Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Social networks and depressive symptoms among elderly women and men in Havana, Cuba
- Authors:
- SICOTTE Maryline, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 12(2), March 2008, pp.193-201.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study aimed to examine the main and the stress-buffering effects of social networks on depressive symptoms among elderly Cuban men and women living in La Havana. Information was gathered from a representative sample of the elderly population in Havana (n = 1905), as part of the SABE (Salud, Bienestary Enuejecimiento) study. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. The structure and function of social networks were studied. Gender-specific multivariate logistic regressions were fitted to test the main (independent of stressors) and the stress-buffering effects (in the presence of financial strain or disabilities) on depressive symptoms. Social ties were associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms in women and men independently of the presence of stressors. Women who were or had been married, lived in an extended family, and enjoyed balanced exchanges with relatives and children reported low prevalence of depressive symptoms. Men were less likely to report depressive symptoms if they were currently married, and did not live alone. Social networks buffered the effect of financial strain on depression, but not in the event of disability. In Cuba, networks centred on children and extended family were associated with low frequency of depressive symptoms, ruling contrary to common findings in developed societies. These living arrangements have an important role in buffering the impact of financial strain on depressive symptoms.
Older people's experiences of loneliness in the UK: does gender matter?
- Authors:
- VICTOR Christina R., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Society, 5(1), January 2006, pp.27-38.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study investigates whether there are differences in the nature and extent of loneliness amongst older men and women in contemporary Britain. Loneliness was measured using a self-report four-point scale in a nationally representative survey of people aged 65+ living in the community. Survey response rate was 77 per cent and the sample of 999 approximates to that of the general population. Approximately half of our sample 53 per cent were women. Compared with males in the sample women were significantly more likely to be widowed, live alone and have direct contact with friends and relatives. Preliminary analysis identified statistically significant differences between men and women in and self-reported loneliness (and changes over the previous decade). Ordered logistic regression, indicated that gender was no longer independently associated with loneliness once the confounding influences of marital status, age and living arrangement were excluded. The overall self-reported prevalence of severe loneliness shows little difference between men and women, challenging the stereotype that loneliness is a specifically female experience.
Associations between loneliness, depressive symptoms and perceived togetherness in older people
- Authors:
- TIIKKAINEN P., HEIKKINEN R. L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(6), November 2005, pp.526-534.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study explores the associations of loneliness with depressive symptoms in a five-year follow-up and describes how the six dimensions of perceived togetherness explain loneliness and depressive symptoms at baseline. The data were collected on 207 residents of Jyväskylä, central Finland, who at baseline in 1990 were aged 80; and 133 residents who at follow-up in 1995 were aged 85. Loneliness was assessed using a questionnaire item with four preset response options, perceived togetherness using the Social Provisions Scale, and depressive symptoms using the CES-D scale. A recursive structural equation model showed that in women but not in men, depressive symptoms predicted more experiences of loneliness. Those who were lonely were more depressed and experienced less togetherness than those who were not. Loneliness was explained by reliable alliance, social integration and attachment; and depressive symptoms were explained by guidance, reassurance of worth, reliable alliance and attachment. A common feature in both loneliness and depressive symptoms was a lower level of perceived emotional togetherness in social interaction.
Gendered trajectories of support from close relationships from middle to late life
- Author:
- LIAO Jing
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 38(4), 2018, pp.746-765.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study investigates gender differences in trajectories of support from close relationships among adults in the transition from middle to old age, taking into account stability and change in the identity of the closest persons. Multi-level modelling was used to estimate gendered age-trajectories in three dimensions of support: emotional support, practical support and negative encounters, which were repeatedly measured over ten years amongst 6,718 Whitehall II participants. Men were more likely than women to nominate their partner as their closest person throughout follow-up; whereas women drew support from a wider range of sources. Gender differences were only evident in age-related trajectories of emotional support, and were contingent on stability and change in the closest relationships. Men reported increased emotional support from closest relationships with age, except for those who transitioned out of a partnership. For women, emotional support was stable among those whose closest person remained consistent, but decreased among those who changed their closest person. Further, emotional support increased with age for all married men, which was only the case for married women who nominated their partner as their closest person. Our analysis highlights gender-specific trajectories of perceived support from adults’ closest relationships in late life, and indicate more pronounced socio-emotional selectivity in older men than women. (Publisher abstract)
Gender and marital status differences in depressive symptoms among elderly adults: the roles of family support and friend support
- Authors:
- ZHANG Baoshan, LI Juan
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(7), September 2011, pp.844-854.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper examines the roles of friend support and family support in the relationships between gender and depressive symptoms as well as between marital status and depressive symptoms in elderly adults. The study utilised data taken from the National Survey of Mental Health among Chinese Elderly Adults. The sample used in this study comprised 714 widowed individuals and 714 married individuals residing in major Chinese mainland cities. First, the relationship between gender, marital status, and depressive symptoms were examined. Then, the mediating and moderating effects of both friend support and family support were analysed. The results revealed a significant relationship between marital status and depressive symptoms; however, the effect of marital status on depressive symptoms was mediated by family support and moderated by friend support. Unlike previous studies, this study failed to reveal any significant relationship between gender and depressive symptoms. The article concludes that widowed elderly adults experienced more depressive symptoms than did married. The differences in depressive symptoms between married and widowed elderly people could be explained by the level of family support. The subjects’ perception of friend support had different effects on the depressive symptoms of elderly adults with different marital statuses.
Raising self-esteem through social networking intervention for older Chinese adults in Hong Kong
- Authors:
- CHOW Esther Oi-Wah, CHEUNG Chau-Kiu
- Journal article citation:
- Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work, 19(1), June 2009, pp.66-81.
- Publisher:
- Times Academic
The effectiveness of a social networking programme to raise the self-esteem of older people was examined. The results from split-group analyses demonstrates that those how maintained active participation exhibited higher self-esteem. The results provide significant implications for future practice, especially to the less-educated males.
Moderating effects of psychosocial attributes on the association between risk factors and disability in later life
- Authors:
- JANG Y., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 7(3), May 2003, pp.163-170.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study examined the roles of psychosocial attributes in the associations between potential risk factors (age, gender, marital status, education, and chronic conditions) and disability in later life, and in particular how neuroticism and social resources (social network, received support, and satisfaction with support) modify the linkages between risk factors and disability. The main and moderating effects were empirically tested using a sample of 444 community-dwelling older adults in Florida( M age1/472.3) who were cognitively intact. The likelihood of disability increased with advancing age, more chronic conditions, higher levels of neuroticism, more received support, and less satisfaction with support. In addition to the main effects, neuroticism and received support interacted with age and chronic conditions, strengthening the associations between risk factors and disability. Results suggested that personality and social support deserve greater attention as factors that can alter the disability process.
Social networks of old people in India: research and policy
- Authors:
- WILLIGEN Jphn van, CHANDHA N. K.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 15(23), 2003, pp.109-123.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This article presents a comparative analysis of the available research on the social networks of older persons in India. Most of this research has been done in North Indian cities. The research foci of the available studies include network size, core networks and beyond, life course changes in networks, impacts of residency in old-age homes, gender differences, and joint and nuclear family residence. This research is discussed in terms of its policy implications. Because the research demonstrates that social networks are important for the welfare of older Indians, one can conclude that social policy that encourages the maintenance of robust networks throughout the life course may be worth pursuing. One aspect of policy is discussed. The analysis of the relationship between social network and gender suggests that current policies that can be seen as supporting gender inequality in terms of property may have a negative impact on the networks of older women.
Caregiving networks of elderly persons: variation by marital status
- Authors:
- BARRETT Anne, LYNCH Scott
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 39(6), December 1999, pp.695-704.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Using data from the American 1982 National Long-Term Care Survey, this study examines the relationship between marital status and two dimensions of caregiving networks, size and composition. Results indicate that widowed and never married people have helping networks that are larger than those of married people. Diversity across marital statuses in sources of assistance is revealed in the analysis of two measures of caregiving network composition: (a) having more kin than nonkin helpers and (b) presence of specific helpers (adult children, siblings, friends, and formal helpers). Moreover, gender interacts with marital status to influence the composition of caregiving networks.
Social network patterns among the elderly in relation to their perceived life history in an Eriksonian perspective
- Authors:
- RENNEMARK M., HAGBERG B.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 1(4), November 1997, pp.321-331.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Looks at how past research has shown that social network patterns, the remembered past, and sense of coherence are all important factors for well-being in old age. In this article, these interrelationships are examined, with special attention given to the gender differences, concerning structures and functions of the social network. Suggests that structures and functions of the social network are sometimes used as compensation for shortcomings in the internal-based self-concept.