The Relationship Between Social Support and Subjective Cognitive Functioning Across Adulthood

Subjective cognitive functioning (SCF) is the self-appraisal of one's objective cognition, including both perceived cognitive ability and perceived cognitive impairment. Research has demonstrated perceived subjective cognitive impairment to be an important precursor to objective cognitive declines associated with increased age. Although previous work has shown a consistent positive relationship between social support and objective cognition throughout adulthood, few studies have examined the relationship between social support and SCF. Participants ( N = 1,877; age range: 18–99) from the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project completed assessments of multiple domains of SCF and social support. Results demonstrated a significant association between negative support interactions and poorer SCF, beyond the influence of sociodemographic, well-being, and health factors. Exploratory analyses indicated that the magnitude of the relationships between social support and SCF were generally the same across age. These findings suggest that negative interactions may adversely impact an individual's self-appraisals of cognition.

Student Experience in Completing Thesis and its Implications for International Students in Indonesia

Background: This study aims to explore student experiences in completing thesis courses and analyze the implications of these courses for international students. Methods: This phenomenological research interviewed 18 students who had completed the thesis course. Data were collected through in-depth interviews to explore the experience of participants in completing the thesis. Data analysis was carried out using the Collazzi method. Results: We found three main themes and nine sub-themes. The main themes include positive and negative support systems during the thesis, physical and psychological problems experienced by students during the thesis and learning & expectations in the thesis course. Conclusion: The thesis has the potential for scientific development, impacts on students, psychological and suicidal ideation. Integrated mentoring services: academic and mental will be useful to prevent and overcome problems faced by Indonesian students and international students.

Contact interaction analysis of pion GTMDs

A contact interaction is used to calculate an array of pion twist-two, -three and -four generalised transverse light-front momentum dependent parton distribution functions (GTMDs). Despite the interaction’s simplicity, many of the results are physically relevant, amongst them a statement that GTMD size and shape are largely prescribed by the scale of emergent hadronic mass. Moreover, proceeding from GTMDs to generalised parton distributions, it is found that the pion’s mass distribution form factor is harder than its electromagnetic form factor, which is harder than the gravitational pressure distribution form factor; the pressure in the neighbourhood of the pion’s core is commensurate with that at the centre of a neutron star; the shear pressure is maximal when confinement forces become dominant within the pion; and the spatial distribution of transversely polarised quarks within the pion is asymmetric. Regarding transverse momentum dependent distribution functions, their magnitude and domain of material support decrease with increasing twist. The simplest Wigner distribution associated with the pion’s twist-two dressed-quark GTMD is sharply peaked on the kinematic domain associated with valence-quark dominance; has a domain of negative support; and broadens as the transverse position variable increases in magnitude.

Good, Bad, and Ugly: Partner Support and Quality of Life Among Couples Facing Skin Cancer

When older adults in partnered relationships face a skin cancer diagnosis of one partner, couples may rely on one another for support. Previous studies have found that perceived support can influence one’s adjustment to the stressors associated with the skin cancer diagnosis, as well as influence the overall quality of life. Using dyadic data from 30 older couples (Mage = 70; SD = 7.25), this study examined positive and negative relationship-focused support strategies each partner provided and effects on the dyad’s quality of life. Dyadic path analyses simultaneously examined the impact of support received by one’s partner and its association with their own quality of life (actor effects) and their partner’s quality of life (partner effects). Positive support received by either partner, in the form of active engagement, was not associated with quality of life. In contrast, negative support in the form of protective buffering received from supporting partners was associated with poorer quality of life for themselves (β = -.37, p = .05) as well as for partners with skin cancer (β = -.43, p = .01). Similarly, overprotection, also a negative support strategy, by supporting partners was associated with poorer quality of life for partners with skin cancer (β = -.63, p < .001). Findings illustrate that not all types of support are beneficial for the overall couple relationship and couple outcomes. Implications for practice and interventions for older couples facing a cancer diagnosis will be discussed.

Partner Support and Goal Pursuit: A Meta-analysis

Over the past two decades, relationship researchers have become increasingly interested in examining whether partner support is associated with a range of outcomes in times of growth and opportunity and not merely in times of distress. In the present meta-analysis, we combined evidence across studies from different theoretical perspectives addressing the association between partner support (affirmation, responsiveness, negative support, and practical support) and goal outcomes (self-efficacy, confidence, and goal progress). Thirty-three samples from 27 reports with a total of 9,568 participants in romantic relationships were included. The results were analyzed using a random-effects model and the overall effect size was r = .27. The effect size was significantly different for different types of support with affirmation having the largest effect size (r = .40) followed by responsiveness (r = .24), practical support (r = .19), and negative support (r = -.11). Furthermore, responsiveness was a significant predictor across all goal outcomes whereas practical support was a significant predictor of goal progress and commitment but not self-efficacy. Negative support significantly negatively predicted only self-efficacy but was not a significant predictor of goal progress or commitment. Studies on affirmation did not examine commitment or self-efficacy. These results provide support for relationship theories, particularly Thriving through relationships, which suggests that partners can serve as active catalysts for thriving. The results also have implications for a wide range of areas including changing health behaviors, improving productivity and motivation at work or in education, and improving engagement and outcomes in therapy.

Social Status Perception and Individual Social Capital: Evidence from the US

This paper provides evidence that individual social capital contributes to our understanding of where individuals locate themselves in the social ladder, also when their objective location within society (measured in terms of income, wealth, education and job) is considered. Using large-scale longitudinal data from the US Health and Retirement Study, we assess individual social capital by means of a multidimensional approach and consider (number, intensity and quality of) respondents’ friendships, prosocial behavior, social engagement and neighborhood cohesion. Our findings indicate that individual social capital plays a role in affecting subjective status, as self-perceived status correlates positively with neighborhood cohesion and negatively with negative support from friends, after controlling for objectively measured social status.

Social Marketing Approach: A Strategy to Improve the Quality of Children's Health in Communities

This article describes children health’s issue as primary need to achieve their basic rights. In general, children are vulnerable to get nutrition inadequacy because they tend to consume unhealthy foods. Healthy food is a basic right that must be fulfilled to support children’s growth and development. I examined two research areas identified that the problem of children in consuming unhealthy foods does not always related to the family poverty problem. This article also describes the conditions in the poor communities in North Jakarta and the intermediate community in Depok, use descriptive studies. The findings showed that children’s behavior in consuming unhealthy food was due to several factors, including lack of knowledge and skills of parents or caregivers and also negative support from the social environment around children. In addition, cultural change and dynamic information technology development has greatly affected the children consumption habit. This article discusses the process description in implementing communication strategies applied for those two research areas which have different characteristics through the social marketing approach. This approach emphasizes the development of the role of all elements in the community and the intervention strategies applied in each area of the study.

Do Couple-Focused Cessation Messages Increase Motivation to Quit Among Dual-Smoker Couples?

Introduction: Dual-smoker couples are a highly prevalent group who report low motivation to quit smoking.Aims: This study tested the effect of a messaging intervention (couples- vs. individual-focused smoking outcomes) on motivation to quit among dual-smoker couples and examined the moderating effect of perceived support.Methods: A total of 202 individuals in 101 dual-smoker couples were randomized by dyad using a 2 (frame: gain/loss) by 2 (outcome focus: individual/couple) factorial design. Participants reviewed scenarios of either positive or negative outcomes of quitting versus not quitting as they applied to either the individual or the couple. Participants then reported their own motivation to quit and motivation for their partner to quit. The main outcome was motivation to quit smoking.Results: No main effects of framing or message focus emerged. Significant interactions between message focus and negative support predicted motivation for self and partner to quit. Individuals who reported lower negative support reported greater motivation for self to quit and less motivation for partner to quit after reviewing couple- (vs. individual-) focused messages.Conclusions: Individuals in dual-smoker couples typically report low motivation to quit smoking. Couple-focused messages may increase motivation to quit among individuals who are not receiving negative support from their partners.

Joint Trajectories of Spousal Social Support and Depressive Symptoms in Older Age

Objective: We describe changes in depressive symptoms and positive and negative social support from the spouse/partner in a representative sample of older people in England. Method: Men and women aged 50+ ( N = 7,171) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing reported social support and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) on up to five occasions between 2002-2003 and 2010-2011. Parallel process latent growth models estimated their bidirectional associations, adjusted for gender, wealth, education, and limiting illness. Results: In age- and gender-adjusted models, positive spousal support decreased and negative support increased over time, especially among women. Greater increases over time in depressive symptoms were seen in those with lower positive support or higher negative support at baseline. More baseline depressive symptoms predicted greater declines in positive support and greater increases in negative support from the spouse. Discussion: Improving older couple’s relationship quality may help reduce depressive symptoms.