scholarly journals Active Aging through Later Life and Afterlife Planning: Shūkatsu in a Super-Aged Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Hui Hsien Chan ◽  
Leng Leng Thang
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Active Aging ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
Mass Media Exposure

In Japan, the term shūkatsu—referred as the planning for later life and for the afterlife—has gained popularity due to high amount of mass media exposure in recent years. This paper examines shūkatsu from the active aging framework, contending that shūkatsu is an important activity that contributes to active aging, as the process of conscientious planning encourages older Japanese people to remain active. Data for this study were obtained from qualitative interviews that were conducted with 40 older middle-class Japanese citizens residing in Nagoya. Explored through a life course perspective, the study examined how salient factors, such as personal history, experiences, roles, anxieties, life-changing events, and cultural practices, have influenced older Japanese people in their shūkatsu decision-making process. In the process of understanding how the Japanese respond to changing family relationships and sociocultural transformations, the emphasis on living a “good old age” for better social, psychological, and physical well-being strongly reflects the agency to age actively. In a super-aged Japan, shūkatsu may be a vital strategy that not only ensures a better quality of life for the older population and their children, but it also contributes to individual’s sense of usefulness and satisfaction, as they are actively involved in the planning and management of their own later and afterlife choices.

A Qualitative Study Exploring Harmful Cultural Practices and HIV Stigma in North Central Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
Bala Augustine Nalah ◽  
Azlinda Azman ◽  
Paramjit Singh Jamir Singh
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Hiv Stigma ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
North Central ◽  
Harmful Cultural Practices

Harmful cultural practices have psychosocial implications on stigmatization and vulnerability to HIV infection among HIV positive living in North Central Nigeria. To understand this, we conducted qualitative interviews with purposively selected 20 diagnosed HIV positive to explore how culture influences stigmatization and HIV transmission. Data was collected using audio-recorder, transcribed, and analyzed through thematic analysis using ATLAS.ti8 software to code and analyze interview transcripts. The coded data were presented using thematic network analysis to visualize the theme, sub-themes, and quotations in a model. The findings reveal that lack of education was a significant determinant for the continual practice of harmful cultural rites, thereby increasing the risk of HIV infection and stigmatization. Hence, six cultural facilitators have been identified to include female genital mutilation, lack of education, tribal marks and scarification, postpartum sexual abstinence during breastfeeding, sexual intercourse during menstruation, and gender inequality, polygamy, and inheritance law. We conclude that educational teachings and advocacy campaigns be organized in rural schools and public places on the implications of harmful cultural practice to health and psychological well-being. We recommend that the social workers and behavioral scientists should collaborate with other agencies to employ a behavioral-based intervention in eliminating cultural practices and HIV stigma.

Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Childhood Adversity

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110486
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks ◽  
Yingling Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Marital Support ◽  
Lagged Dependent Variable ◽  
Marital Strain

Objectives: We integrate the life course perspective with the stress-process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood for men and women. Methods: Drawing on longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we use a series of lagged dependent-variable models and stratify the sample by gender. Results: Our results suggest that the benefits associated with greater marital support are stronger for those that did not live with both parents in childhood for men. Women raised in families that experienced financial hardship reported lower subjective well-being in the context of marital strain. Conclusion: Adverse experiences in childhood can be scarring or foster resilience related to well-being in the context of strained or supportive marriages.

scholarly journals Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Early-Life Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 407-407
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks ◽  
Yingling Liu
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Marital Support ◽  
Lagged Dependent Variable ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Marital Strain

Abstract Decades of research have the beneficial effects of marital support and the detrimental consequences of marital strain on health and well-being. However, we know relatively less about how circumstances in childhood—a key developmental period of the life course—influence the relational structure in which later life is embedded and any implications this may hold for well-being. We integrate the life course perspective with the stress process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions (childhood happiness, family structure, and financial strain) moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood in potentially different ways for men and women. The consequences of marital strain may be more severe and the benefits of marital support may not be as strongly felt for those adults who experienced greater adversity during childhood. Drawing on longitudinal data from Waves 2 (2010-2011) and 3 (2015-2016) of the NSHAP project (N = 1,376), results from lagged dependent variable models suggest that marital support buffers the effect of not living with both parents in childhood on subjective well-being for men. Meanwhile, women raised in families that experienced financial hardship reported lower subjective well-being in the context of marital strain in later life. No significant interaction effects were obtained for childhood happiness. Taken together, our findings suggest that adverse experiences in childhood can be scarring, particularly in the context of strained intimate relationships. However, a supportive marriage can, in some cases, offset the effects of childhood hardship on subjective well-being in later life.

Gender Dimensions of Aging Among Indigenous People

2018 ◽  
pp. 142-158
Author(s):  
Faisal Ahmmed
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Family System ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Elderly Males

Researchers view older people as a homogenous group where age is a leveler of characteristics. But factors such as gender, socio-economic background, family relationships and support, living situation, physical condition, cultural practices, etc. severely influence how a person will enjoy their later life. In Khasi Indigenous community women enjoy higher status than their counterparts. Due to a strong matriarchical family system, women become the owner of property inherently and husbands stay in wives' houses. This empowers women economically and family members show their loyalty to the head of the family who is a woman. During old age, women are well cared for by family members, and elderly males are sometimes neglected, which is totally opposite to the majority people of Bangladesh. Based on an ethnographic study, this chapter explains how customs work in the creation of a special later life experience among elderly women. It also explains the challenges faced by Khasi elderly people in getting access to modern medical facilities and other government supports as citizen of Bangladesh.

scholarly journals Gerontology at the Intersection of Religion and Families: Honoring the Legacy of Vern Bengtson

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 657-657
Author(s):  
Alex Bishop ◽  
Merril Silverstein ◽  
Monika Ardelt
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Family Networks ◽  
Temporal Continuity ◽  
Behavioral Gerontology ◽  
Harmonious Family

Abstract The topic of religion and spirituality in later life has received intermittent but regular attention in the field of social and behavioral gerontology over the past few decades. To the extent that religion and spirituality have been linked to better health, improved well-being, and harmonious family functioning has renewed interest in this area of scholarly inquiry. Along with these positive outcomes, religion has also been examined as the basis for family conflict, as well in terms of its inverse in the transmission of secularity across generations. This symposium will communicate empirical results, theoretical insights, and conceptual developments inspired by the career contributions of Dr. Vern Bengtson, whose landmark studies have enriched the field of gerontology in the areas of intergenerational solidarity, spirituality in later life, the transmission of religion across generations, and life-course approaches to the study of family relationships. Five eminent scholars whose work touches on these areas will be represented in this symposium. The paper by Linda George compares intergenerational religious socialization and moral development. The paper by Robert Taylor and Linda Chatters examines the role of supportive church and family networks among older African-Americans. The paper by Ellen Idler addresses aging and religious in a context of secularization. The paper by Andy Achenbaum considers spiritual dimensions of friendship and meanings of aging. The paper by Merril Silverstein integrates intergenerational and temporal continuity in religious practice and identity. The discussant Monika Ardelt has contributed important scholarly work in the areas of religion, spirituality, and wisdom in later life. Religion, Spirituality and Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

scholarly journals The Links Between Childhood Life Circumstances, Family Persecution and Discrimination Experiences, and Well-Being in Later Life

Psichologija ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 118-136
Author(s):  
Jonas Eimontas ◽  
Albinas Bagdonas ◽  
Antanas Kairys ◽  
Olga Zamalijeva ◽  
Vilmantė Pakalniškienė ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Environment ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Childhood Environment ◽  
Life Circumstances ◽  
The Life Course

The life course perspective raised many discussions about continuity, types of threads linking different developmental stages, and ways to identify these links. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of childhood family circumstances and family repression / discrimination experiences in predicting psychological well-being in later life. The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) wave 7 data was used; 1985 respondents aged 50+ (M = 66.23, SD = 10.52) living in Lithuania (63.8 % – female) provided retrospective information on their early life circumstances, including home environment, relationships with family / friends, family persecution. Psychological well-being was assessed with a 12-item Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure (CASP) scale. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that the inclusion of family persecution and other childhood factors increases the prognostic value of the model by 8 percent. Relationships with mother and friends, self-rated health, perceived abilities, number of books at home, and physical harm by others significantly predicted psychological well-being among older adults, even after controlling pivotal sociodemographic variables. These results suggest that creating a caring, safe, and cognitively stimulating childhood environment can promote better development in early stages and contribute to greater psychological well-being in later life.

scholarly journals The Effects of War and Migration Trauma on Southeast Asian Families in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. p227
Author(s):  
Khanh T. Dinh ◽  
Phi Loan Le
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The U.S

This review article focuses on Southeast Asian (SEA) families, which include Vietnamese, Laotian, Hmong, and Cambodian ethnic groups, comprising about three million people in the United States. Although many differences exist among SEAs, they share experiences of war and migration-related trauma and losses that continue to have long-term effects on their families and individual well-being within and across generations. Research and practice work with SEA families and individuals requires in depth knowledge of their experiences before, during, and after migration to the U.S. This article on SEA families, although not exhaustive in its coverage, highlights the following topics: SEA populations in the U.S., migration history, resettlement and adaptation in the U.S., mental health issues of SEAs, traditional SEA family, migration and family formation, migration and family relationships, migration and family in later life, and implications for research and practice with SEA families and individuals.

scholarly journals New Perspectives on Loneliness: From Micro Qualitative to Macro Quantitative Cross-National Comparisons

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 609-609
Author(s):  
Marja Aartsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Longitudinal research revealed a number of micro-level drivers of loneliness, such as widowhood, exclusion from the wider society, ill health and migrant status, but a number of questions are still unanswered. For example, the prevalence of loneliness varies substantially across countries, but we do not know precisely what causes these differences. It may be due to differences in the composition of the populations, it may also be caused by macro-level drivers, or by variations in the impact of risk factors between countries. For example, losing a spouse may be loneliness provoking in countries where living with a partner is the norm, but less so in countries where living alone is more valued. Also how early childhood and events over the life course affect the level of loneliness in later life is still under-researched. The aim of our symposium is to address this gap by presenting different perspectives on loneliness and social isolation. The first presenter interprets five-year follow-up information from qualitative interviews with a life course perspective. The second investigates the role of trust as factor producing social integration, which leads to variations in loneliness. The third compares and discusses loneliness in three different continents, based on an ecological model of contexts. The forth presenter critically discusses ways to measure loneliness in societies that are culturally distinct from western cultures. The last presenter discusses the dynamics between loneliness and material deprivation in Europe. The findings provide a new lens through which we can understand loneliness and inform about effective prevention.

scholarly journals PATHWAYS TO A GOOD LIFE? MULTIPLE SOCIAL ROLES IN ADULTHOOD AND MENTAL WELL-BEING IN LATER LIFE IN EUROPE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S916-S916
Author(s):  
Christian Deindl ◽  
Miriam Engels
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Role Strain ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Indirect Impact ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The connection between employment, family life and health is well documented. Job demands and family obligations are divergent responsibilities and can be a constant source of conflict. The resulting role strain can have a long lasting impact on mental health. Using data from SHARE and ELSA, we take a life course perspective and look at patterns of employment history from the age of 25 to 40 combined with partnership and fertility history of 17,189 men and 23,266 women in 22 European countries. Sequence analysis combined with cluster analysis shows a clear picture of five dominant states in our sample: Stable work and family, stable work without family, working single parent, working childless couples, and being non employed. This pattern is similar for men and women. We use path models to distinguish the impact of childhood conditions on such life course patterns and the direct and indirect impact of employment and family life on mental health. Women who did not combine work and family roles, (work without family, family without work) reported higher levels of depression in comparison with women who combined work and family. Non-working women and single mothers also experienced indirect effects on depression through their economic situation. Unemployed men or men without family reported higher levels of depression. Unemployment and being a single father also have an indirect impact on depression via economic conditions and health. Moreover, such results also differ between countries, with lower employment rates reducing role strain for women, but not so for men.

Parent–Child Relations and Their Importance for Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Yijung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Intergenerational Relations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Parent Child Relations ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Intergenerational Ties ◽  
Parent Child

The parent-child relationship is one of the most significant social relations for many individuals. In particular, intergenerational ties to adult children often remain as one of the main social networks and sources of support provisions in later life. By reviewing the key literature on older parent-child relations, this article discussed the dynamics and complexity of intergenerational ties and their impact on the lives of older adults. First, we discussed theoretical perspectives that have guided recent research on intergenerational relations, including the life course perspective, and solidarity, conflict, and ambivalence models. Second, we reviewed the literature on structural aspects of the relations, including coresidence, proximity, and contact, and their implications for older adults’ health and well-being. Third, regarding a functional side of parent-child relations, we discussed the different types and implications of support exchanges between older adults and their adult children. Finally, our discussion concluded with the review of emotional qualities (i.e., positive, negative, and ambivalent) in parent-child relations and the factors that may complicate the intergenerational ties in later life. Our review revealed that the significance of parent-child ties remains with the changes in demographic, social, and cultural environments of our aging society, and the different dimensions of parent-child ties (i.e., structural, functional, and emotional) have important influences on older adults’ well-being, quality of life, and health. To better understand the implications of parent-child ties in later life, future research is needed to uncover the specific mechanisms by which different dimensions of intergenerational relations and health outcomes among family members are linked.

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