Spiritual Wellness and Depression: Testing a Theoretical Model With Older Adolescents and Midlife Adults

Overall spiritual wellness, as well as 4 individual components of spiritual wellness, has been theoretically and empirically linked with depression. Prior to this investigation, no study has examined the relationship between spiritual wellness and depression by using a 4‐component measurement model of spiritual wellness. In this study of older adolescents and midlife adults, negative correlations between 4 components of spiritual wellness and depression were found for both groups. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that for both older adolescents and midlife adults, the only significant contributing factor of spiritual wellness to depression was meaning and purpose in life.     

Functional versus structural social support, desirable events, and positive affect in older adults.

The independent contributions of structural social support versus functional support to positive affect in older adults were compared in this prospective design. Four social support models were translated from the stress-symptoms literature into promotional models for positive mental health and for relationships to desirable challenge events. A total of 1,031 older adults were interviewed 5 times at 6-month intervals, and events were measured across the middle 18-month period. The 2 support variables made quite different contributions. Functional support was directly related to positive affect 2 years later, independent of events; structural support had more transitory direct effects. Structural support, but not functional support, was related to the subsequent occurrence of challenge events and in turn was strengthened by challenge events, suggesting a dynamic interplay between the social network and desirable events.     

我国老年人的社会支持与服务

鉴于我国老龄化现状,简要地回顾了社会支持的定义与种类,考察了我国传统的孝顺价值观和行为;并着重分析了我国老年人的社会支持与服务,包括老年人的社会支持与幸福感,老年人的家庭支持与照料,老年组织与公共老年服务;以及我国老年人社会支持的城乡差异。     

家庭居住与机构居住老年人社会支持的比较研究

以65位家庭居住和92位机构居住的老年人为样本,采用Sherbourne和Stewart的MOS社会支持问卷和自编社会支持问卷调查了老年人的社会支持现状,比较了家庭居住与机构居住老年人社会支持的不同特点。结果发现：（1）家庭居住和机构居住老年人在社会支持维度上存在显著差异：在心理支持、行为支持、活动支持等维度上,机构居住的老年人显著高于家庭居住的老年人;而在感情支持维度上家庭居住的老年人显著高于机构居住的老年人。（2）社会支持对老年人的身心健康具有显著影响。（3）性别,年龄,教育水平,职业状况,婚姻状况,子女数量,健在兄弟姐妹数量等人口统计变量对不同居住背景老年人的社会支持有显著影响。     

Counseling for Wellness With Older Adults

Resulting from the assumption that older adulthood is a time of decline, there is a dearth of research on the application of wellness counseling with older adults. This article reviews the literature on wellness and older adults, synthesizes wellness with adult development theory, and describes wellness counseling with older adults.     

Defining Wellness in Older Adulthood: Toward a Comprehensive Framework

Despite the counseling profession’s widespread interest in wellness, little research has been conducted on wellness in older adulthood. The author reviews the literature to identify current trends in research on wellness among older adults. Out of 273 articles, only 40 (14.63%) used a multidimensional, holistic framework. Further analysis revealed a lack of multidimensional models that were normed on older adults or tailored to their needs. The author concludes with an 8‐dimensional wellness framework to guide future research.     

Perceptions of Wellness From Adults With Mobility Impairments

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of wellness from adults with mobility impairments by using phenomenological‐heuristic inquiry. The primary research question was, how do adults with mobility impairments perceive wellness? Eight participants were interviewed, and 6 core themes emerged: overcoming barriers, pain management, psychological wellness, physical activity and nutrition, social connectedness and family support, and spirituality. Implications for counselors and counselor educators and suggestions for future research are presented.     

Mattering in the Later Years: Older Adults' Experiences of Mattering to Others,Purpose in Life,Depression, and Wellness

The relationships among mattering, purpose in life, depression, and wellness among older adults were explored. Mattering, purpose in life, and depression accounted for 78% of the wellness variance. Older adults perceived that they mattered most to their children and friends. The importance of mattering when counseling older adults is discussed.     

Using Wellness and Resilience to Predict Age Perception in Older Adulthood

The authors surveyed 210 adults ages 56 to 97 to better understand which variables affect perceptions of aging. A correlational design was used to determine whether wellness and resilience predicted positive age perception and internalized ageism among this group. Both variables were found to significantly predict age perception, and the data supported an interaction effect between age and resilience when predicting internalized ageism. Results may inform counselors, counselor educators, and other professionals who work with older adults.     

Social support as a moderator of the relationship between religious participation and psychological distress in a sample of community dwelling older adults

This study investigated relationships among religious participation, social support, and psychological distress within a sample of older adults while controlling for the influence of significant demographic variables. Community-dwelling older adults between the ages of 65 and 90 (n?=?115) completed a packet of instruments including the Negative Affect Scale of the PANAS, the Social Provisions Scale (SPS) and a tailored survey that included questions regarding religious participation and demographic variables. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to determine predictors of negative affect. Results indicated that religious participation continued to predict negative affect with the effect of demographic variables statistically controlled for. Subjective social support was also found to moderate the relationship between religious participation and psychological distress. Religious participation appears to be more important regarding alleviating distress for those elderly low in social support compared with those high in social support. Religious participation may thus occupy an important position with regards to factors that manage psychological distress among elderly individuals, particularly for those low in social support.     

社会隔离对老年人认知功能的影响：有调节的链式中介效应

考察中国文化背景下社会隔离对老年人认知功能的影响,并从认知功能心理影响机制的角度探究孤独感和抑郁的链式中介作用。基于中国老年社会追踪调查（CLASS）,对5162名60岁以上老年人的社会隔离、孤独感、抑郁和认知功能进行研究。结果发现：（1）社会隔离显著负向预测老年人的认知功能;（2）社会隔离可以通过抑郁的独立中介作用以及孤独感和抑郁的链式中介作用间接预测老年人的认知功能,但是孤独感的独立中介作用不显著。研究结论对于减少社会隔离对老年人认知功能的消极影响具有积极意义。     

Psychological and socioeconomic health of community‐dwelling older adults

Different dimensions of health are intertwined. The purposes of this study were: (1) to investigate the psychological and socioeconomic health status of community‐dwelling older adults in Taiwan, and (2) to compare the psychological and socioeconomic health differences among people of different age groups, gender, marital status, and exercise habits. Using stratified random sampling, 384 Taiwanese community‐dwelling older adults were recruited for this survey research. Based on the Health Model of Older Adults, seven constructs were measured: (1) psychological health: sleep quality, emotional health, cognitive functioning, and health promotion behaviors; (2) socioeconomic health: social engagement, social support, and financial status. Results showed that most participants were in a good state of psychological and socioeconomic health, except that 38.02% of them suffered from sleep disruptions, and the majority of them were not involved in any social group, nor engaged in any volunteer work. Young‐old older adults had better psychological and socioeconomic health than middle‐old and old‐old older adults. Male older adults had better psychological health than female older adults; however, they had less social engagement and social support than female older adults. Married older adults and exercisers performed better in most of the psychological and socioeconomic health indicators than single/widowed older adults and non‐exercisers.     

Adaption-Innovation and Self-Esteem

Abstract

Psychosocial factors that may influence subjective well-being were examined. A random sample of 581 Chinese adults living in a metropolitan Taiwanese city completed questionnaires concerning demographic variables, personality traits, life stress, and social support. The results of multivariate analyses indicated that (a) extraversion and social support were related to better mental health, whereas neuroticism and stress were related to poorer mental health; (b) older age, better education, and social support were related to higher life satisfaction, whereas neuroticism and stress were related to lower life satisfaction; and (c) older age, extraversion, and social support were related to higher happiness, whereas neuroticism was related to lower happiness.     

城市老年人社会支持网络与生活满意度的研究

本研究采用自编的社会支持网络调查表对上海市96位老人进行了调查，试图了解城市老年人社会支持的基本情况及其对生活满意度的影响。结果表明：（1）城市老年人社会支持网络得分为85．87±8．56（x±s）；（2）社会支持网络得分与生活满意度之间存在极其显著的正相关；（3）在各因素水平中，社会机构的支持对老年人生活满意度的影响最大，子女支持的影响次之，配偶支持的影响最小；情感支持的影响作用大于认知支持和行为支持。     

Differential social support and life change as contributors to the social class-distress relationship in older adults

Four hypotheses previously put forth to explain the strong association between social class and mental health in the general population were examined in 1,326 older adults (55 years and older). Respondents were interviewed 3 times at 6-month intervals. Lower class was associated with more past life changes (occurring before Wave 1) and more subsequent life events (occurring between Waves 1 and 3); these changes were predictive of distress, supporting the differential exposure hypothesis. Lower class was associated with weaker social support (embeddedness), which was related to distress, supporting the resource deterrent hypothesis. There was little evidence that people of the lower classes were more vulnerable to stress or that their status was due to their weaker social support; thus, the differential vulnerability and applied buffering hypotheses were not consistently supported. Social support does appear to be a versatile resource for older adults. A significant portion of the class-distress relationship was not accounted for by life change, social support, or the interaction between these factors.     

Perceived control over development and subjective well-being: differential benefits across adulthood

The relationship between perceived control over development (PCD) and subjective well-being (SWB) across adulthood was examined in 3 studies. In Study 1, with 480 adults aged between 20 and 90 years, PCD was closely related to SWB. Chronological age moderated the associations between PCD and SWB beyond individual differences in health, intelligence, social support, and socioeconomic status. In the longitudinal Study 2, with 42 older adults, strong PCD was associated with increased positive affect only when desirable events had occurred previously. In Study 3, older adults experienced greater satisfaction when attributing attainment of developmental goals to their ability, whereas younger adults were more satisfied when attributing such successes to their own efforts. Findings point to adaptive adjustments of control perceptions to age-related actual control potentials across adulthood.     

Social support and self-control as variables in attitude toward life and Perceived control among older people in India

The authors examined the effects of social support and self-control in a representative sample of 300 older adults in high-density households in an urban area of Agra City, India. The authors administered the Social Support Questionnaire (I. G. Sarason, H. M. Levine, R. B. Basham, & B. R. Sarason, 1983) and the Self-Control Schedule (M. Rosenbaum, 1980) to form a 2 (age group: young-old vs. old-old) x 2 (social support: high vs. low) x 2 (self-control: high vs. low) factorial design. Scores on the Life Attitude Profile (G. T. Recker & E. J. Peacock, 1981) and the Perceived Control Scale (P. Nayyar, 1993) were the dependent variables. The authors hypothesized that social support and self-control would act as moderators for a more positive attitude toward life and increased perceived control. The results supported the predictions: Social support and self-control in interaction with age reduced the crowding stress of high density and enhanced the older participants' perceived control and positive attitudes toward life.     

优抚医院疗养对象的社会支持与幸福感的关系:心理健康的中介作用

考察优抚医院疗养对象的幸福感现状,探讨其心理健康、社会支持与幸福感的关系。采用老年人心理健康问卷、社会支持评定量表、纽芬兰纪念大学幸福度量表对103名平均年龄82.43岁的优抚医院疗养对象进行调查。结果表明:(1)优抚医院疗养对象的幸福感与全国常模无显著差异,心理健康水平与社会支持状况都显著低于对照组;(2)优抚医院疗养对象的社会支持、心理健康水平和幸福感各维度之间存在显著正相关;(3)心理健康在社会支持对幸福感的影响中起中介作用;心理健康的情绪体验维度在客观支持对幸福感的影响中起部分中介作用。     

Quality of Life (QoL) in a Brazilian Sample of Older Adults: The Role of Sociodemographic Variables and Depression Symptoms

The aim of the present study was to identify relevant variables associated with Quality of Life (QoL) in older adults. Older adults, up to 60 years old, were interviewed. Subjects were recruited through convenience sampling. 339 paticipants, who were stratified by gender, age, and subjective perception of health and illness, answered questions on sociodemographic issues, QoL (WHOQOL-100) and depressive symptomathology (Beck Depression Inventory—BDI). The multiple linear regression analysis showed associations of overall perception of QoL with depression levels, subjective perception of health status and gender. The individual analysis of each domain concluded that depression levels are correlated to all QoL domains, while health status was associated with physical, psychological, independence level and social relationship domains. Other variables were also assessed. The assessment of older adults concerning their QoL perceptions is associated with gender, age, marital status, social class, literacy rate, perception of health, and more substantially associated with depressive symptoms levels. Nevertheless, some limitations of this study and further ones are suggested.