Dikla Segel-Karpas

Income decline and retiree well-being: the moderating role of attachment.

Given that it influences the appraisal of situations and the utilization of coping resources, attachment orientation may condition the effects of retirement-related stressors on retiree well-being. Focusing on depression, psychosomatic complaints and health, as well as income decline as a retirement-related stressor, we followed a sample of workers from just before retirement to up to 7 years postretirement. Results indicate that attachment avoidance-but not anxiety-moderates the adverse effects of income decline on well-being, with such effects more pronounced among individuals reporting higher levels of attachment avoidance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The reciprocal relationship between depression and physical morbidity: The role of subjective age.

Objectives: The study aims to examine whether the reciprocal effects of physical morbidity and depression are moderated by subjective age—that is, individuals’ perception of themselves as young or old. Method: Data from the first two waves of the Midlife in the United States study (1995–6, T1; 2004–6, T2; http://midus.wisc.edu/) were analyzed using a cross-lagged design. We assessed 3,591 individuals who participated in both waves and provided full data on all the relevant variables (mean age at T1 = 47.4). Depression and the number of chronic illnesses (the indicator of physical morbidity) were measured at both waves and were tested as predictors and outcomes in a cross-lagged model. The moderating role of subjective age was assessed by examining whether T1 variables interacted with subjective age in predicting T2 outcomes. Results: Subjective age moderated the T1 depression–T2 morbidity relationship, so that the relationship was stronger for those with older subjective age. Subjective age did not moderate the T1 morbidity–T2 depression relationship. Conclusion: Older subjective age could be a risk factor for experiencing greater physical morbidity following depression.

Workplace Exposures and Cognitive Function During Adulthood: Evidence From National Survey of Midlife Development and the O*NET.

Objective: Expand understanding of the role of selected workplace exposures (ie, occupational complexity, conflict in the workplace, pace of work, and physical hazards) in adults’ cognitive function. Methods: Cross-sectional data (n = 1991) from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study; restricted to participants who completed telephone-based cognitive assessments of episodic memory, executive functioning, and self-perceived memory. Occupational exposure data were harvested from the O*NET Release 6.0. Results: Greater complexity was associated with better self-perceived memory among women and men, and better episodic memory and executive functioning among women. Greater physical hazards were independently associated with poorer episodic memory and executive functioning. Conclusions: Objective assessments of physical and psychosocial exposures in the workplace are independently associated with cognitive outcomes in adulthood, with psychosocial exposures being particularly pronounced among women.

Help-seeking preferences in the area of mild cognitive impairment: comparing family physicians and the lay public

Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild neurocognitive disorder is a well-established clinical entity included in current diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease and in major psychiatric classifications. In all, a loosely defined concern obtained from conceptually different sources (the individual, a knowledgeable informant, or a clinician) regarding a decline in cognition and change in functioning constitutes a sine qua non for initiating diagnostics and providing therapy and support. This concern in practice may translate into complex proactive help-seeking behavior. A better understanding of help-seeking preferences is required in order to promote early detection and management. Objectives To compare help-seeking preferences of family physicians and the lay public in the area of MCI. Methods A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 197 family physicians (self-administered) and 517 persons aged 45 and over from the lay public (face to face). Information regarding familiarity with MCI and help-seeking preferences was assessed. Results The vast majority in both samples reported that family physician, spouse, and children are the most highly recommended sources of help-seeking. In regard to professional sources of help-seeking, a higher percentage of the physicians than the lay public sample consistently recommended seeking help from nurses and social workers and psychiatrists, but a higher percentage of the lay public recommended turning to a neurologist for help. Discussion There were both similarities and differences between family physicians and the lay public in their preferences regarding help-seeking for a person with MCI. Most prominent is the physicians’ greater tendency to recommend professional sources of help-seeking. Conclusion Understanding of help-seeking preferences of both physicians and lay persons might help overcome barriers for establishing diagnosis, receiving care, and improving communication between doctors and patients.

Factors Associated With Preferences for Institutionalized Care in Elderly Persons Comparing Hypothetical Conditions of Permanent Disability and Alzheimer’s Disease

Objective: To study the willingness to use institutional care versus home care in hypothetical situations of permanent disability and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: A convenience sample of 484 adults aged 45 and older was obtained. Respondents were asked about their care preferences in case they were diagnosed with AD or became permanently disabled. Based on Andersen’s extended behavioral model, a large group of correlates was examined. Results: Institutional care was preferred in the situation of becoming sick with AD, whereas being cared for at home by the family was preferred in a situation of permanent disability. Fear of losing one’s independence and concern over burdening the family were associated with care preferences in both situations. Discussion: Although some similarities exist between the correlates for care preferences in the two distinct situations, there are noticeable differences. These are discussed and implications for practice are suggested.

Perceived financial retirement preparedness and its correlates: a national study in Israel.

Studies suggest that a large proportion of adults do not manage to save enough for retirement. Correlates of retirement saving behaviors have yet to be fully understood. The goal of this study was to examine perceived financial preparedness for retirement and its correlates. We studied the effect of perceived financial knowledge and involvement, social and institutional support, and attitudes toward retirement in a national sample of 227 non-retired Israeli adults (mean age = 44; 53% female; 81% Jewish). Results indicated that only about 20% perceived themselves as financially prepared for retirement. The main correlates of financial preparedness were financial knowledge and involvement in financial activities. The results show that a large proportion of the Israeli population feel underprepared for retirement. Those who perceive themselves as having high levels of financial knowledge are less predisposed to feel underprepared. Future research should examine the relationship between perceived financial preparedness and actual savings.

Social Contact and Cognitive Functioning: The Role of Personality

Objectives Social contact has been shown to be positively associated with cognitive functioning. It is unclear, however, whether all individuals can equally benefit from social contact with regard to their cognitive functioning. The goal of this study was to examine whether the beneficial effects of social contact are affected by individual differences in personality. Method We examined the Big Five personality traits as moderators of the associations between social contact and episodic memory and executive functioning using the second wave of the Midlife in the U.S. study (N = 3,524, M(age) = 55.8). Results High levels of Extraversion and low levels of Openness to Experience strengthened the association between social contact and memory and executive functioning. High levels of Neuroticism and Agreeableness weakened the association of social contact with memory but not with executive functioning. The results are consistent across adulthood. Discussion Personality modifies the social contact-cognition association. Whereas extraverts may need social contact for cognitive stimulation, those who are high on Openness gain their stimulations elsewhere. The highly neurotic might experience contact as stressful and hence as less beneficial. Emotional rather than cognitive motivation might be the reason that the highly agreeable benefit less from social contact with regard to their cognitive functioning.

Loneliness and depressive symptoms: the moderating role of the transition into retirement

ABSTRACT Objectives: The transition to retirement implies significant changes in daily routine and in the social environment. More specifically, it requires more self-directed efforts in order to stay socially engaged. Hence, for those who suffer from loneliness, the transition to retirement could result in increased depressive symptoms due to the lack of structured daily routine. Methods: We used two waves of the Health and Retirement Study, and tested whether the transition to retirement between the two waves moderates the effects of loneliness on depressive symptoms. Results: The transition to retirement moderated the effect of loneliness in wave 1 on depressive symptoms in wave 2, such that for those who retired, the effect was stronger in comparison to those who stayed employed. Conclusions: Although many manage to easily transition into retirement, lonely older workers are at increased risk for maladjustment and the experience of depressive symptoms following retirement. This group could perhaps benefit from interventions aimed at increasing daily social interactions and establishing a socially satisfying routine.

On the edge: The association between extreme values of proportional felt-age and functioning

The present study examined whether endorsing a felt-age that is extremely divergent from ones actual age (whether older or younger) is related to worse functioning four years later. Data were drawn from 4938 participants, who completed the 2008 and 2012 questionnaires of the Health-and-Retirement-Study (HRS). Participants were divided into four groups according to their reported proportional-felt-age: the normative-young (N = 2229), reported a normative felt-age at the median or younger; normative-old (N = 2226), reported normative felt-age at the median and older; and the extremely young and extremely old proportional-felt-age (upper and lower 5% of felt-age; Ns = 242 and 241, respectively). These groups were compared on chronic medical conditions, depressive symptoms, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), functional limitations, and loneliness. While extremely younger proportional-felt-age participants did not reveal worse (or better) outcomes compared with the normative-young group, extremely old proportional-felt-age participants reported worse physical health, mental health, and functioning in cross-sectional, as well as longitudinal comparisons. Extreme values of older proportional-felt-age are usually not reported randomly and reflect less adaptive adjustment. The findings underscore the importance of studying participants at the extreme values of felt-age, especially extreme old proportional-felt-age, and the need for further inspection of the mechanisms underlying these evaluations.

Subjective Age and Emotion Covariation: Findings from Two Daily Experience Studies

Objectives This paper focuses on an aspect of emotional complexity as seen in the covariation between positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Lifespan theories predict distinctive patterns of change in emotion covariation with chronological age. Nevertheless, research shows mixed evidence with most studies failing to find a significant connection between chronological age and emotion covariation. We propose to look beyond chronological age and assess the relationship between subjective age and emotion covariation. Subjective age refers to how old one perceives oneself to be, and therefore may be more pertinent to ones emotional experience than chronological age. We further explored whether the relationship between subjective age and emotion covariation is modified by chronological age. Method We used data from two daily diary study samples (N=188, mean age=57.84, range=29-100, and N=334, mean age=58.15, range=30-90). Results Multilevel models showed that individuals who perceived themselves as older showed stronger inverse PA-NA relationship, reflecting lower emotional complexity. Chronological age (net of subjective age) and emotion covariation were unrelated in both samples. Moreover, in Study 2 there was a three-way interaction between PA, subjective age and chronological age, suggesting that subjective age is more strongly related to emotion covariation among older adults than among younger adults. Discussion The relationship between subjective age and emotion covariation is discussed in light of lifespan theories.