff and Reyna showed that gist-based (“good,” “extremely poor”) versus verbatim information (exact numbers) was differentially appealing to younger and older adults, with older adults seeking more gist information than verbatim information. Young and Mikels investigated older and younger adults’ integral emotional responses to a behavioral risk-taking task. Younger adults experienced more anger and less contentment than older adults. These emotions differentially predicted risk taking in the two groups. Seaman, Christensen, Senn, Cooper, and Cassidy found age differences in learning about the trustworthiness of social partners. Older adults showed less learning relative to younger adults and invested less with trustworthy partners and more with untrustworthy partners. Smith, Strough, Parker and Bruine de Bruin found that older age, perceiving better decision-making ability than age peers, and perceiving declines in ability over time, were associated with lesser preferences for making decisions with others. In her discussion, Charles will integrate these findings with existing research on aging and decision making and offers directions for future research.

Theoretical Perspectives on Age Differences in Brain Activation: HAROLD, PASA, CRUNCH—How Do They STAC Up?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara B. Festini ◽  
Laura Zahodne ◽  
Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Age Related

Cognitive neuroimaging studies often report that older adults display more activation of neural networks relative to younger adults, referred to as overactivation. Greater or more widespread activity frequently involves bilateral recruitment of both cerebral hemispheres, especially the frontal cortex. In many reports, overactivation has been associated with superior cognitive performance, suggesting that this activity may reflect compensatory processes that offset age-related decline and maintain behavior. Several theories have been proposed to account for age differences in brain activation, including the Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD) model, the Posterior-Anterior Shift in Aging (PASA) theory, the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH), and the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC and STAC-r). Each model has a different explanatory scope with regard to compensatory processes, and each has been highly influential in the field. HAROLD contrasts the general pattern of bilateral prefrontal activation in older adults with that of more unilateral activation in younger adults. PASA describes both anterior (e.g., frontal) overactivation and posterior (e.g., occipital) underactivation in older adults relative to younger adults. CRUNCH emphasizes that the level or extent of brain activity can change in response to the level of task demand at any age. Finally, STAC and STAC-r take the broadest perspective to incorporate individual differences in brain structure, the capacity to implement functional scaffolding, and life-course neural enrichment and depletion factors to predict cognition and cognitive change across the lifespan. Extant empirical work has documented that compensatory overactivation can be observed in regions beyond the prefrontal cortex, that variations in task difficulty influence the degree of brain activation, and that younger adults can show compensatory overactivation under high mental demands. Additional research utilizing experimental designs (e.g., transcranial magnetic stimulation), longitudinal assessments, greater regional precision, both verbal and nonverbal material, and measures of individual difference factors will continue to refine our understanding of age-related activation differences and adjudicate among these various accounts of neurocognitive aging.

scholarly journals How is personality related to well-being in older and younger adults? The role of psychological flexibility

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1355-1365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priska Steenhaut ◽  
Gina Rossi ◽  
Ineke Demeyer ◽  
Rudi De Raedt
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related

ABSTRACTObjectives:Personality is known to be a reliable predictor of well-being. However, it is rather difficult to influence the personality of individuals in order to improve their well-being. Therefore, it is important to examine possible underlying mechanisms or indirect effects. Consequently, the aim of the current study was to investigate whether psychological flexibility is a mechanism explaining the relationship between personality and well-being. Given the evidence that age-related differences exist in personality, flexibility, and well-being, we also investigated whether our indirect effects model differed in both older and younger adults.Design:We used a cross-sectional design.Setting:Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires at home.Participants:We recruited 138 younger (25–50 years) and 120 older (65+) adults from a community-dwelling population.Measurements:Self-report questionnaires were used to assess (mal)adaptive personality traits (Big Five), psychological flexibility, and affective and general subjective well-being.Results:Similar indirect effects were found in older and younger adults: Psychological flexibility is a mechanism explaining the link between personality and well-being. In nearly half of the models, psychological flexibility even fully accounted for the effect of personality on well-being.Conclusion:These results have important implications for clinical practice, since psychological flexibility, contrary to personality traits, is malleable. Interventions to increase psychological flexibility already exist and are validated in both older and younger samples. They may hold promise to improve well-being.

scholarly journals Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth R Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives Existing scholarship in social gerontology has paid relatively little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later-life psychological well-being outside a family framework. Method Drawing from a 3-wave longitudinal survey of community-dwelling older residents (n = 334) of Miami, Florida, we utilized generalized estimating equation models to examine the influence of changes in compassionate love (i.e., feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others) on depressive symptoms over time. We also explored cross-sectional relationship between compassionate love and positive and negative affects. Results An increase in the feeling of being loved (β = −0.77, p &lt; .001) and feeling love for others (β = −0.78, p &lt; .001) led to a decline in odds of reporting greater levels of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β = .63, p &lt; .001) and expressed love for other people (β = 0.43, p &lt; .05). Older adults who felt loved and expressed love for other people, respectively, had 0.71 and 0.54-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower levels of love. The statistically significant impact of feeling loved on all well-being outcomes was maintained even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Except for depressive symptoms, such adjustments explained the positive influence of love for others on well-being outcomes. Discussion Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving loving emotions for the maintenance of later-life psychological well-being.

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