scholarly journals Elder Mistreatment and Psychological Well-Being among Older Americans

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7525
Author(s):  
Ronald W. Berkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Elder Mistreatment ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Americans

Elder mistreatment is a major public health issue both in the US and around the globe. While extensive research has elucidated the association between elder mistreatment and health in older adults, little is known about the relationship between elder mistreatment and more eudaimonic measures of psychological well-being. Using data from the 2011 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, this project examined the association between older adults’ experience with varied forms of elder mistreatment and eudaimonic dimensions of psychological well-being including autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Ordinary least squares regression analyses found significant associations between experiences of elder mistreatment and psychological well-being. In particular, older adults who reported feeling that someone was too controlling over their daily lives and older adults who reported making donations to organizations they later worried were not legitimate reported significantly lower scores on all six psychological well-being dimensions. The results of this study suggest the negative effects of elder mistreatment can extend to more eudaimonic feelings of well-being, and programs designed to treat victims of elder mistreatment should incorporate strategies that help strengthen psychological well-being.

scholarly journals Perceived Discrimination, Social Environment, and Older Adults’ Psychological Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 462-462
Author(s):  
Min-Kyoung Park ◽  
Christine Mair
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
The Social

Abstract Experiencing discrimination can have detrimental effects on psychological well-being. For older adults in the U.S., discrimination on the basis of country of origin may be a particularly alienating experience. A positive social environment, however, has been shown to buffer associations between discrimination and poorer psychological well-being. However, this hypothesis has not been tested in a sample of older Americans who perceive discrimination because of country of origin. As the United States continues to diversify and politically polarize, understanding older adults’ experiences with discrimination and identifying potential buffers to these negative effects is increasingly important. We analyze 942 older Americans (aged 50+) from the Psychosocial Module of the most recent wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS, 2020). Specifically, we analyze associations between perceived discrimination on the basis of country of origin and three psychological well-being outcomes: loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction. We further test if the social environment buffers negative effects by examining interactions between discrimination and social support as well as discrimination and neighborhood environment. Our results reveal clear and consistent associations between older adults’ perceived discrimination and increased loneliness and decreased life satisfaction. These negative associations, however, appear to be buffered by social support and positive neighborhood environment, respectively. The potential buffering effect of positive social environments on psychological well-being is particularly pronounced for older adults under the age of 65. We discuss these findings in light of the prevalence of discrimination in the U.S. and consider potential mechanisms for improving the social environment of older adults.

scholarly journals DOES CHANGE IN INTERNET USE PREDICT PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG OLDER ADULTS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S326-S326
Author(s):  
Ronald W Berkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Additional Control ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Previous work focusing on the relationship between Internet use and quality of life among older adults (aged 65+) has found evidence of various positive impacts. This project expands upon this work by examining the relationship between Internet use and measures of psychological well-being (PWB) including autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. The analytic sample is derived from two waves of data (Time 1 = 2004, Time 2 = 2011) taken from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and includes a sample of older adults aged~65 at Time 1 (N = 4943). Participants were separated into four categories: those who did not use the Internet at Time 1 or 2, those who used the Internet at Time 1 only, those who used the Internet at Time 2 only, and those who used the Internet at both Time 1 and 2. Regression analyses were performed with the Time 2 PWB measures as the outcomes and the Internet use categories as the primary predictors. Results indicate that while continuous Internet users typically reported higher PWB scores compared to non-users, those who stopped use between Time 1 and 2 also reported higher scores and those who started use between Time 1 and 2 reported lower scores. These results generally held when introducing Time 1 PWB measures as controls, suggesting changes in Internet use may affect PWB but not necessarily in the predicted directions. Additional control variables, potential explanations, and implications for future research are discussed.

Displaced Older Adults’ Reactions to and Coping With the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1346-1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Kamo ◽  
Tammy L. Henderson ◽  
Karen A. Roberto
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Relationship

Guided by an ecological perspective, the authors examined event, individual, structural/cultural, and family/community factors that shaped the psychological well-being of older adults displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. The authors first established the negative effects of displacement on psychological well-being by comparing displaced older adults with permanent Baton Rouge residents. Displaced older persons’ psychological well-being was positively related to their age and physical health. Older displaced women coped with displacement better than men. Avoidant coping was negatively related to the older adults’ well-being, whereas spiritual coping showed no effect. The functioning of older persons’ family was positively related to their psychological well-being, whereas dependence on people outside immediate family showed a negative relationship. Income, education, and race were largely unrelated to psychological well-being. Findings provide implications for future studies regarding the relationship between disaster and psychological well-being and provide practitioners with suggestions for work with older adults displaced by disasters.

scholarly journals Psychological well-being among older adults during the COVID-19 outbreak: a comparative study of the young–old and the old–old adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 1365-1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. López ◽  
G. Perez-Rojo ◽  
C. Noriega ◽  
I. Carretero ◽  
C. Velasco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Stressful Life Event ◽  
Purpose In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Young Old

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 outbreak could be considered as an uncontrollable stressful life event. Lockdown measures have provoked a disruption of daily life with a great impact over older adults’ health and well-being. Nevertheless, eudaimonic well‐being plays a protective role in confronting adverse circumstances, such as the COVID-19 situation. This study aims to assess the association between age and psychological well-being (personal growth and purpose in life). Young–old (60–70 years) and old–old (71–80 years) community-dwelling Spaniards (N = 878) completed a survey and reported on their sociodemographic characteristics and their levels of health, COVID-19 stress-related, appraisal, and personal resources. Old–old did not evidence poorer psychological well-being than young–old. Age has only a negative impact on personal growth. The results also suggest that the nature of the COVID-19 impact (except for the loss of a loved one) may not be as relevant for the older adults’ well-being as their appraisals and personal resources for managing COVID-related problems. In addition, these results suggest that some sociodemographic and health-related variables have an impact on older adults’ well-being. Thus, perceived-health, family functioning, resilience, gratitude, and acceptance had significant associations with both personal growth and purpose in life. Efforts to address older adults’ psychological well-being focusing on older adults’ personal resources should be considered.

The Social Gradient in Mental Health and Well-Being for Indigenous Older Adults Living in Rural Areas: A Cross-Sectional Comparison With Rural Non-indigenous Population in Chile

2020 ◽  
pp. 089826432097920
Author(s):  
Esteban Sánchez-Moreno ◽  
Lorena P. Gallardo-Peralta ◽  
Cristián Leyton
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Degree Of Protection ◽  
Indigenous Group ◽  
Housing Deprivation

Objectives: To compare differences in depression, loneliness and personal well-being in a sample made up of indigenous (Aymara and Mapuche) and non-indigenous older people resident in original rural territories. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 800 older adults living in a rural context in Chile, of whom 201 were Aymara, 368 Mapuche and 231 non-indigenous. Validated instruments were included for depression, loneliness and personal well-being (outcome variables). Ordinary least squares regression analyses were performed. Results: Membership of an indigenous group was significantly associated with lower scores for depression and loneliness and higher scores for personal well-being. The interactions of severe deprivation and housing deprivation with indigenous group membership were significantly associated with lower loneliness scores and higher personal well-being scores for Aymara and Mapuche participants. Discussion: Native rural settings and territories may offer a degree of protection to indigenous peoples. Cultural continuity enhanced by rural areas would produce a culturally constructed resilience against deprivation.

Parental Dissatisfaction, Health, and Well-Being Among Older Chinese Adults: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem and Feeling Useless

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (17) ◽  
pp. 2456-2477
Author(s):  
Yiqing Yang ◽  
Ming Wen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Health And Well Being

Little work has considered the relationship between parental dissatisfaction and health and well-being among older adults. This study investigates whether parental dissatisfaction is linked to four health and well-being outcomes and whether the proposed associations are partly mediated by self-esteem and feeling useless in a 2014 sample of 432 community-dwelling older Chinese parents aged 60 to 79 years. Results from logistic and ordinary least squares regression modeling show that parental dissatisfaction is significantly associated with the four outcomes (physical health, mental health, depression, and life satisfaction), net of age, gender, and financial hardship. Findings from mediation analyses reveal that these associations are attributable to self-esteem and feeling useless both independently and jointly (with varying effects on different outcomes). Parental satisfaction contributes to healthy aging in China. It is important to develop interventions that enhance self-esteem and reduce feeling useless among older adults who are dissatisfied with their parental roles.

scholarly journals REACTIVITY TO THE MEASUREMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S705-S705
Author(s):  
Steve Amireault ◽  
Elliot M Friedman ◽  
Mary K Huffman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Purpose In Life ◽  
Block Size ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Retirement Home ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Gerontological Research ◽  
Measurement Reactivity

Abstract Although it is known that measurement reactivity can yield medium-sized effects (Cohen’s d = .50) on anxiety, its effects on psychological well-being (PWB) measures (e.g., purpose in life, personal growth) are unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate reactivity to the measurement of PWB in older adults. Ninety-four adults aged 60 ≥ years (mean = 75) were recruited from a fitness center, retirement home and community center in Indiana. All participants received a questionnaire via postal mail at baseline (T1) and 2-3 weeks later (T2). Using block randomization (block size = 16), older adults were randomly allocated (1:1 ratio) to one of two conditions: PWB measures assessed at T1 and T2; and PWB measures were at T2 only. Purpose in life and personal growth were assessed using Ryff’s PWB scales. Multiple imputation analysis was conducted to account for attrition at T2 (18%), and all participants were analyzed according to the condition they were originally assigned. ANCOVA, controlling for recruitment sites, revealed that purpose in life (p = .03), but not personal growth (p = .08), T2 scores were on average lower when PWB was measured twice compared to those when PWB was measured once. The detected difference in purpose in life T2 scores was of medium size (d [95%CI] = - .50 [-.95, -.04]). This finding suggests that initial or later scores might be biased – a problematic finding because if ignored, measurement reactivity has the potential to affect conclusions drawn from gerontological research that focuses on PWB.

scholarly journals The role of psychological well-being in obese and overweight older adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Giuli ◽  
Roberta Papa ◽  
Fiorella Marcellini ◽  
Marco Boscaro ◽  
Emanuela Faloia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Impaired Quality

Being obese or overweight is often associated with impaired quality of life and psychological well-being (PWB) in comparison with normal-weight people (Giuli et al., 2014), both in developed and developing countries. PWB is considered a very important correlate of subjective well-being in people with excess weight. The concept of PWB is based on Ryff's multidimensional model (Ryff, 2014), which considers well-being as eudaemonic concept, and includes six dimensions: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Few studies have analyzed the role of specific correlates of perceived well-being in the obese and overweight Italian older population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of perceived well-being in obese and overweight older adults. Our study included 124 overweight and obese older participants, aged 60 years or more, selected from patients attending the Division of Endocrinology, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences of Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy). As previously described (Giuli et al., 2014), the participants were recruited on the basis of specific inclusion/exclusion criteria, in a period of three years (January 2010–December 2012).

scholarly journals Problematic Smartphone Usage and Subjective and Psychological Well-Being

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Horwood ◽  
Jeromy Anglim
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Relationship

Despite a growing awareness that problematic usage of smartphones is becoming a significant public health issue, there is limited research on how problematic smartphone usage relates to the humanistic concepts of well-being, particularly those captured in Ryff's six psychological well-being dimensions: positive relations, autonomy, emotional mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, self-acceptance. The current study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between general and problematic smartphone usage and subjective well-being and psychological well-being using long-form, theoretically grounded measures. Australian adults (n = 539, 79% female; age in years M = 25.1, SD = 7.8) completed Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale, the PANAS, and Ryff's 84-item measure of psychological well-being. Results showed that problematic smartphone usage was correlated with lower well-being on almost all scales. In particular, negative affect, autonomy, and environmental mastery had the largest negative correlations with problematic smartphone usage. Given the stable and dispositional nature of well-being, it seems likely that much of the relationship is driven by a common underlying tendency to experience anxiety, negative emotions, and a lack of control, combined with a tendency to engage in maladaptive coping and compulsive behavior. This repository provides data, materials, and data analysis scripts to accompany the manuscript of the same name.

scholarly journals Psychological distress during the COVID-19 epidemic in Chile: The role of economic uncertainty

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0251683
Author(s):  
Fabián Duarte ◽  
Álvaro Jiménez-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Economic Uncertainty ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations

Previous research has shown that the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing, and lockdown can affect people’s psychological well-being. The aims of this study were (1) to estimate the extent to which perceptions and expectations regarding the social, economic, and domestic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak are associated with psychological distress and (2) to identify some demographic, psychosocial, and economic factors associated with increased vulnerability to psychological distress during the COVID-19 outbreak in Chile. 1078 people participated in a telephone survey between May 30 and June 10, 2020. The sample is representative of the Chilean adult population. Psychological distress was assessed through a questionnaire of anxious and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-4). We analyzed the data set using ordinary least-squares regression models, first estimating models for the entire sample, and then stratifying the sample into different groups to explore differences by gender and age. 19.2% of participants displayed significant psychological distress (PHQ-4 ≥ 6), with moderate to severe anxiety-depression symptoms being more prevalent in women than in men (23.9% vs 14.1%, χ2 16.78, p<0.001). The results of this study suggest that being a woman, feeling lonely and isolated, living in the areas hit hardest by the pandemic and lockdown, expecting a lack of income due to having to stop working as a consequence of the pandemic, and having a history of diagnosed mental disorders are significantly associated with psychological distress (p<0.05). The results of this study highlight the need to implement psychosocial programs to guard people’s psychological well-being and social policies to address economic uncertainty during the current COVID-19 outbreak in Chile.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document