Acute Thoughts,Exercise Consistency,and Coping Self‐Efficacy1

One study purpose was to determine whether individuals classified with respect to consistency of exercise adherence and acute thinking tone differed on coping self‐efficacy, decisional struggle, exercise intention, and affect. A second study purpose was to examine whether coping self‐efficacy predicted struggle, intention, and affect. Participants were 160 healthy people (Mage = 25.6 years) exercising in fitness settings. Social cognitive, affect, and exercise consistency measures were obtained concurrently. A multivariate analysis indicated that positive thinkers experienced significantly lower decisional struggle and higher coping self‐efficacy compared to negative thinkers. Further, consistent exercisers experienced significantly lower decisional struggle and higher coping self‐efficacy, intention, and positive affect compared to inconsistent exercisers. Regression analyses indicated that coping self‐efficacy significantly predicted decisional struggle and intention.     

Prospective and Daily Measures of Acute Thoughts, Decisional Struggle, and Coping: Measurement Correspondence and the Prediction of Exercise in Young Adults

Information on the daily stability–variability of decision-making social cognitions has not been obtained. Two purposes were: (1) to examine the correspondence between 1-week prospective and daily measures of acute exercise thoughts, decisional struggle, coping frequency, and coping self-efficacy and (2) prediction of moderate exercise. Seventy-seven experienced exercisers ( M age=22.36 years) completed a 1-week prospective and daily measures of social cognitions. Prospective and aggregated daily acute thoughts were the only non-correspondent measures. Aggregated daily acute thoughts were the only significant predictor of exercise (ß_standardized=.78, p <.01). Daily acute thoughts may be a determinant of moderate exercise in experienced exercisers due to the unpredictable nature of daily events, warranting attention to making daily exercise decisions.     

Personality Dysfunction, Coping Styles, and Clinical Symptoms in Younger and Older Adults

This study examined age-related differences in personality disorders, dispositional coping strategies, and clinical symptoms between younger (n = 79; age range = 18–29; M age = 21.2 years) and older (n = 79; age range = 55–89; M age = 65.5 years) persons (matched on gender and ethnicity). Participants completed the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI), Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced Scale (COPE), and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Personality results (t tests) based on the CATI revealed that older persons were significantly more obsessive–compulsive and schizoid than younger adults but significantly lower on 7 scales, including antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and sadistic. As assessed by the COPE, older adults reported lower levels of dysfunctional coping strategies than younger adults. Specifically, older persons were less likely to use mental disengagement, venting of emotions, and alcohol/drugs to cope with problems. BSI results for clinical symptoms revealed that younger adults were significantly higher on 5 of 9 scales, including anxiety, depression, and hostility. Results suggest that younger adults experience higher levels of personality and clinical symptoms and use more dysfunctional coping strategies than older adults, dispelling the myth that old age is associated with inevitable psychological impairment. Theoretical considerations, clinical implications, and future research ideas are discussed.     

Stressful Events and Coping Responses Among Older Adults in Two Sociocultural Groups

In this study of the way 32 men and women between the ages of 60 to 90 coped with stressful situations, two instruments were used: the Life Experiences Survey and the Ways of Coping Checklist. Overall, health-related concerns were more frequently reported by older adults than any other stressful event. When coping responses were categorized according to four modes—intrapsychic, inaction, direct action, and information seeking—the Appalachian group was found to use the information-seeking mode; the Cherokee group, the intrapsychic mode. Significant differences were found between males and females in coping modes and life-stress categories. When groups were combined, significant correlations were noted between life stress, particularly health-related stress, and the coping modes of intrapsychic and information seeking.     

Spiritual,Religious, Nonspiritual,and Nonreligious Narratives in Marginalized Older Adults: A Typology of Coping Styles

SUMMARY

Narrative therapy is an important tool in the phenomenological framing of life events with older clients. Seventy-nine older adults who lived independently in four subsidized high-rise housing facilities in Chicago were interviewed in a research project about managing life challenges. Cases represent four types in a spiritual-religious typology: religious and spiritual, religious only, spiritual only, and neither religious nor spiritual (Zinnbauer, 1997). This article explores how older adults managed adversity and maintained a sense of self-efficacy. Findings indicate that older adults use many references to religion and spirituality in their narratives, either embracing these domains or defining themselves in contrast to them. Narrative therapy suggests that the implications of religious and spiritual resources addressed in client stories may reinforce coping capacity and promote aging well.     

Effects of Physical Exercise on Resources Evaluation,Body Self-Concept and Well-Being Among Older Adults

This study addressed the effects of a 14-week moderate physical activity program on resources evaluation, body self-concept and other health-related psychological variables among older adults. In a quasi-experimental design participants were divided into three groups and completed questionnaires twice, before ( t 1) and after ( t 2) the 14-week program. The experimental group participated in a supervised mixed exercise program of moderate intensity. The placebo attention control group took part in a foreign language course. The no intervention control group did not get any intervention/attention at all. The dependent variables were resources evaluation, body self-concept, trait anxiety, and psychosomatic complaints. Using the pretest data as covariates multivariate analyses of covariance revealed significant improvements in body self-concept in the experimental group compared to the control groups. No other significant differences could be detected. Results point to the positive effects of exercise on body self-concept even among older adults.     

Interest in Hosting an Exercise Program for Older Adults at African-American Churches

ABSTRACT

The primary objective of this research was to evaluate which type of African-American churches may be good sites for launching an exercise program for older adults. A survey of ministers at 42 African-American churches was conducted. Churches interested in (1) hosting an exercise program for older adults and (2) identifying church members who would take a leadership role in recruitment, are those that are more resourceful in terms of large membership, adequate space, and higher socioeconomic status. Additional ideas are offered on interviewing African-American ministers, and identifying churches interested in reaching out to less resourceful neighboring churches.     

运动习惯与社区老年人认知功能的关系

为评估社区老年人运动习惯与认知功能的关系,在北京市通过分层、方便取样的方法选取60岁以上的老年人732名,采用自编调查表收集一般人口学资料及运动习惯情况（包括有无运动习惯,运动频率,运动持续时间）,使用简明精神状态评估量表（MMSE）和北京版蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA-BJ）评估认知功能。结果发现：（1）运动组整体认知功能及视空间定向能力得分均高于无运动组;（2）有无运动习惯可正向预测整体认知功能及视空间定向能力得分;（3）运动持续10年及以上组整体认知功能得分高于运动持续10年以下组。结果表明：相对于无运动习惯的社区老年人,有运动习惯的社区老年人的整体认知功能及视空间定向能力更好;运动持续年数较长,对社区老年人的认知功能起到促进作用。     

Depression in Older Adults

The purpose of this article is to address selected aspects of depression in older adults. Specifically, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and interventions for depression in older adults are reviewed.     

Cautiousness,Stereotypy, and Variability in Older and Younger Adults

The Psychological Record - Older adults and college students were tested with two procedures that measure stereotypy and response variability In Experiment 1 subjects guided a marker through a 6 by...     

The Perceived Benefits of Religious and Spiritual Coping Among Older Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

Although religious and spiritual beliefs and practices have been frequently associated with greater psychological well-being among illness populations, little is known about the specific benefits individuals perceive they receive from these beliefs and practices. This issue was examined in interviews with 63 older HIV-infected adults. Participants reported a variety of benefits from their religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, including: (1) evokes comforting emotions and feelings; (2) offers strength, empowerment, and control; (3) eases the emotional burden of the illness; (4) offers social support and a sense of belonging; (5) offers spiritual support through a personal relationship with God; (6) facilitates meaning and acceptance of the illness; (7) helps preserve health; (8) relieves the fear and uncertainty of death; (9) facilitates self-acceptance and reduces self-blame. These perceived benefits suggest potential mechanisms by which religion/spirituality may affect psychological adjustment.     

Daily Functioning, Health Status, and Happiness in Older Adults

The hypothesis that the degree to which disease disrupts daily functioning is inversely associated with happiness is widely accepted, yet existing literature offers little direct evidence in its support. This paper explores the hypothesized association in a community-based sample of 383 older adults. To assess the degree to which disease disrupts daily functioning we developed a measure—called the freedom-from-debility score—based on four Short Form-12 (SF-12) Health Survey questions explicitly designed to represent “limitations in physical activities because of health problems” and “limitations in usual role activities because of physical health problems.” The results were consistent with the hypothesis. When participants were divided into categories based on their freedom-from-debility score, median happiness scores were monotonically increasing across categories. Controlling for demographic and socio-economic factors as well as health status (measured both subjectively and objectively), a one-point increase in freedom-from-debility score (on a scale from 0 to 100) was associated with a three-percent reduction in the odds of lower-quartile happiness. The results support the contention that health status is one of the most influential predictors of happiness, that the association between health status and happiness depends greatly on the manner in which health status is measured, and that the degree to which disease disrupts daily functioning is inversely associated with happiness.     

Spiritual Autobiography and Older Adults

Spiritual autobiography groups constitute a form of ministry that can potentially enrich the lives of older adults, their families, and their congregations. Such groups, when competently led, provide participants with an environment in which they can make meaning out of their lives, grieve their losses, and give and receive support. The actions and interactions involved in composing, telling, and hearing life stories are salutary exercises that can increase participants’ experiences of clarity, coherence, and connection to God and to each other. The spiritual wisdom that emerges from such life stories, when shared within congregations, can enhance intergenerational relationships and lead to spiritual growth for members of diverse ages.     

老年人的朋友参照效应

采用自我参照效应范式探讨老年人朋友参照效应的特点。城市老年人和农村老年人各36人参加实验1, 结果表明：(1)城乡老年人都表现出朋友参照效应; (2)与农村老年人相比, 城市老年人朋友参照效应指标显著高于自我参照效应指标。城市教育程度较高与教育程度较低老年人各36人参加实验2, 结果发现, 与城市教育程度较低的老年人相比, 城市教育程度较高的老年人朋友参照效应指标高于自我参照效应指标, 表明教育程度对朋友参照效应有显著影响。由此推断, 老年人会将朋友包含于自我图式之内, 并且教育程度会影响朋友在自我图式中的地位。     

Temporal Discounting of Hypothetical Monetary Rewards by Adolescents,Adults, and Older Adults

The Psychological Record - The present experiment examined temporal discounting across 3 different age bands: adolescents, adults, and older adults (mean ages 14, 46, and 73 years, respectively). A...     

An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Exercise Among Older Adults1

One hundred five older adults enrolled in exercise classes were recruited from local YMCAs. Exercise behavior was measured 1, 3, and 9 months after beginning the exercise class. Intentions were not a significant predictor of exercise behavior, probably because of a lack of variance; most people intended to exercise. The direct measures of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, however, explained 9% of exercise behavior at 1 month. They did not significantly explain behavior at 3 and 9 months. When the indirect measure of subjective norms explained 18% of exercise behavior at 1 month. The indirect measure of perceived behavioral control accounted for 27% of the variance at 1 month and 10% at 3 months.     

老年抑郁症的症状、诊断及测量

对老年抑郁症的症状、诊断和测量的探讨有利于寻找更有效的治疗方法。文章在简要讨论老年抑郁症主要症状以及诊断特点的基础上,重点介绍老年抑郁症的测量工具。文章指出,开展老年抑郁症研究的多学科研究,运用认知神经科学方法深入研究老年抑郁症,制订相对独立的老年抑郁症的分类标准,结合老年抑郁症患者身心特点开发更简便可靠的老年抑郁症量表,将有利于老年抑郁症的进一步研究。     

Sexuality,Intimacy, and Group Psychotherapy with Older Adults

Sexuality is an intrinsic part of life but late-life sexuality is a neglected topic in the literature. With an aging society, groups will contain more older adults. It is important for group therapists to reflect on their attitudes when working with older group members. This paper examines how both the attitudes of society in general and of therapists regarding late-life sexuality and intimacy may contribute to the neglect of these subjects being discussed in group therapy.