Models of helping and coping, responsibility attributions, and well-being in community elderly and their helpers

The analysis of Brickman et al. (1982), which separates attribution of a problem's cause and solution, was tested in 4 studies. Young and elderly adults' (n = 210) well-being was related only to taking responsibility for solutions. The elderly compared with the young adults assumed less responsibility for problem cause and solution. They also preferred helping and coping models that assume low self-responsibility for solutions (e.g., medical model). This result was replicated with Meals on Wheels clients (n = 51). An intragenerational helping pattern was found in Study 3. Lay helpers (n = 63) helped mainly same-age recipients. Elderly and middle-aged helpers compared with young adults preferred using a medical model. Overall, a cohort bias in model preference was suggested. In Study 4, problem type and recipient age moderated attributions and model choice of young and middle-aged Ss (n = 92). Relevance to the control literature and ethical and clinical implications of a medical-model bias are discussed.     

互联网的使用对中老年人生活幸福感的影响

采用2018年中国健康与养老追踪调查数据(CHARLS),运用主成分回归和结构方程模型,探究互联网的使用对中国中老年人生活幸福感的影响。主成分回归的结果显示中老年人互联网使用程度、家庭情况以及其身体状况都会对其生活幸福感产生积极的影响,结构方程模型的结果显示中老年人家庭情况会直接或通过影响其互联网使用程度间接的对其身体状况产生积极的影响,进而提升其生活幸福感。     

In the eye of the beholder: views of psychological well-being among middle-aged and older adults

Although the topic of psychological well-being has generated considerable research, few studies have investigated how adults themselves define positive functioning. To probe their conceptions of well-being, interviews were conducted with a community sample of 171 middle-aged (M = 52.5 years, SD = 8.7) and older (M = 73.5 years, SD = 6.1) men and women. Questions pertained to general life evaluations, past life experiences, conceptions of well-being, and views of the aging process. Responses indicated that both age groups and sexes emphasized an "others orientation" (being a caring, compassionate person, and having good relationships) in defining well-being. Middle-aged respondents stressed self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-knowledge, whereas older persons cited accepting change as an important quality of positive functioning. In addition to attention to positive relations with others as an index of well-being, lay views pointed to a sense of humor, enjoying life, and accepting change as criteria of successful aging.     

Younger adults report more distress and less well-being: A cross-cultural study of event centrality,depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and life satisfaction

The extent to which highly emotional autobiographical memories become central to one's identity and life story influences mental health. Young adults report higher distress and lower well-being, compared with middle-aged and/or older adults; whether this replicates across cultures is still unclear. First, we provide a review of the literature that examines age-differences in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and life satisfaction in adulthood across cultures. Second, we report findings from a cross-cultural study that examined event centrality of highly positive and negative autobiographical memories along with symptoms of depression and PTSD, and levels of life satisfaction in approximately 1000 young and middle-aged adults from Mexico, Greenland, China and Denmark. Both age groups provided higher centrality ratings to the positive life event; however, the relative difference between the ratings for the positive and negative event was smaller in the young adults. Young adults reported significantly more distress and less well-being across cultures.     

Effects of practice on the matching familiar figures test: A comparison of young,middle-aged and elderly adults

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of practice on a modified version of the Matching Familiar Figures test in young, middle-aged and elderly adults. Forty-eight young, 48 middle-aged and 48 elderly adults were each presented with 48 match-to-standard items. the dependent variables were the number of errors committed and the latency to first response. the performance of both young and middle-aged adults reflected rather stable speed/accuracy trade-off decisions that did not change as a function of practice. the young adults responded more quickly and made more errors than the middle-aged adults across all 48 trials. the performance of elderly adults, on the other hand, did change as a result of practice; their latencies increased and their error rate decreased across trials. Elderly adults started out making more errors than young adults but by the end of the 48 trials, their error rate was lower than that of young adults. In the final trials, the error rate of elderly adults was midway between the rates of young and middle-aged adults. Thus, practice facilitated the performance of elderly adults but had no effect on the performance of young and middle-aged adults.     

A developmental study of practical problem solving in adults

Previous research indicates that young and middle-aged adults perform better than other age groups on problems similar to those they might encounter in their everyday lives. However, elderly adults have not performed better than other age groups on problems designed to give them the advantage. In order to ensure that the problems used in the present study were ones that elderly adults might encounter, elderly adults were recruited to help develop the problems. The resulting problems were administered to adults between the ages of 20 and 80. Performance was found to increase from the 20- to 40-year-old age group and decrease thereafter. Thus, when elderly adults devise practical problems that are intended to give elderly adults the advantage, the elderly adults still perform less well than do middle-aged adults.     

心理健康素质测评系统·情绪性素质全国采样调查报告

应用《国人心理健康素质调查表·情绪性分量表》对全国28个省、市、自治区6433名成年人的情绪特质进行了调查。结果发现:(1)男性在镇定性方面强于女性,而女性的情绪表达性高于男性。(2)中年人的情绪表达性强于青年人和老年人。(3)初中文化程度被试的情绪表达性和镇定性不如高中、大专及以上文化程度的被试。(4)城市户口人群的情绪的镇定性和表达性强于农村户口人群。(5)年龄与受教育程度在愉悦性、镇定性和量表总分上存在交互作用,其中大专以上学历的老年组被试在上述指标的得分最高。(6)性别和年龄在表达性上存在交互作用,其中中年女性被试最善于表达情绪。     

Self-Discrepancy Across the Life Span

This study examined the developmental trajectory of self-discrepancies in adulthood and the role of self-discrepancies in the maintenance of psychological well-being. One hundred fourteen adults completed mailed surveys that assessed physical health, actual self and ideal self, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and self-discrepancy. Examination of age differences in actual self and ideal self assessments showed that ideal self ratings converged with actual self ratings for older adults but were significantly different for young and middle-aged adults, which indicated a decline in self-discrepancy with age. Mean scores on the self-discrepancy scale indicated less self-discrepancy in old age, but the differences were not significant. Self-discrepancy mediated the effects of health problems on depression, anxiety, self-esteem, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance. Results support life-span theory suggesting that self-discrepancy declines in old age and that this decline is positively related to psychological well-being.     

Meaning in life of young and elderly adults: An examination of the factorial validity and invariance of the Life Regard Index

The main question of the present investigation was whether the Life Regard Index (LRI) is an adequate instrument to study possible differences between young and elderly adults with regard to experienced meaning in life. Participants in this study were a group of 206 young adults (M= 17.8 years, 49.0% female) and a group of 373 elderly adults (M = 65.90 years, 58.8% female). Respondents completed a Dutch paper-and-pencil version of the LRI. The LISREL confirmatory factor analytic model was used to test for the equivalence of measurement and of structure of the instrument. Results show that in both age groups the items of the LRI were found to be distributed to the two a priori dimensions of meaning in life, Framework and Fulfillment. Only the factor loadings of the Framework items were invariant across both groups. Neither the error of measurement, nor the structure of the underlying concept were equivalent for young and elderly adults. Young adults were found to experience less meaning in life than the elderly.     

Do You Need to Have Them or Should You Believe You Have Them? Resources, Their Appraisal, and Well-Being in Adulthood

How young, middle-aged, and young-old adults use individual resources to cope with challenges and changes in their lives is likely to influence the ways they will approach late life. One of the most important barriers to using available resources is the subjective appraisal of the situation, of the available resources, and of the potential use of these resources. The present study based on 2,313 individuals (25–74 years) from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) examines the structural relations between available social, financial, and health resources, the subjective appraisal of these resources, and well-being in young, middle-aged, and young-old adults. The results indicate that the subjective appraisal of resources mediates the effects of available social, financial, and health resources on well-being irrespective of age groups. The discussion focuses on the importance of the appraisal of available resources as a precondition to successfully cope with stress, and points out avenues for intervention research.     

Thinking about the past,present, and future: Time perspective and self-esteem in adolescents,young adults,middle-aged adults,and older adults

We examined time perspective and self-esteem in adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Time perspective was measured with scales that assess relative orientations and relationships among the past, present, and future. Age effects were examined with standard analytic strategies to determine categorical differences between age groups and with new statistical techniques designed to show continuous age patterns. Findings indicated that (1) thinking about the future was greatest for adolescents and young adults and lowest for middle-aged and older adults, and thinking about the present increased across ages; (2) fewer adolescents and middle-aged participants perceived that the time periods were interrelated compared to younger and older adults; and (3) across ages, a greater emphasis towards the past compared to other time periods was associated with lower self-esteem, whereas emphasizing the present and the future jointly was associated with higher self-esteem.     

Age differences in life stories and neuroticism mediate age differences in subjective well-being

We examined whether age differences in life stories and personality traits mediated age differences in subjective well-being. One hundred one young, 77 middle-aged, and 81 older participants completed measures of subjective well-being and personality traits. They described chapters and specific memories in their life stories and rated these on emotional tone and positive and negative self-event connections. Older participants scored higher on subjective well-being, rated their life stories as more positive, and scored lower on neuroticism compared with both young and middle-aged participants. Age differences in subjective well-being were mediated by life stories and neuroticism, with neuroticism being the strongest mediator. We suggest that changes in personality may enable older individuals to interpret events and themselves in a positive light, which help enhance their subjective well-being.     

Religiousness and Subjective Well-Being Among Jewish Female Residents of Old Age Homes in Israel

ABSTRACT

The present study explored the prevalence of religiousness among Jewish elderly women residing in old age homes in Israel and its impact on their subjective well-being. The sample included 464 respondents residing in 48 old age homes. Religiousness was measured through self-rated religiousness and religious faith scales (Ben Meir & Kedem, 1979). Subjective well-being was measured by the PGC (Philadelphia Geriatric Center) Morale Scale (Lawton, 1975). The findings revealed that the majority of the elderly define themselves as traditional, orthodox or ultra orthodox. Multiple regression analysis revealed that religiousness did not affect the residents' subjective well-being.     

Anger and sadness in response to an emotionally neutral film: evidence for age-specific associations with well-being

When the association between emotion and well-being is being considered, positive emotions usually come to mind. However, negative emotions serve important adaptive functions and particular negative emotions may be especially adaptive at different stages of adult development. We examined the associations between self-reported negative emotions in response to an emotionally neutral, thematically ambiguous film and subjective well-being among 76 young (age 20-29), 73 middle-aged (age 40-49), and 73 older (age 60-69) adults. Results indicated that higher self-reported anger in response to the film was associated with higher well-being for middle-aged adults, but not for young and older adults. Higher self-reported sadness in response to the film was associated with higher well-being for older adults, but not for young and middle-aged adults. These findings were stronger for cognitive well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life) than for affective well-being (i.e., ratio of dispositional positive to negative affect) and were specific to these emotions (not found for self-reported disgust or fear) and to the emotionally neutral film (not found for sad or disgusting films). Results are discussed in terms of the functions that anger and sadness are thought to serve and the control opportunities afforded in midlife and late life that render these functions differentially adaptive.     

Still young at heart: negative age-related information motivates distancing from same-aged people

Research on subjective age has shown that most older adults feel significantly younger than their chronological age. One of the proposed mechanisms for this subjective age effect is that distancing oneself from an age group that is associated with decline in functioning helps older adults maintain a positive view of themselves. Providing negative age-related information, then, should lead older adults to direct their attention away from stimuli that remind them of their age and to distance themselves from same-aged people. In 2 experiments (N? = 78, 65-83 years of age, M = 71.67, SD = 4.81; N? = 98, 65-87 years of age, M = 70.52, SD = 4.89), older adults were confronted with positive, neutral, or negative age-related information. The salience of age increased after receiving negative age-related information. Furthermore, older adults directed their gaze away from pictures of older adults and looked longer at middle-aged adults after being confronted with negative age-related information. In addition, Study 2 showed that negative age-related information led older adults to distance themselves from same-aged people. Moreover, they perceived themselves as being more similar to middle-aged than to older adults. These findings highlight the motivational processes that might contribute to the discrepancy between chronological and subjective age in older adults and the psychological function of this discrepancy. Feeling younger might allow older adults to maintain a positive view of themselves despite age-related losses.     

Aging and intuitive physics

The present study was aimed at comparing the judgment capacities manifested by young adults, middle-aged adults, and elderly people in an everyday life setting implying the consideration of direct as well as inverse relationships between the cues and the criterion. The chosen situation was borrowed from elementary physics and concerned the relationships between mass, volume and density. In forming their estimations of mass, all elderly people were able to use volume and density information. In addition, most of them were able to combine these pieces of information in a correct, multiplicative way. In forming their estimations of volume, all elderly people were able to use mass and density information but a majority of them used the density information in a direct way. By contrast, most young and middle-aged adults correctly used the density information in an inverse way. The findings strengthen and extend the case made by Chasseigne et al. [Acta Psychologica 97 (1997) 235] as regards the trouble elderly people face in using inverse relationships in a judgment situation. The difficulty elderly people face is not confined to learning settings. It may also be observed in ecological, non-learning environments, where the relationships considered do not entirely depend on the experimenter's choice.     

Lifespan Differences in a Self Determination Theory Model of Eudaimonia: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Younger,Middle-Aged,and Older Adults

Despite the myriad physical, cognitive, and social losses that are increasingly common as we age, a growing body of evidence suggests that aging is positively associated with mental health and well-being. The majority of this evidence is in the form of mental health, personality, and subjective/hedonic well-being outcomes; far less is known about lifespan differences in eudaimonic well-being. The objective of this study was to examine differences across three age groups in a relatively recent model of eudaimonia informed by self-determination theory that focuses on the process of living well, but also acknowledges outcomes of that process. In comparison to young (n = 66) and middle-aged adults (n = 66), older adults (n = 66) were especially likely to be living eudaimonically (i.e., to have intrinsic aspirations, goal autonomy, mindfulness, and basic psychological need fulfillment). The effect of age on well-being outcomes was mixed; the oldest group reported the highest levels of life satisfaction (hedonic well-being) but the lowest levels of purpose and growth (eudaimonic well-being) in comparison to their younger counterparts. As predicted by the model, basic psychological need fulfillment mediated the relationship between motivational constructs and well-being outcomes. Furthermore, the model applied equally well to younger, middle-aged, and older adults. Our results are consistent with recent theoretical models emphasizing the socioemotional benefits of aging, as well as potential challenges to well-being that exist in later life.     

Hope I Die before I Get Old: Mispredicting Happiness Across the Adult Lifespan

The tendency to overestimate the influence of circumstances on well-being has been demonstrated for a range of life events, but the perceived impact of aging on well-being has been largely overlooked. People seem to dread growing old, despite evidence that well-being improves with age. We compared the self-reported happiness of younger adults (mean age = 31) and older adults (mean age = 68) with their estimates of happiness at different ages. Self-reports confirmed increasing happiness with age, yet both younger and older participants believed that happiness declines. Both groups estimated declining happiness for the average person, but only older adults estimated this decline for themselves.     

It is about time: Daily relationships between temporal perspective and well-being

This study examined the day-to-day relationships between temporal perspective and well-being. Temporal perspective has predominantly been measured with single-occasion measurement designs, which ignore the potential for within-person variations that may be important in accounting for fluctuations in well-being. A 14-day daily diary design was employed to examine the dimensions of temporal perspective (temporal focus, temporal attitude, and temporal distance) and their dynamic relationships with daily well-being. The results from multilevel analyses indicated that: (a) there is evidence of within-person variability in daily temporal perspective, and (b) this within-person variability in temporal perspective fluctuated systematically with fluctuations in daily well-being. Each temporal perspective dimension was useful in predicting daily well-being. Temporal perspective dimensions interacted with each other such that the daily relationships with well-being depended on both the temporal region (past, present, or future) and the nature of the thoughts (pleasant vs. unpleasant; near vs. far).     

Effect of integrative reminiscence therapy on depression,well-being,integrity, self-esteem,and life satisfaction in older adults

Reminiscence therapy is a psychological intervention for older adults to remembering and interpreting life events that were experienced at some time in the past. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the extent of integrative reminiscence intervention effects, with the aim to produce statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms, and significant improvement in psychological well-being, life satisfaction, self esteem, and integrity were examined. Thirty-four healthy elderly participated in the intervention that was implemented in eight sessions. To evaluate the effects of the program, a quasi-experimental design was applied with pretest and posttest evaluations comparing the intervention group with a control group on a waiting list. In comparison to control group, individuals in treatment sample of older adults in an integrative reminiscence group demonstrated statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms and a significant improvement in self-esteem, integrity, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being.