Lynn Ward

Relationships between happiness and personality

This study investigated relationships between measures of happiness and personality, using multiple regression and a range of personality measures. Three happiness measures, the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Personal State Questionnaire (version 5), and the Life Orientation Test produced a multiple R of 0.381 with Psychoticism as the dependent variable. Multiple R values around 0.65 were obtained when the happiness measures were predicted from personality variables. Extraversion and Neuroticism were the main predictors as has been previously found.

Successful ageing by whose definition? Views of older, spiritually affiliated women

Objectives:  Researchers have pointed to significant omissions in Rowe and Kahns model of successful ageing and their lack of consultation with older people. This study examined late mid‐life and older womens views of successful ageing.

Relationships between Bereavement and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults

Background: Bereavement is often associated with increased levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The question of whether grief is associated with cognitive deficits in older adults remains largely unanswered. Although Xavier and coworkers (see text) found preliminary evidence that grief, in the absence of depression, impacted on memory in a sample of the oldest-old in Brazil, the impact of bereavement on cognitive functioning, independent of the effects of mood, has not been adequately examined. Objective: To replicate and expand on the work of Xavier and colleagues to examine whether there is an association between bereavement due to spousal loss and performance in a range of cognitive functioning domains in older adults, independent of the effects of depression, stress, and anxiety. Methods: Samples of bereaved (n = 25) and non-bereaved (n = 25) participants, who were aged between 65 and 80 years and who were matched for age, gender, education, premorbid intellectual functioning, and general cognitive ability, were compared on a battery of tests designed to assess attention, verbal fluency, memory, and visuospatial ability. Depression, anxiety, and stress were also assessed, as were the presence of complicated grief and the adequacy of social support in the bereaved group. Cognitive tests that differed between the groups and correlated with depression, stress, or anxiety were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results: The bereaved groups were more depressed, anxious, and stressed, and performed more poorly on tests assessing attention, information-processing speed, and verbal fluency. With the exception of the attentional switching task, the cognitive measures on which the groups differed were correlated with mood. When mood was controlled statistically, the group differences in these cognitive tests disappeared. Twenty-eight percent of the bereaved group met the criteria for a diagnosis of complicated grief. This subgroup was younger than the other bereaved participants and had higher levels of stress. Conclusion: The evidence suggests that grief associated with death of a spouse has limited associations with cognition beyond those that would be expected to occur as a result of depression, anxiety, and stress.

The role of Psychologists in fostering the wellbeing of older Australians

The United Nations International Year of Older Persons (IYOP) in 1999 prompted the Australian Psychological Society (APS) to review its responsibilities and to consider the contribution of psychological research and practice to the wellbeing of older Australians. This article reports a series of recommendations for public policy, research, training and psychological practice, drawn from a larger Position Paper that addressed a spectrum of issues. The aim is to encourage psychologists to turn a critical gaze on themselves and to examine ways in which psychology can be used to promote successful ageing. The article begins with a definition of “successful ageing”. This is followed by an examination of ageism and how this affects community expectations of older people and the quality of aged care services. Attention also is given to the low visibility of psychologists in service planning and delivery and to the overemphasis of much psychological research and practice on deficits and decline in later years. The International Year of Older Persons has come and gone, but the true test of its effectiveness will lie in evidence of longer-term changes in attitudes, policies and practices. Psychologists have much to contribute to these changes and to enhancing the wellbeing of older Australians.

Experiences of Chinese Immigrants and Anglo-Australians Ageing in Australia A Cross-cultural Perspective on Successful Ageing

This study explored the life experiences and views on successful ageing of older Australians. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants consisting of 10 Chinese-Australians and 11 Anglo-Australians, aged 55 to 78 years. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results revealed that both groups associated successful ageing with health and personal responsibility. Anglo-Australians regarded growing old gracefully and acceptance as important aspects of successful ageing, whereas Chinese-Australians valued financial security and an active lifestyle. The research highlights that a cross-cultural perspective is imperative for service delivery and policy development to promote the health and well-being of older Australians.

Understanding help seeking for mental health in rural South Australia: thematic analytical study

This study investigated barriers to help seeking for mental health concerns and explored the role of psychological mindedness using semistructured interviews with sixteen adults in a South Australian rural centre. Prior research-driven thematic analysis identified themes of stigma, self-reliance and lack of services. Additional emergent themes were awareness of mental illness and mental health services, the role of general practitioners and the need for change. Lack of psychological mindedness was related to reluctance to seek help. Campaigns, interventions and services promoting mental health in rural communities need to be compatible with rural cultural context, and presented in a way that is congruent with rural values.

Confidence—More a Personality or Ability Trait? It Depends on How It Is Measured: A Comparison of Young and Older Adults

The current study (N = 244) compared two independently developed and substantively different measures of self-confidence; a self-report measure, and a measure described as “online.” Online measures are confidence-accuracy judgments made following each item on a cognitive task; in the current study, online measures were yoked to tasks of fluid and crystallized intelligence. The self-report and online measures had not previously been compared, and it was unknown if they captured the same self-confidence construct. These measures were also compared to self-efficacy and personality for the purpose of defining self-confidence as an independent construct, as well as to clarify the primary comparison. This study also aimed to replicate previous findings of a stable factor of confidence derived from online measures. An age comparison was made between a young adult sample (30 years and under) and an older adult sample (65 years and over) to determine how confidence functions across the lifespan. The primary finding was that self-report and online measures of confidence define two different but modestly correlated factors. Moreover, the self-report measures sit closer to personality, and the online measures sit closer to ability. While online measures of confidence were distinct from self-efficacy and personality, self-report measures were very closely related to the personality trait Emotional Stability. A general confidence factor—derived from online measures—was identified, and importantly was found in not just young adults but also in older adults. In terms of the age comparison, older adults had higher self-report self-confidence, and tended to be more overconfident in their judgments for online measures; however this overconfidence was more striking in the online measures attached to fluid ability than to crystallized ability.

Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the risk factors for Alzheimer disease (AD) in Down syndrome (DS). Relevant research is reviewed with comment on the theoretical basis for each putative risk factor. The chapter considers various risk factors identified by electronic literature search. Consideration was given to age, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype, brain size, ability level and head trauma, and gender and estrogen. In addition, a future direction for research is suggested. It is argued that faulty folate metabolism and B-group vitamin deficiency confer increased risk for developing AD in DS. This putative risk factor has yet to be empirically examined in DS. With respect to the risk factors considered, findings were generally consistent with those for the general population in that strongest support was found for the impact of age and ApoE genotype. Prevalence and incidence rates of AD increase with age in DS with the increase in risk occurring during the early 50s.

Transitioning Spaced Retrieval Training to Care Staff in an Australian Residential Aged Care Setting for Older Adults with Dementia: A Case Study Approach

A case-study approach was used to determine the effectiveness of transitioning the spaced retrieval (SR) intervention to aged care facility staff to maintain resident goals achieved, with a further exploratory goal to investigate the effectiveness of training two functional goals simultaneously. Frequency, severity, distress, and disturbance caused by targeted problem behaviors were recorded at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-week follow-up for six clients with dementia in an aged care facility. Reductions in each area were found for four participants, including where two goals were trained simultaneously. Staff believed that barriers to maintenance of SR interventions would be staff time pressure, staff turnover, and staff forgetting to use the SR intervention. Despite this, the research shows that SR can be used successfully in aged care facilities to train single- and dual-functional goals and can be transitioned to staff, thereby reducing problem behavior associated with dementia.

Alzheimers’ disease and caregiving: a meta-analytic review comparing the mental health of primary carers to controls

ABSTRACT Objectives: To quantitatively review the literature comparing depressed mood, anxiety and psychological distress in caregivers (CGs) of older adults with Alzheimers disease (AD) with non-caregivers (NCGs) Methods: Eighteen independent studies comparing AD CGs (N = 2378) with NCGs (N = 70,035) were evaluated in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Standardised mean differences (Hedges’ g) with associated 95% confidence intervals and p-values were calculated using a random-effects model. Results: Studies generally conformed to STROBE criteria in terms of their methodological and procedural detail, although data management issues that may contribute to methodological bias were identified. Pooled effect estimates revealed medium to large group differences in depression (gw = 1.01 [CI: 0.73, 1.29] p < 0.01) and anxiety (gw = 0.64 [CI: 0.39, 0.89] p < 0.01): AD caregivers reported higher symptom severity. Gender was a significant moderator: female caregivers experienced poor self-reported mood (gw = 1.58 [CI: 1.11, 2.05], p < 0.01), although this analysis was limited in power given the small number of contributing studies. Discussion: Caregivers of patients with AD experience poor mental health in comparison to the general population, with female caregivers being disproportionately affected. Further exploration of the psychosocial variables that contribute to these group differences is needed to inform effective support services and, in turn, help caregivers manage the emotional demands of AD.