Stress and isolation from close ties in later life
Article Abstract:
A great deal of research has examined the relationships among stress, aging, and social support systems. The general view is that elderly people with strong social support systems are better able to handle stressful situations. There are two opposing extensions of this view. One extension is that as the stressfulness of a situation increases, the level of social support increases. The other is that in more stressful situations, the elderly may respond in ways that erode or fracture social networks. This study examined whether stress and the lack of a social network are associated in the elderly, and if certain stressful situations can work to undermine the social network. The results from a national survey on quality of life were examined for respondents 55 years of age or older. The survey collected data on depression, social ties, fears, and other issues. Results showed that attitudes of distrust in the elderly are associated with financial strain, lack of close social ties, and increased fear of crime, but not with recent deaths of loved ones. Financial strain was not only associated with lack of close social ties, but also with distancing from the ones that already existed. Recent deaths did not increase isolation from social ties. Level of education was directly and indirectly associated with financial strain, fear of crime and distrust of others, with a decrease in educational level leading to an increase in these stress measures. A lower educational attainment was indirectly related to a lack of close social ties. These factors were all related to depression in the elderly. The results indicate that in the elderly, a lower social status and level of education that lead to increased financial strain and distrust of others are associated with a lack of or loss of close social ties. The stress of a recent death did not have the same effect as these other stress factors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Age differences in depressive symptom experiences
Article Abstract:
Aging and age-related life experiences are thought to increase the risk of depression, and researchers have begun to clarify exactly what types of life circumstances may contribute to depression in the elderly. One problem is how to measure depression in this group, as standard scales may not account for age-related differences in depressive symptoms. The present study was designed to investigate age-related differences in depressive symptoms. Using samples of 184 older women, aged 66 to 92 years old, and 184 younger women, aged 51 to 65 years old, the extent to which depressive symptoms differed between the groups was investigated, and the utility of conventional depression scales to detect these differences was assessed. In the older group, the stable features of depression were feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest, loss of appetite, hopelessness, and a preoccupation with death and dying. This differed from the experience of the younger group in that it did not include as much of an emphasis on feeling down and on feelings of self-blame. Loneliness and sleep disturbance were also more likely to be reported by the older group but were not necessarily linked to depression as they were in the younger group. Overall, the depressive syndrome in older women in this study was of a lesser magnitude. Therefore, the elderly may actually be at decreased risk for classical depression, but susceptible to a less conventional, less overt form. Depression scales need to account for these age-related differences in order to accurately detect the presence of true depression in the elderly, as in their present form they may overestimate its incidence. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Paradigms in developmental health psychology - from theory to application: introduction to a special issue
Article Abstract:
The contents of a special issue of the July 1990 Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences presenting eight research articles are summarized. Since the late 1950s, psychological aspects of aging have been associated with physical health. A multidisciplinary approach to gerontology is needed to properly consider interactive factors such as gender, health, economics, education, and numerous sociodemographic considerations. The first paper, by Fozard and colleagues, provides an approach to considering the interaction of issues such as disease, health, behavior, and the role of the aging process in each area. Specific areas have also been examined in these papers, including high blood pressure as a variable in cognitive function; self-reports of physical and mental health and intelligence performance; and strategies of coping with chronic pain. Another study documents how relatively small changes in functional health, according to self-reports, can have a large impact on how the elderly perceive control of their environment and spend their time. These papers represent various research strategies, which are central to investigating the psychology of aging, including longitudinal and cross-sectional data reporting, the use of experimental and observational models, and ecological studies with emphasis on the community, as well as models of laboratory health-related behaviors. Understanding health and health behaviors is central in defining aging and in managing the quality of life of the elderly. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1990
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- Abstracts: Cognitive mediation of adult age differences in language performance. Perceptions of an old female eyewitness: is the older eyewitness believable?
- Abstracts: Human aging and duration judgments: a meta-analytic review. A longitudinal study of gender differences in depressive symptoms from age 50 to 80
- Abstracts: Does age affect the stress and coping process? Implications of age differences in perceived control. Age differences and changes in the use of coping mechanisms
- Abstracts: Social support networks and formal help seeking: differences between applicants to social services and a nonapplicant sample
- Abstracts: Rising from a chair: effects of age and functional ability on performance biomechanics