Donald E. Stull

Institutionalization: A Continuation of Family Care

It is often assumed that with institutionalization comes an end to family caregiving. The goal of this study is to show that family caregiving continues even after institutionalization of the care recipient. The data come from 81 families who institutionalized their elders. The findings indicate that families remain involved in the care of the elder after institutionalization, although to a lesser degree and in different ways. Involvement in personal care tasks is reduced, not termi nated ; involvement in the specialized needs of the elder, such as their financial and legal concerns, continues, along with the new role of advocacy. The effects of caregiving are still felt by the primary caregiver, as are the effects of institutionalizing the care recipient.

A Dyadic Approach to Predicting Well-Being in Later Life

This study compares the effects of a number of variables previously found to be important predictors of well-being such as income, health, and social interaction on one dimension of well-being, happiness, at pre- and postretirement for husbands and wives. In contrast to some of the research that has compared men and women, the present research found that husbands and wives have different predictors of happiness. A central finding of this research is that including spouses characteristics (for example, health and happiness) increases the ability to predict the happiness of the respondent, suggesting that a dyadic approach has utility.

A Cautionary Note on the Use of Principal Components Analysis

Principal components analysis and common factor analysis can provide similar results; however, to assume the results will be similar can lead to serious error. A simple example is provided to show how results can be substantially different.

Gender and Self-Disclosure

The relationship between gender and self-disclosure is a topic of research for which some of the clearest predictions have been made, yet some of the most puzzling results have been obtained. In this chapter we review strategies that we and others have used in efforts to solve the puzzle. Our goal is to explore issues that have been addressed in the past and to identify issues that need to be addressed in the future.

Never-Married Elderly: A Reassessment with Implications for Long-Term Care Policy

Researchers are beginning to look more closely at the lives of never-married elderly. As yet, there is no clear consensus regarding the lives and social support networks of the never-married elderly. In particular, are never-married elderly at greater risk for institutionalization than other marital groups? Findings from past research are mixed. Part of the difficulty lies in grouping never-married elderly with other unmarried elderly, or focusing on the presence or absence of a spouse. This article reexamines the life situation of never-married elderly in terms of health, social interaction, and household and family structure. The never married are compared with married, widowed, and divorced/separated elderly persons on these three dimensions. The findings suggest that never-married elderly are socially active, are not socially isolated, and may not be at high risk for institutionalization compared to other marital groups.

Unraveling the Effects of Multiple Life Changes A Reanalysis

A previous article demonstrated the importance of considering life changes that occur at or near the time of retirement when examining the effects of retirement. Specifically, it was shown that failing to take changes in marital status into account will confound interpretation of the effects of retirement. In the present article, an alternative method of analysis is used. The analysis reveals that social interaction may be differentially important in influencing the happiness of divorced versus widowed retirees.