Leslie D. Frazier

Psychosocial influences on possible selves: A comparison of three cohorts of older adults

This study examined the psychosocial factors that influence the possible selves of older adults in their 60s, 70s, and 80s or older. Specifically, the factors that influence when and why health becomes salient in later life were examined. Findings showed that health was the most important domain of self for the oldest group. Although age was the strongest predictor of health-related selves, older males with better health and few physical limitations, were most likely to report health-related selves. Leisure, the most salient domain for the youngest group, was predicted by age, independent of health. The findings from this study shed light on how sense of self is influenced by the changing developmental context of the later years, the importance of exploring alternative conceptions of ageing, and help to identify possible points of intervention to help older adults age more successfully.

Psychosocial outcomes in later life: a multivariate model.

A conceptual model was developed to identify developmental self-regulatory pathways to optimal psychosocial outcomes in adulthood. The model delineates influences among age, possible selves, developmental processes (i.e., coping, control), and well-being. Results showed age effects on all constructs except selective control. Three consistently common predictors of well-being (i.e., goal pursuit, goal adjustment, and optimization) emerged. The effects of age on well-being were differentially mediated by developmental processes. Specifically, negative age-related changes in offensive processes (i.e., goal attainment) were offset by positive influences of defensive processes (i.e., goal adjustment), which had the net effect of preserving well-being. The model demonstrates a more optimistic pattern of aging in which gains offset losses leading to positive outcomes and highlights the importance of examining both independent and combined influences of age, self, and developmental processes on psychosocial outcomes.

Cultural differences in possible selves during later life.

Abstract This study explored the ways in which culture may influence the hoped-for and feared possible selves of older adults. Cultural differences are explained within the theoretical paradigm of individualism versus collectivism. The sample consisted of 50 Spanish-speaking natives and 50 White non-Hispanic English-speaking natives. Their ages ranged from 60 to over 90 years. Results indicate that the possible selves of native English speakers reflect the characteristics of an individualistic culture, and the possible selves of native Spanish speakers reflect the characteristics of a collectivistic culture. Native English speakers were more likely to have hoped-for selves in the abilities/education domain and feared selves in the physical domains. Native Spanish speakers were more likely to report feared possible selves associated with loss of loved ones and both hoped and feared selves related to family. Moreover, secondary analyses revealed interesting intersections between developmental and cultural themes in later life.

Event memory and misinformation effects in a gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Event memory and misinformation effects were examined in an adult male gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). The gorilla witnessed a series of unique events, involving a familiar person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 1), a novel person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 2), or the presentation of a novel object (experiment 3). Following a 5- to 10-min retention interval, a tester gave the gorilla three photographs mounted on wooden cards: a photograph depicting the correct person or object and two distractor photographs drawn from the same class. The gorilla responded by returning a photograph. If correct, he was reinforced with food. Across three experiments, the gorilla performed significantly above chance at recognizing the target photograph. In experiment 4, the gorilla showed at-chance performance when the event was followed by misinformation (a class-consistent, but incorrect photograph), but significantly above-chance performance when no misinformation occurred (either correct photograph or no photograph). Although the familiarity can account for these data, they are also consistent with an episodic-memory interpretation.

Influences on anxiety in later life: The role of health status, health perceptions, and health locus of control

This study examined the linkages between health status, health perceptions and health locus of control, and three dimensions of anxiety in a group of community-dwelling elders (N=91). Findings show that whereas medical conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes) did not relate to anxiety, poorer actual and perceived health were related to increased distress and hypochondriacal concerns. Both internal and external (i.e. powerful others, chance) locus of control over health were differentially predictive of anxiety. Loss of internal control and attributions of control to chance increased distress, attribution to powerful others and chance increased anxiety sensitivity, and attributions to powerful others and health perceptions increased hypochondriasis. Findings are discussed in terms of the relative influence of biological (i.e co-morbid) and psychosocial (i.e. reactive) factors in the experience of anxiety in later life. Potential implications with respect to psychosocial interventions are discussed.

Object recognition by component features: are there age differences.

This study extended aspects of Biedermans (1987) recognition-by-components (RBC) theory to the analysis of age differences in the recognition of incomplete visually-presented objects. RBC theory predicts that objects are recognizable or recoverable under conditions of fragmentation if a sufficient amount of essential structural information remains available. Objects are rendered nonrecoverable by the omission or obstruction of essential structural features at vertices and areas of concavity. Fifteen young adults and 15 older adults participated in a study of the effects of amount (25%, 45%, 65%) and type of fragmentation (recoverable, nonrecoverable) on object naming. Age-related declines in recognizing incomplete objects were associated with the amount of fragmentation, but type of fragmentation did not affect the performance of older adults. For the young adults, accuracy of performance was affected by both amount and type of fragmentation, consistent with Biedermans RBC theory. These results were interpreted as suggesting that age-related declines in perceptual closure performance have to do with non-structural factors such as the ability to inferentially augment degraded or missing visual information.

Stability and Change in Patterns of Coping with Parkinson's Disease

This study examined how Parkinsons disease patients cope with disease-related stressors over time. Of interest was whether patterns of coping would support a dispositional model of coping (i.e., stability) or a contextual model of coping (i.e., change). The influence of stability and change in coping on mental and physical health outcomes was also examined. As expected, results showed that as the disease progressed, severity and distress increased and quality of life decreased. There was no change overall in the symptoms perceived as most stressful or the coping strategies employed to manage them. However, stability within individuals was associated with poorer mental and physical outcomes, whereas change in coping strategies was associated with more optimal outcomes. Evidence supporting both models of coping was found, and the potential applications of these findings for psychosocial intervention are discussed.

Coping with anxiety in later life.

The goal of this study was to determine how older adults cope with three forms of anxiety, and potential avenues for applied interventions. Although the findings shed light on some interesting findings with potential psychosocial applications, several limitations need to be noted. First, this study was based on two assumptions. The assumption, based on earlier work (Carver et al., 1989; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Zeidner & Saklofske, 1996), that certain coping strategies are more effective than others, and an assumption of the direction of influence in which anxiety is a precursor of coping strategies. Because this was an exploratory study, the research questions did not directly test these assumptions. Second, this study is correlational in nature. Therefore, conclusions cannot be drawn about the causality of these associations. Third, as with any self-report data and self-selected sample, one needs to interpret the findings with caution. Similarly, for the purposes of the study, a non-clinical sample of older adults was examined using three distinct conceptualizations of anxiety. Suggestions for future research include: Replication of this study using a multidimensional measure of anxiety appropriate for clinical samples. A longitudinal replication of this study identifying patterns of coping that facilitate adjustment over time. Finally, a more general purpose of this study was to focus attention on a neglected issue in gerontology--the experience of anxietY in later life (Frazier & Waid, 1999; Gatz, 1995; Rabins, 1992; Shamoian, 1991; Sheikh, 1992; Smyer, 1995; Stanley & Beck, 1998), and, most importantly, the role of gerontological nurses in early assessment and intervention for successful treatment of anxiety in older adults.

Body Dissatisfaction in Early Adolescence: The Coactive Roles of Cognitive and Sociocultural Factors

The sociocultural influences of the media, friends, and family on body dissatisfaction in young girls are well documented, yet further increasing our comprehension of the coaction of cognitive processes with sociocultural factors is crucial to understanding the dynamic emergence of body dissatisfaction in early adolescence. The current study examined the roles of appearance related messages and expectations from friends and family and selective attention biases in the development of body dissatisfaction. An ethnically and racially diverse sample of girls (72 % Hispanic White, 17.8 % African-American, 8.5 % non-Hispanic White, and 1.7 % Asian-American) between the ages of 9 and 13 (N = 118) completed multiple measures of attention, sociocultural attitudes toward weight and shape, and body dissatisfaction. The data from these measures were examined using path analysis. The final model fit well, and demonstrated the coactive effect of selective attention and sociocultural factors on body dissatisfaction. These findings will be instrumental in designing future body dissatisfaction intervention and prevention programs that incorporate cognitive factors, augmenting the existing sociocultural and psycho-educational frameworks.

Self-esteem, diet self-efficacy, body mass index, and eating disorders: modeling effects in an ethnically diverse sample

PurposeDisordered eating patterns, particularly binge eating, are prevalent in Hispanic samples, yet the biopsychosocial risk factors remain understudied in minority populations. The relationship between diet self-efficacy and bulimic symptoms has been established in non-Hispanic white samples but not yet in Hispanics. This study sought to identify the direct role of diet self-efficacy on eating disorder risk and symptomology in a multicultural Hispanic sample, and to investigate the potential indirect relations among diet self-efficacy, self-esteem, body mass index (BMI), and eating disorder risk and symptomology in Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites.MethodsThe present study surveyed 1339 college students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Participants completed four standardized scales to assess acculturation, diet self-efficacy, global self-esteem, and eating disorder symptomology and risk. Self-reported height and weight were used for BMI calculations, and the data were analyzed in a robust maximum-likelihood structural equation modeling (SEM) framework.ResultsThe findings highlighted diet self-efficacy as a predictor of eating disorder risk and symptomology. Diet self-efficacy partially explained the covariation between self-esteem and eating disorder risk and symptomology, and between BMI and eating disorder risk and symptomology for the entire sample.ConclusionDiet self-efficacy emerged as an important construct to consider in developing eating disorder prevention and treatment models.