Correlates and Prognosis in Relation to Participation in Social Activities Among Older People Living in a Community in Osaka, Japan

To examine the factors associated with social participation and to determine whether social participation is predictive of mortality, a cohort of 1405 randomly selected older people aged 65 years and over, living in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, was followed up for 66 months. By multivariate analysis using logistic regression, female sex, older age, disability, medical treatment, no use of health checks, no daily preventive health practices, and no life worth living (no Ikigai) were independent risk factors for no participation in social activities. From the analysis using the Kaplan–Meier method, the cumulative survival rates were higher among those who took part in social activities than among those who did not in both age groups, 65–74 years and 75 years and older, for men and women. Application of the Cox proportional hazards model resulted in adjusted hazard ratio of no participation in social activities for mortality of 1.53 (95% confidence interval: 1.11–2.11), controlling for other potential factors. These results suggest that participation in social activities is closely associated with health and psychosocial conditions and may be an independent risk factor for mortality among community-residing older people.     

Crowding Effects of Density and Personal Space Requirements Among Older People: The Impact of Self-Control and Social Support

Abstract

The authors examined the effects of self-control and social support among a representative sample of 300 older people, 150 in high-density and 150 in low-density households in India. The Self-Control Schedule (M. Rosenbaum, 1980), the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Test (M. Duke & S. Nowicki, 1972), the Social Support Questionnaire, and the Judgement of Environmental Quality Scale (I. G. Sarason, H. M. Levine, R. B. Basham, & B. R. Sarason, 1983) were the measures. A 2 × 2 × 2 (Density × Social Support × Self-Control) analysis of variance for perceptions of home environment and personal space requirements revealed that the Self-Control x Social Support interaction moderated the crowding effects of density: The participants in high-density households evaluated their home environments more positively and reduced their personal space requirements.     

A Longitudinal Analysis of Loneliness Among Older People in Great Britain

Longitudinal studies of loneliness among older people are comparatively rare. At 8 years after the initial survey in 1999–2000, we followed up on the 999 people aged 65+ years who were living in the community in the United Kingdom. We found that 583 participants were still alive, and 287 (58%) participated in the follow-up survey. The overall prevalence of loneliness at both time points was very similar, with 9% reporting severe loneliness; 30% reporting that they were sometimes lonely, and 61% reporting that they were never lonely. We developed a 12-category typology to describe changes in loneliness across the follow-up period and report that 60% of participants had a stable loneliness rating, with 40–50% rating themselves as never lonely, and 20–25% rating themselves as persistently lonely; 25% demonstrated decreased loneliness, and approximately 15% demonstrated worse loneliness. Changes in loneliness were linked with changes in marital status, living arrangements, social networks, and physical health. Importantly improvements in physical health and improved social relationships were linked to reduced levels of loneliness. This result suggests that strategies to combat loneliness are not confined to the arena of social interventions such as befriending services, which aim to build and support social embeddedness, but may also result from the treatment of chronic and long-term health conditions.     

Culture, Health, and Financial Appraisals: Comparison of Worry in Older Japanese Americans and European Americans

There is limited understanding of the potential impact of cultural identification and values on the emotional experiences of older adults. This study considered potential differences in worry based on culture and acculturation type. The study also evaluated differences in worry based on self-appraisals of perceived health and financial status. Sixty-six older community-based Japanese Americans (JAs) and 65 older European Americans (EAs) completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and the Worry Scale–Revised (WSR). Cultural differences were not found. Social desirability scores were elevated, particularly among JAs who had been relocated to internment camps during World War II. Irrespective of cultural status, elevated average daily worry frequency scores and WSR–Health scores were found in the group who perceived their health status to be poor/fair. Irrespective of cultural status, elevated average daily worry frequency scores, PSWQ scores, and WSR–Financial scores were found in the group who perceived their financial status to be poor/fair. Recommendations for using the WSR with older populations are discussed.     

老年人社会支持与期望的调查研究

运用问卷调查法,通过对272名城市老年人的调查,考察了老年人的社会支持与期望的现状及其特点。结果发现:老年人的社会支持系统很不平衡,性别、年龄、受教育年限和职业对老年人的婚姻和家庭生活,人际关系和互助行为,住房情况和经济状况,以及心理需要和社会期望等具有不同的影响;相当比例的老年人在不同侧面尚需要家人和社会的关注、理解和支持。     

Attachment,Social Support,Resilience and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Chinese Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

The present study aimed to examine the effects of attachment, social support and resilience on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in people living with HIV/AIDS. One hundred fifty-two HIV+ adults in China were investigated. The results suggested that attachment anxiety had a significant direct effect on PTSD symptoms and impacted PTSD symptoms indirectly though associations with social support and resilience. Attachment avoidance could also be considered a distal risk factor of PTSD symptoms via the mediation of social support and resilience. The findings highlight the importance of identifying trauma and PTSD symptoms in people affected by HIV/AIDS and suggest that people with attachment anxiety and low social support resources might be at high risk for PTSD.     

The Life Reflection and Consequences of Older Adults' Relationships: An Empirical Study

Fifty‐eight Austrian adults, ages 65 to 99 years, participated in semistructured life reflections regarding their relationships with life partners, children, relatives, and friends. This study identified the consequences of the reflections, the implementation of the consequences, and the degree to which participants were satisfied with the life changes they made.     

The ABC of Social Desires: Affiliation,Being Alone,and Closeness to Partner

We propose a triadic model of social desires directed at appetence/aversion of affiliation with friends (A), being alone (B), and closeness to one's partner (C) that account for individual differences in subjectively experienced needs for proximity and distance in serious couple relationships. The model assumes that A, B, and C can be conceptualized at the individual level as correlated latent factors measured by appetence and aversion indicators with opposite factor loadings and low shared method variance and at the couple level assuming the same measurement model and identical (co)variances for men and women. The model was confirmed with confirmatory factor analyses in a sex‐balanced internet sample of 476 individuals and a longitudinal sample of both partners of 578 heterosexual couples by assessing the ABC desires with brief appetence/aversion scales. In both samples, the desires showed expected unique associations with the Big Five personality traits, loneliness and relationship satisfaction, perceived available support by friends and partner, and attachment style toward the partner and high 1‐year stability in the longitudinal sample. We suggest that the ABC model helps to integrate research on couples' distance regulation along the lines of communal and agentic motivation. Copyright © 2012 European Association of Personality Psychology     

老年人社会适应性与主观幸福感的结构关系

该研究通过编制适应老年人的社会适应性与主观幸福感问卷,探讨了老年人社会适应性与主观幸福感的结构关系。结果表明,问卷具有良好的结构效度和内部一致性信度,人际交往适应性和角色转换适应性对主观幸福感各维度具有显著的预测价值,生活自理适应性对积极情感具有显著预测作用,但预测力不如人际交往适应性和角色转换适应性,而社会整体变化适应性对主观幸福感不存在预测的价值。地区差异对老年人社会适应性和主观幸福感结构预测关系存在显著的调节效应。     

The Art of Living by Dispositionally Happy People

The cognitive and motivational processes by which happy people are able to artfully sustain their happiness are examined within a subjectivist construal approach. Individuals who perceive themselves as happy respond to ordinary experiences differently than their less happy peers. Research from our laboratory has revealed these differences in a variety of contexts, including people's responses to decisions, their reactions to social comparisons, and their interpretations of life events. Our research has also shown that, after experiencing failure, happy people tend not to engage in negative self-reflection and are able to perform subsequent tasks without dwelling. Although happy people experience negative moods and negative life events similar to those of less happy people, they evaluate these events less negatively and respond to them in more positive, affirming ways. These group differences suggest a number of possible ways to sustainably enhance happiness, and current experimental interventions designed to test the effectiveness of several intentional happiness-increasing strategies are discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Relationships Between Japanese Interpersonal Conflict Styles and Their Language Expressions

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the influence of interpersonal conflict management styles on language expressions and the differences in expressions in same-sex relational categories based on specific in-group-out-group classifications. Questionnaires were administered to 367 university students in Japan. After reading a scenario, participants reported on actual language use and gave ratings on an interpersonal conflict management scale. The results revealed that Japanese change their expressions, along with psychological styles, depending on the relational target. They also indicated psychological constructs were related to their equivalent expressions. The results suggested that future research should take into consideration the potential differences in behavior and interaction posture inherent in various relational and situational categories.     

Grammer and Social Interaction in Japanese and Anglo-American English: The Display of Context, Social Identity and Social Relation

This paper employs conversation analysis to examine the inter-connection between grammar and displays of contextual understanding, social identity, and social relationships as well as other activities clustering around turn-endings in Japanese talk-in-interaction, while undertaking a restricted comparison with the realisation of similar activities in English. A notable feature of turn-endings in Japanese is the particular salience of grammatical construction on the interactional activities they accomplish. Complete turns which are also syntactically complete are shown to be associated with the explicit display of contextual features, whereas syntactically incomplete turns are designed to circumvent or minimise such displays. The explicit or implicit display of one's social and contextual relationship to the interactional environment is therefore seen to be an integral part of the performance of social actions in Japanese. On the other hand, in English, it is more difficult to establish a clear association between grammar and the inclusion or avoidance of contextual displays.     

反刍思维与社交焦虑的关系:来自元分析的证据

反刍思维与社交焦虑的关系一直存在争议,为探究这些研究结论不一致的原因,本研究采用元分析技术研究反刍思维与社交焦虑的关系.综合国内国外研究42篇,中文文献8篇,英文文献34篇,共53个独立样本,总样本23032人.研究结果显示,反刍思维与社交焦虑呈高度正相关(r=0.42),反刍思维与社交焦虑的关系受到年龄段、反刍思维使...     

A Needs Assessment of Transgendered People of Color Living in Washington,DC

SUMMARY

A needs assessment (N = 248) conducted in Washington, DC, revealed that trans-gendered people of color are at high risk for HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, suicide and violence/crime victimization. Overall HIV prevalence was 25%, with 32% in natal males (MTFs, i.e., male-to-females). Four predictors for HIV positive status were identified through logistic regression-male sex at birth, a history of substance abuse, sexual assault, and unemployment. Substance abuse was found in nearly half the sample (48%) but only half of those (51%) had sought treatment for it. Thirty-eight percent reported experiencing suicidal ideation, with 63% of those attributing it to their gender issues. Of those with suicidal ideation, nearly half (49%, or 16% of the entire sample), went on to make attempt(s) to kill themselves. Forty-three percent had been victims of violence or crime, including 13% who had been sexually assaulted.

Knowledge of the Standards of Care of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association was quite low (9%) and associated with white race, any higher education beyond high school, and access to sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Access to SRS, defined as obtaining vaginoplasties for natal males and chest surgeries for natal females, was just 4%. White race (versus all other races, p < .001) and female at birth (versus male, p < .01) were significantly associated with access to SRS.

Use of hormones at some point during their lives was reported by 51% of participants. Thirty-five percent were currently taking hormones, with 72% acquiring their hormones from friends or on the street. Among natal males, 25% had injected silicone.

Nineteen percent did not have their own living space, and employment, housing and job training were the most commonly-reported immediate needs of the sample. The results of this needs assessment provide evidence of an urgent need for increased medical and social services specific to transgendered people of color living in the District of Columbia.     

Extreme Social Isolation, Use of Community-Based Senior Support Services, and Mortality Among African American Elderly Women

The effect of extreme social isolation and use of community-based senior services on longevity was examined in a national sample of African American elderly women (ages 55–96). Consistent with previous research on the social integration/mortality link, African American elderly women who were extremely socially isolated were hypothesized to have a higher 5-year mortality rate. It was also hypothesized that use of community senior services would be negatively associated with 5-year mortality. Results of logistic regression analysis controlling for age, education, income, and health status found that extremely socially isolated African American elderly women were three times more likely than the nonisolated women to die within the 5-year period from the initial survey. Use of community senior services did not have a relationship on mortality. Results are discussed in terms of directions for future research and intervention.     

Development of Social Problem Solving in Early Childhood: Stability,Change, and Associations With Social Competence

Kindergarten and 1st-grade boys were administered social cognitive interviews in 2 consecutive years to investigate the response-generation step of N. R. Crick and K. A. Dodge's (1994) social information processing model. Boys generated responses to 4 types of hypothetical social dilemmas. Responses to these situations were primarily prosocial, with a large minority of avoidant and antisocial solutions. In general, older boys provided more effective solutions than did their younger peers, and stabilities were modest but significant for subcategories of both prosocial and antisocial responses. Boys who were accepted by their peers provided more prosocial and effective solutions than did boys of lower peer status, but no status differences emerged for antisocial responses. The data also suggest that young children view aggression as an acceptable means to solving peer conflict.     

An Analysis of the Relationship Between Religiosity and Psychological Well-Being in Chilean Older People Using Structural Equation Modeling

Journal of Religion and Health - Using a representative sample, we explored the relationship of organizational (ORA), non-organizational (NORA), and intrinsic religiosity (IR) with depressive and...     

社会心理因素与妇科肿瘤关系的研究

研究社会心理因素与妇科肿瘤的关系。运用临床心理评定量表(LES、SDS),对香港地区妇科肿瘤患者进行了病前调查和病后调查,分析60例香港妇科恶性肿瘤患者病前遭遇的生活事件(LES)和病后抑郁程度(SDS),并与同地区的妇科良性肿瘤患者和无任何肿瘤者各60例相比较。病前调查结果表明在发病前3个月至1年内,妇科恶性肿瘤组、良性肿瘤组和对照组(无任何肿瘤者)相比较,其生活事件总频数,尤其是负性事件频数、精神紧张总值及负性精神紧张值均显着升高(P<0.01)。正性事件频数的差异也有显着性(P<0.05)。另外,妇科恶性肿瘤组患者的生活事件总频数、负性事件频数、精神紧张总值及负性精神紧张值亦显着高于良性肿瘤组(P<0.01)。病后调查结果表明,妇科恶性肿瘤组患者病后抑郁程度均显着高于对照组及良性肿瘤组(P<0.01)。在60例恶性肿瘤患者中,有抑郁反应的患者共42例,占70%。结论社会心理因素与妇科肿瘤有较大的关系,在防治中应当引起重视。     

儿童孤独感与同伴关系、社会行为及社交自我知觉的研究

本研究采用同伴提名法和问卷调查法对3-6年级儿童共600名进行了研究,试图考察儿童孤独感与同伴关系、社会行为及社交自我知觉的关系。结果表明:(1)受欢迎组儿童的孤独感显著低于被拒绝组、被忽视组、有争议组和一般组;一般组儿童的孤独感显著低于被拒绝组和被忽视组。(2)社交自我知觉较高的儿童的孤独感显著低于社交自我知觉一般和较低的儿童,社交自我知觉一般的儿童的孤独感显著低于社交自我知觉较低的儿童。(3)高攻击型儿童的孤独感高于低攻击型儿童,但没有达到显著水平;高退缩型儿童的孤独感显著高于一般退缩型和低退缩型儿童,一般退缩型儿童的孤独感显著高于低退缩型的儿童。