The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Apr 2018
Does Religiosity Account for Lower Rates of Advance Care Planning by Older African Americans?
Advance care planning (ACP) is associated with higher quality care at the end of life and increased odds of receiving hospice care and of dying at home. Older African Americans are less likely to complete advance directives (ADs) or discuss life-sustaining treatment preferences. This study examined whether religiosity accounts for race disparities. ⋯ Although religiosity is often proposed as a reason for low rates of ACP among African Americans, religiosity measures did not explain race differences. Distinct aspects of religiosity were associated with ACP both negatively and positively, and these relationships varied by type of ACP and by race.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Jan 2018
Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men Across the Adult Lifecourse.
A lifecourse framework was used to examine the association between major and everyday measures of perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among African American men and to evaluate whether these relationships differed for young, middle-aged, and older men. ⋯ Everyday discrimination is a more consistent predictor, relative to major discrimination, of depressive symptoms among African American men across the lifecourse, although there were age and/or cohort differences. Findings also demonstrate the synergistic, or additive, impact of multiple forms of discrimination on mental health.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Oct 2017
Midlife Work-Related Stress Increases Dementia Risk in Later Life: The CAIDE 30-Year Study.
To investigate the associations between midlife work-related stress and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and Alzheimer's disease later in life, in a large representative population. ⋯ Midlife work-related stress increases the risk for MCI, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease in later life. The association was not seen after the extended follow-up possibly reflecting selective survival/participation, heterogeneity in dementia among the oldest old, and a critical time window for the effects of midlife stress.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Oct 2017
Role of Perceived Maternal Favoritism and Disfavoritism in Adult Children's Psychological Well-Being.
The detrimental consequences of parents' differential treatment on children's well-being have been documented in earlier stages of the life course; however, little is known about this pattern in midlife. Drawing from theories of equity and social comparison, we tested whether psychological well-being was affected only by adult children's perceptions that their mothers treated some offspring in the family differently or by their perceptions that they were favored or disfavored. Further, we explored the extent to which these patterns differed by race. ⋯ The findings shed new light on the role of intergenerational relations in adult children's well-being in midlife by taking into consideration the respondents' direct reports of their perceptions of their mothers' favoritism and disfavoritism. Further, the findings provide evidence that the association between maternal differentiation and psychological well-being in adulthood is stronger in Black than in White families. These patterns suggest that the association between psychological well-being and both favoritism and disfavoritism can be accounted for by processes involving social comparison rather than equity for both Black and White adult children in midlife.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · May 2017
The Relation of Ego Integrity and Despair to Personality Traits and Mental Health.
Existing studies in the Eriksonian tradition found that ego integrity and despair are important indicators of life-span development. The present study relates ego integrity and despair to contemporary theories of personality and mental health. ⋯ Ego integrity appears to be related to fluctuating states of mental health, whereas despair is more an expression of a general trait-like disposition of neuroticism. Implications for further research are discussed.