Mental Health and Perceived Loneliness Among Widowed Older Adults

Mental Health and Perceived Loneliness Among Widowed Older Adults PDF Author: Bonita Nath
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 101

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Book Description
A mixed methods study was conducted to examine the association between poor mental health and loneliness among widowed older adults aged 65 and over, accounting for differential effects of gender and social support. The life course theory, social support and stress theory, and feminism/masculinity theories were used to frame this research. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2008/09) was analyzed using a subsample of 4,163 widowed respondents. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted to examine loneliness, mental health, and potential buffering of social support and gender interaction. These analyses were supplemented with qualitative interviews conducted with 20 widowed older adults to further explore experiences, challenges and coping strategies. Integrated findings reveal the mediating role of social support. Implications of the findings suggest the salience of resilience over the life course, mediating effects of social support, the gendered effects of widowhood, exploration of longitudinal studies and placing a greater focus on widowed older adults' ethnic backgrounds. Suggested interventions include the expansion of bereavement services and intergenerational programs.

Mental Health and Perceived Loneliness Among Widowed Older Adults

Mental Health and Perceived Loneliness Among Widowed Older Adults PDF Author: Bonita Nath
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 101

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Book Description
A mixed methods study was conducted to examine the association between poor mental health and loneliness among widowed older adults aged 65 and over, accounting for differential effects of gender and social support. The life course theory, social support and stress theory, and feminism/masculinity theories were used to frame this research. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2008/09) was analyzed using a subsample of 4,163 widowed respondents. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted to examine loneliness, mental health, and potential buffering of social support and gender interaction. These analyses were supplemented with qualitative interviews conducted with 20 widowed older adults to further explore experiences, challenges and coping strategies. Integrated findings reveal the mediating role of social support. Implications of the findings suggest the salience of resilience over the life course, mediating effects of social support, the gendered effects of widowhood, exploration of longitudinal studies and placing a greater focus on widowed older adults' ethnic backgrounds. Suggested interventions include the expansion of bereavement services and intergenerational programs.

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309671035
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Loneliness and Social Isolation in Old Age

Loneliness and Social Isolation in Old Age PDF Author: André Hajek
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000890481
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
This book is a seminal guide to loneliness and social isolation in old age, providing a comprehensive overview of the important correlates of socioeconomic, health and lifestyle factors upon loneliness and social isolation in old age. Bringing together contributions from leading authorities, the book showcases expertise from, among other things, medicine, psychology, epidemiology, sociology, economics and gerontology. It shows the importance of identifying factors associated with loneliness and social isolation among older adults from a broader perspective, and includes discussion of a range of topics including income poverty, physical activity, family care and frailty. The chapters are evidence-based and offer a mix of empirical studies as well as reviews of international research. The book also discusses policy implications and provides an overview of nationally representative cohort studies around the world available to researchers quantifying loneliness or social isolation. This book is unique in examining loneliness and social isolation from such wide-ranging perspectives and will be essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students in the areas of e.g., mental health research, social work, and psychiatry. Health professionals involved with gerontology and geriatrics will also find this book of benefit. With the exception of Chapter 17, the Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

Spousal Bereavement in Late Life

Spousal Bereavement in Late Life PDF Author: Deborah S. Carr, PhD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826142451
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
This volume provides insightful analysis and theoretical interpretation of factors that contribute to a range of adjustment patterns among bereaved persons in late life. It places the experience of widowhood in late life squarely within the context of contemporary society and explores a remarkable range of associated issues. The volume is destined to become a classic; it will set the standard for future empirical investigation of the experience of bereavement among older adults. For Further Information on the CLOC Study, Please Click on CLOC

Handbook of Aging and Mental Health

Handbook of Aging and Mental Health PDF Author: Jacob Lomranz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1489900985
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
This comprehensive resource responds to a growing need for theory and multidisciplinary integrative research in adult and gerontological health. Handbook of Aging and Mental Healthbrings together, for the first time, diverse strategies and methodologies as well as theoretical formulations involving psychodynamic, behavioral, psychosocial, and biological systems as they relate to aging and health. Forward-thinking in his approach, Lomranz provides the mental health, adult developmental, and geriatric professions with a single reference source that covers theory construction, empirical research, treatment, and multidisciplinary program development.

Loneliness Among Older Widows

Loneliness Among Older Widows PDF Author: Rebecca Lee Levin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description


Social Work and Health Care in an Aging Society

Social Work and Health Care in an Aging Society PDF Author: Barbara Berkman, DSW
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826197248
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 423

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Book Description
This book places significant issues related to the health, mental health, and well-being of older adults and their caregivers within the context of social work service delivery. By presenting the research of social work scholars, all experts in specific research areas, the editors clarify the value that social work brings to the larger realm of health care for older adults and their families. Special consideration is given to such issues as case management, urban, African-American elders, grandmothers raising grandchildren, aging persons with developmental disabilities, home health care, and more. For Further Information on Dr. Berkman, Please Click Here!

Loneliness

Loneliness PDF Author: Robert Weiss
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262730413
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
Loneliness is among the most common distresses. In one survey, a quarter of Americans interviewed said that they had suffered from loneliness within the past few weeks. Yet for a condition so pervasive, loneliness has received little professional attention. Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation brings together papers which attempt to capture the phenomena of loneliness with case materials that illuminate the descriptive and theoretical acccounts. It is organized into seven sections, covering: explanations for the neglect of loneliness, and an attept to describe the condition; mechanisms underlying some forms of loneliness; a discussion of situations in which loneliness is commonly found; loneliness among those suffering the loss of a loved one; the loneliness of social isolation; resources available to the lonely; and, finally, a look at issues yet to be dealt with and some suggestions for the management of loneliness. This book is a useful resource for social scientists, clinicians, and individuals who now or in the future may suffer from loneliness.

Long-term Outcomes of Military Service

Long-term Outcomes of Military Service PDF Author: Avron Spiro
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
ISBN: 9781433828041
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Using data compiled from longitudinal studies of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans, contributors to this groundbreaking book examine the effects of military service across the lifespan. The US spends over 100 billion dollars annually on healthcare for more than 30 million active military and veterans. The prevalence of negative trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military veterans is well-known. But other more subtle effects of military service--particularly on health and well-being in later life--are less well-understood, among researchers as well as medical and mental health professionals who care for veterans. Chapters in this book give us crucial insights into the impact of military service, including the surprising finding that service can serve as a protective factor in some contexts, throughout the aging process. Topic areas include the effects of combat and stress on longevity and brain functioning; the use of memory, cognition, and ego development at various points in life; the relationship between experiences of discrimination and the later development of PTSD; marriage longevity; employment; and the way notions of patriotism and nationalism among service personnel and their families may change over time.

Healthy Longevity in China

Healthy Longevity in China PDF Author: Yi Zeng
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402067526
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
Key research in the world’s largest aging population – in China – has fed into this important new work, which aims to answer questions critical to older people worldwide. These include: is the period of disability compressing or expanding with increasing life expectancy and what factors are associated with these trends in the recent decades? And is it possible to realize morbidity compression with a prolongation of the life span in the future? Essential reading for gerontologists.