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Examining associations between sexual behaviours and quality of life in older adults
- Authors:
- FLYNN Taylor-Jane, GOW Alan J.
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 44(5), 2015, pp.823-828.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: While sexual behaviours are potentially important for quality of life in older adults, they are under-researched. The current study examined associations between frequency and importance of sexual behaviours and quality of life in older adults. Method: One hundred and thirty-three participants (mean 74 years, SD = 7.1) provided information about the frequency with which they participated in six sexual behaviours and the perceived importance of these: touching/holding hands, embracing/hugging, kissing, mutual stroking, masturbating and intercourse. Participants also completed the WHO Quality of Life scale, providing an overall quality of life score, in addition to the domains of physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment. Participants provided information on their marital status, living arrangements and self-reported health. Results: Both the frequency and importance of sexual behaviours were moderately positively correlated with quality of life (r = 0.52 and 0.47, respectively, both P < 0.001). In separate regression analyses, the frequency of sexual behaviours was a significant predictor of quality of life in the social relationships domain (β = 0.225, P < 0.05), and the importance of sexual behaviours was associated with the psychological domain (β = 0.151, P < 0.05), independent of the presence of a spouse/partner and self-reported health. Conclusions: With ageing trends, a broader understanding of the factors that influence quality of life in older adults is increasingly important. The current findings suggest that aspects of sexual behaviour and quality of life were positively associated. Researchers are encouraged to consider aspects of sex and sexuality when exploring determinants of well-being in later life. (Publisher abstract)
Insights into loneliness, older people and wellbeing, 2015
- Author:
- THOMAS Jennifer
- Publisher:
- Office for National Statistics
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 10
- Place of publication:
- Newport
This article focuses on older people's well-being, loneliness and some of the risk factors associated with loneliness such as living alone, housing tenure, marital status, ill health and support networks. The ONS Measuring National Well-being programme aims to produce accepted and trusted measures of the well-being of the nation - how the UK as a whole is doing. This analysis shows that older people are more satisfied with life generally and with their social networks and the support they provide. This may be due to having lower expectations due to a cohort effect or more mature perspectives but ultimately they are more content than their younger counterparts. However, the impact of loneliness on well-being is considerable, especially for the oldest old who are most likely to feel lonely and are subject to a high number of risk factors. The paper argues that the UK needs to consider how to minimise some of the impact that risk factors of loneliness has, particularly bereavement, poor health, and housing tenure. (Edited publisher abstract)
Does life satisfaction predict five-year mortality in community-living older adults?
- Authors:
- ST. JOHN Philip D., MACKENZIE Corey, MENEC Verena
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(4), 2015, pp.363-370.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Depression and depressive symptoms predict death, but it is less clear if more general measures of life satisfaction (LS) predict death. This study aimed to determine: (1) if LS predicts mortality over a five-year period in community-living older adults; and (2) which aspects of LS predict death. Method: 1751 adults over the age of 65 who were living in the community were sampled from a representative population sampling frame in 1991/1992 and followed five years later. Age, gender, and education were self-reported. An index of multimorbidity and the Older American Resource Survey measured health and functional status, and the Terrible–Delightful Scale assessed overall LS as well as satisfaction with: health, finances, family, friends, housing, recreation, self-esteem, religion, and transportation. Cox proportional hazards models examined the influence of LS on time to death. Results: 417 participants died during the five-year study period. Overall LS and all aspects of LS except finances, religion, and self-esteem predicted death in unadjusted analyses. In fully adjusted analyses, LS with health, housing, and recreation predicted death. Other aspects of LS did not predict death after accounting for functional status and multimorbidity. Conclusion: LS predicted death, but certain aspects of LS are more strongly associated with death. The effect of LS is complex and may be mediated or confounded by health and functional status. It is important to consider different domains of LS when considering the impact of this important emotional indicator on mortality among older adults. (Edited publisher abstract)
Where does Quality of Life (QoL) fit in the future of technology in the 21st Century?
- Authors:
- MARSTON Hannah R., FREEMAN Shannon, MUSSELWHITE Charles
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 25(3), 2015, pp.8-14.
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
There is great opportunity to leverage existing technologies to measure Quality of Life (QoL). This article considers the value and use of Quantified Self (QS); also called self/life logging. The QS is a field or movement that enables individuals to incorporate and/or utilise technologies which are wearable. Types of QS may include physical and psychological characteristics such as heart rate and number of steps walked, places visited and tasks completed, dietary choices and number of calories consumed, sleep habits, and self-perceived mood. (Edited publisher abstract)
Perceptions of giving support and depressive symptoms in late life
- Authors:
- BANGERTER Lauren R., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 55(5), 2015, pp.770-779.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Purpose: Research shows that parents benefit psychologically from generativity, giving and caring for the next generation, but older adults' perceptions on giving support to their children are rarely if ever explored in these studies. The current study examines the association between the support that ageing parents give to one of their middle-aged offspring, their perception of this support as rewarding or stressful, and their levels of depressive symptoms. Design and Methods: The sample draws from The Family Exchanges Study and consisted of 337 older parents (mean age: 76) who were drawn from a larger study of middle-aged adults (i.e., target participants). Older parents reported tangible and nontangible forms of support given to the target middle-aged child and the extent to which they viewed providing such support as stressful and/or rewarding. Results: Significant interactions were found between tangible support and feelings of reward and between nontangible support and feelings of stress in explaining parental depressive symptoms. Parents who found giving support to be highly rewarding had lower levels of depressive symptoms when giving high amounts of tangible support. Conversely, parents who view giving support to be highly stressful had higher levels of depressive symptoms when they gave low amounts of nontangible support. Implications: Findings suggest older parents’ perceptions of supporting their offspring may condition how generativity affects their mental health. (Edited publisher abstract)
Meaning in Life and depressive symptoms: a person-oriented approach in residential and community-dwelling older adults
- Authors:
- VAN DER HEYDEN Karen, DEZUTTER Jessie, BEYERS Wim
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(12), 2015, pp.1063-1070.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In current society, an increasing population of older adults and a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in late life is noticeable. A possible protective resource is ‘Meaning in Life’. The objective of this study is to identify from a person-oriented view (a) Meaning in Life-profiles, based on Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning dimensions, and (b) their associations with depressive symptoms. (Edited publisher abstract)
Life satisfaction among older people in Italy in a gender approach
- Authors:
- MEGGIOLARO Silvia, ONGARO Fausta
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 35(7), 2015, pp.1481-1504.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Over the last few decades, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of wellbeing among older people, and life satisfaction has been used as an indicator to evaluate older people's life conditions. This paper sheds some light on this topic by examining life satisfaction among people aged 65 and older and its predictors. The authors adopt a gender approach to examine whether older men and women have different sources of satisfaction. This hypothesis is tested in Italy, a country still characterised by an unbalanced public and private gender system. The study also examines whether living arrangements, specifically living alone, influence the determinants of life satisfaction of older men and women. The data used are from the cross-sectional surveys ‘Aspects of Daily Life’, undertaken in Italy by the National Statistical Institute. The results do not show clear gender differences in the determinants of life satisfaction, with only some slight gender differences among those living alone. This suggests that the social and cultural environment may play a relevant role for older people's life satisfaction. (Edited publisher abstract)
Satisfaction with daily activities after retirement in Europe
- Authors:
- BONSANG Eric, SOEST Arthur van
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 35(6), 2015, pp.1146-1170.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper analyses the determinants of satisfaction with daily activities among retirees aged 65 years or older in 11 European countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. It uses data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe on self-assessed satisfaction with daily activities and anchoring vignettes to correct for potential differences in response scales across countries and socio-demographic groups. On average, retired Europeans appear to be satisfied with their daily activities, but there are large differences across countries: respondents from Northern countries tend to be more satisfied than individuals from Central European or Mediterranean countries. The analysis shows that correcting for response scale differentials alters the country ranking for satisfaction with daily activities but hardly affects the conclusions on the factors driving within-country differences between socio-demographic groups. (Edited publisher abstract)
Dying in the Age of Choice
- Authors:
- BLACK Kathy, CSIKAI Ellen L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 11(1), 2015, pp.27-49.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
Due to the unprecedented increase in the United States ageing demographics, many more people are living longer and reaching older ages than ever before. However, a longer life is not necessarily a better life, as the vast majority will face a period of prolonged deteriorating health prior to death. Although notable efforts have been underway that are designed to improve the end-of-life experience, increasing numbers of individuals express a desire and/or act upon an intent to end their lives precipitously. Though still limited, the options to actively participate in their own deaths are growing. Requests for a hastened death can occur among people of all ages and includes those with advanced illness as well as others wanting to die due to unbearable suffering. This article provides an overview of the ongoing discourse about the experience of dying faced by many older adults, including aspects frequently associated with “a good death.” The limitations of established practices which seek to provide a “better” dying experience are identified followed by discussion of the growing availability of alternative options. Reflective considerations are presented to guide practice vis-à-vis the changing landscape surrounding options in dying. (Edited publisher abstract)
Wellbeing indicators for older people
- Author:
- OLDER PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONER FOR WALES
- Publisher:
- Older People's Commissioner for Wales
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 37
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
Sets out the importance of accurately measuring the wellbeing of older people in Wales and identifies wellbeing goals which public authorities should aim to achieve. The paper defines what is meant by the concept of wellbeing, which includes both feeling good and functioning well; examines how the wellbeing of older people is currently measured in Wales, and identifies key issues impacting older people's wellbeing identified by the Commissioner for Older People in Wales. It then looks at the indicators that should be measured in the following key areas: housing; care; poverty; health; transport; learning; employment and technology; loneliness and social isolation; dementia. Specific information is also included on measuring the wellbeing of older people who are over the age of 85, the 'oldest old'. (Edited publisher abstract)