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Who benefits from volunteering? Variations in perceived benefits
- Authors:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, HONG Song-Lee, TANG Fengyan
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 49(1), February 2009, pp.91-102.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The purpose of this study was to document the benefits of volunteering perceived by older adults and to explain variation in these self-perceived benefits. This is a quantitative study of 13 volunteer programs in the US and 401 older adults serving in those programs. Program directors completed telephone interviews, and older volunteers completed mailed surveys. Volunteer-level and program-level data were merged. Older volunteers reported a wide variety of benefits to the people they served, themselves, their families, and communities. More than 30% reported that they were "a great deal better off" because of volunteering, and almost 60% identified a benefit to their families. When considering only individual characteristics, lower-income and lower-educated volunteers reported more benefit. Yet, aspects of the volunteer experience, like amount of involvement, adequacy of training and ongoing support, and stipends, were more important in understanding who benefits from volunteering. These findings suggest that characteristics of volunteer programs can be strengthened to maximize the benefits of volunteering to older adults. These characteristics are more mutable by public policies and organizational procedures than individual characteristics. Focusing on the recruitment of lower socioeconomic status older adults may result in an increase in benefits from the growth of volunteering.
Involvement in voluntary organizations: how older adults access volunteer roles?
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 51(3-4), 2008, pp.210-227.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This article examines the potential role for older volunteers in the light of the growing demand for social services and diminishing public funding, and looks at the type of people who become volunteers. US Census data is analysed and older volunteers were found to be likely to be in employment, have fewer household members, and were more likely to volunteer firstly for religious organisations, followed by social service, health and educational institutions. The article also examines how social workers recruit and work with these volunteers who are becoming an increasingly valuable resource.
Institutional facilitation in sustained volunteering among older adult volunteers
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, HONG Songiee
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 33(3), September 2009, pp.172-182.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
As more nonprofit organizations rely on older adult volunteers to provide services, it is important to retain volunteers for an extended period of time to ensure service quality and the beneficial outcomes of volunteering. Nonprofit organizations are positioned to facilitate older adult volunteers' role performance. Based on an institutional perspective on volunteering, this study explored what institutional facilitations are needed for sustained volunteering. The sample included 401 older adult volunteers from 13 programs across the United States. Data were collected by means of self-administrated questionnaires. Institutional facilitation was captured by volunteer role flexibility, incentive, role recognition, and training. With volunteers' age controlled for, two-level hierarchical linear models were used to assess the relationship between volunteer duration (level 1 variables) and institutional facilitation (level 2 variables) in the volunteer program. Results demonstrated that a higher level of volunteering duration was associated with institutional facilitation factors of more role recognition and more training hours. Duration was also associated with less incentive. These findings suggest that certain facilitators from organizations contribute to an extended period of commitment among older adult volunteers.
Racial differences in volunteer engagement by older adults: an empowerment perspective
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, COPELAND Valire Carr, WEXLER Sandra
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 36(2), June 2012, pp.89-100.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Volunteering is seen as an empowerment process whereby older adults actively participate in the community and improve their well-being and health. However, little is known about racial differences in volunteering, and even less in terms of perceived benefits from volunteering as a means of empowerment. This study investigated the differences in volunteer experience and perceived benefits from volunteering between older black people and white people. Convenience samples were drawn from the city of Pittsburgh and questionnaires were completed by 180 adults aged 60 and over. Analyses showed that black participants were less likely than their white counterparts to volunteer in formal organisations; however, once engaged, they committed more time and perceived more psychosocial benefits from volunteering. Also volunteering and self-reported health demonstrated a stronger relationship in the black sample than among the white sample. The study suggests that black older adults have more to gain from volunteer engagement through meaningful involvement in the community and improved quality of life.
Inclusion of diverse older populations in volunteering: the importance of institutional facilitation
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, HONG Songiee
- Journal article citation:
- Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38(5), October 2009, pp.810-827.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This is the second part of a study of the institutional capacity of 51 programs recruiting older volunteers in the United States. The importance of institutional facilitation of older adults, especially those of lower socio-economic status, to 13 of these programs was assessed by focusing on 374 volunteers, aged 60 or over, across 9 states. A self-administered questionnaire collected information about their experiences as volunteers, using institutional facilitators such as activity choice, time, schedule, responsibility level, workload, compensation, transportation, recognition and accommodation as measures as well as volunteer socio-demographics. Items regarding role flexibility were found to be important, with activity choice and setting of own schedule key. Respondents, especially non-White and low income, advised that accommodation, of a health condition for example, was important as well as being recognised, having expenses compensated and receiving a stipend. This study suggests that voluntary organisations could recruit and sustain helpers from the over 60’s from more diverse backgrounds by increasing their levels of flexibility, compensation and recognition. As baby boomers age there will be a greater potential for volunteering among the older population and to marshal this resource towards community need and ensure those volunteering come from all walks of life, voluntary organisations must, say the authors, fine tune their methods to make volunteering attractive to all and not elitist.
Socioeconomic disparities in voluntary organization involvement among older adults
- Author:
- TANG Fengyan
- Journal article citation:
- Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37(1), March 2008, pp.57-75.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This study examines the relationship between volunteer socioeconomic status (SES) and voluntary organization involvement among older adults. Using longitudinal data from the Americans' Changing Lives surveys, this study assesses the effects of education and income on the type and scope of voluntary organization involvement. Multiple imputation and generalized estimating equations methods are used in the data analysis. The results indicate that more highly educated, older adults are more likely than their less-educated counterparts to volunteer in all five types of organizations (i.e., religious, educational, political, senior citizen, and others), volunteer in a wider range of organizations, and devote more hours. However, income makes little significant difference in organizational volunteering. Voluntary organizations are advised to facilitate older adults from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in taking volunteer roles. Innovative recruitment programs are needed to tap the resource for volunteering that elders from all SES groups represent.
Stressors and caregivers’ depression: multiple mediators of self-efficacy, social support, and problem-solving skill
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 54(7), 2015, pp.651-668.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Caring for an older adult with memory loss is stressful. Caregiver stress could produce negative outcomes such as depression. Previous research is limited in examining multiple intermediate pathways from caregiver stress to depressive symptoms. This study addresses this limitation by examining the role of self-efficacy, social support, and problem solving in mediating the relationships between caregiver stressors and depressive symptoms. Using a sample of 91 family caregivers, the authors tested simultaneously multiple mediators between caregiver stressors and depression. Results indicate that self-efficacy mediated the pathway from daily hassles to depression. Findings point to the importance of improving self-efficacy in psychosocial interventions for caregivers of older adults with memory loss. (Edited publisher abstract)
Why do older adult volunteers stop volunteering?
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, CHOI EunHee
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 30(5), July 2010, pp.859-878.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This is a follow-up study, to a parent study of programmes that use older adult volunteers in the United States, which gathered voluntary sector experiences and personal data from 207 individual, older people active in 10 programmes in 2005-2006, via telephone interviews and postal surveys. Four tables of data detailing socio-demographic characteristics and volunteer experiences of current and past volunteers, factors relating to volunteering turnover using the Generalised Estimating Equations analytical method and reasoning given for stopping volunteering activity, presented by these authors show aspects of the volunteer experience, such as duration of involvement, volunteering in other programmes, type of activity, the adequacy of on-going support and the availability of stipends, influence volunteering retention and turnover. Volunteers who, committed for longer time periods, were committed to other programmes, felt better supported and received a stipend were less likely to quit volunteering in a designated programme. Public safety programmes had low rates of volunteer turnover also. Reasons given for volunteer withdrawal included a higher priority of another productive activity or commitment, declining health, or problems with the programme administration, with those with extensive experience least likely to withdraw. The authors recommend the provision of stipends and on-going support by voluntary organisations who wish to engage and retain older adult volunteers, particularly older Americans with low income, in the longer term.
Mental health among older adults with caregiving needs: the role of social networks
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 43(3), 2019, pp.157-167.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
A major challenge facing an aging society is the increased caregiving needs among community-dwelling older adults with chronic conditions. Reliance on social relations may help address caregiving needs and maintain older adults’ mental well-being. This study examines the roles of different aspects of social relations—social network size, social support, and service use—in the association between caregiving needs and mental health status (MHS). Using a sample of adults age 55 and over in an urban setting, authors tested the direct, mediation, and moderation effects models of social relations. Structural equation modeling was applied and latent variables of caregiving needs, MHS, and social network size were identified. Results showed that caregiving needs and informal social support (that is, network size, positive support, and negative strain) were directly related to MHS and that informal social support partially mediated the negative effect of caregiving needs on MHS; by contrast, service use moderated the association, indicating that those with caregiving needs who used more services were in better MHS than their counterparts with less service use. Findings point to the importance of social work interventions aimed at improving social relations and enhancing awareness and access to social services. (Edited publisher abstract)
The race paradox in subjective wellbeing among older Americans
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 39(3), 2019, pp.568-589.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study aims to assess racial differences in subjective wellbeing (SWB) and to examine whether the pathways of social support and social engagement to SWB vary by racial groups in the United States of America. Using a local sample (N = 1,035) and a nationally representative sample of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 7,718), the authors compared life satisfaction and happiness between non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks aged 55 and over. They evaluated the extent to which race, other socio-demographic characteristics, health, social engagement and social support explained the variances in SWB and examined the moderation effects of race on the relationships of SWB with age, social support and social engagement. Multiple regression analyses showed that non-Hispanic Blacks were at least as satisfied as, and even happier than White peers, after equalising social resources and health variables. Social support was significantly related to SWB, and it seemed that positive support was more important to Whites than to Blacks in predicting life satisfaction. In addition, the racial crossover effect existed, that is, the old-old (80+) Blacks were happier than their White peers. Findings indicate a national trend of the race paradox in SWB and underscore the importance of social support in promoting older adults’ wellbeing. Future research is recommended to investigate other potential mechanisms among Black older Americans to explain their relatively better SWB. (Edited publisher abstract)