Rachel A. Pruchno

Successful Aging: Early Influences and Contemporary Characteristics

PURPOSEnpositing that successful aging has independent, yet related, dimensions that are both objective and subjective, we examine how early influences and contemporary characteristics define 4 groups of people.nnnDESIGN AND METHODSndata were gathered from 5,688 persons aged 50-74 years living in New Jersey who participated in telephone interviews. Latent profile analysis defined people who age successfully according to both objective and subjective criteria, neither criteria, and one, but not the other, criteria. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the extent to which early influences and contemporary characteristics predict group membership.nnnRESULTSnalthough characteristics observable early in life predict group membership, their influence is modified by current health behaviors and social support. The roles of education and incarceration feature prominently. Marital, work, and volunteer statuses, as well as moderate alcohol consumption, distinguish those aging successfully according to both criteria from the other 3 groups.nnnIMPLICATIONSnresults help to define successful aging as a multidimensional construct having both objective and subjective dimensions, provide greater clarity regarding its correlates, and increase understanding of its modifiable aspects.

A Two-Factor Model of Successful Aging

OBJECTIVESnTo propose and test a conceptual two-factor model of successful aging that includes objective and subjective components.nnnMETHODSnData were derived from 5,688 persons aged 50-74 years living in New Jersey who participated in the ORANJ BOWL panel. Participants were recruited using random digit dial procedures and interviewed by telephone. A measurement model was developed and tested using data from two independent samples (each n = 1,000); a structural model examining the effects of age and gender was tested using data from another 3,688 people.nnnRESULTSnConfirmatory factor analyses provided support for a multidimensional model incorporating objective criteria and subjective perceptions. Age and gender were associated with objective but not subjective success.nnnDISCUSSIONnResults add rigor to the measurement of a construct that has intrigued philosophers and scientists for hundreds of years, providing the empirical foundation on which to build research about successful aging.

Effects of neighborhood violence and perceptions of neighborhood safety on depressive symptoms of older adults.

Violent crime within a neighborhood as well as perceptions of neighborhood safety may impact the depressive symptoms experienced by community-dwelling older people. Most studies examining the influences of neighborhood characteristics on mental health have included either objective indicators or subjective perceptions and most operationalize neighborhood as a function of socioeconomic status. This study examines the effects that objectively assessed neighborhood violent crime and subjective perceptions of neighborhood safety in tandem have on depressive symptoms. The sample identified using random-digit-dialing procedures included 5688 persons aged 50-74 living in New Jersey (USA). Using multilevel structural equation analyses, we tested the hypothesis that higher levels of neighborhood violent crime and poorer perceptions of neighborhood safety are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, controlling for age, sex, and household income. Results supported the hypotheses. We conclude that interventions at the neighborhood level that reduce violent crime may be needed to compliment efforts at the individual level in order to reduce the depressive symptoms experienced by older people.

Depressive Symptoms and Marital Satisfaction in the Context of Chronic Disease: A Longitudinal Dyadic Analysis

These analyses examined the longitudinal relationships between depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction over a 2-year period as experienced by 315 patients with end-stage renal disease and their spouses. Using multilevel modeling, the authors examined both individual and cross-partner effects of depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction on patients and spouses, testing bidirectional causality. Results indicate that mean and time-varying depressive symptoms of both patients and spouses were associated with their own marital satisfaction. Although mean marital satisfaction was associated with own depressive symptoms for both patients and spouses, time-varying marital satisfaction did not affect depressive symptoms for either patients or spouses. Significant cross-partner effects reveal that both mean enduring and time-varying depressive symptoms of the spouse affected marital satisfaction of the patient. Findings highlight the complex nature of the relationship between depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction in late-life couples.

Tai Chi and Low Impact Exercise: Effects on the Physical Functioning and Psychological Well-Being of Older People

The effects of tai chi (TC) and low impact exercise (LIE) interventions on physical functioning and psychological well-being of sedentary older people were contrasted. Participants were randomized to TC, LIE, or non-exercise control groups with interventions running for 12 weeks. Post-intervention assessments with 72 participants who completed the study revealed that participants in both exercise groups improved with respect to upper body strength, balance, cardiovascular endurance, lower body strength, sleep disturbances, and anxiety. Participants in the LIE group reported better functional ability while those in the TC group reported better subjective health. Findings suggest that tai chi and low impact exercise are safe, cost-effective ways to improve both physical and psychological functioning of older people.

Successful Aging: Definitions and Subjective Assessment According to Older Adults

There is no standard method for measuring successful aging or a consensus on its definition. Surveys about successful aging were administered to 53 older adults in New Jersey. Participants defined successful aging as including activity/exercise (56% of responses), physical health (46%), social relationships (41%), and psychological/ cognitive health (33%). Successful aging, as assessed by one question, was positively related to social support, life satisfaction, and subjective health. By understanding more about the concept of aging successfully, researchers can develop interventions to promote successful aging for older adults.

Balancing Caregiving and Work: Role Conflict and Role Strain Dynamics

Positing role conflict as a bidirectional construct in which work interferes with caregiving (WIC) and caregiving interferes with work (CIW), this study investigated its antecedents (demands and support of caregiving and work) and consequences (role strain). A national sample of 583 women between the ages of 50 and 64 years identified using random-digit-dial procedures completed a telephone survey. Structural equation modeling revealed that caregiving demands were positively associated with CIW and caregiving burden; instrumental caregiving support reduced CIW and caregiving burden. Work demands were positively associated with WIC, CIW, caregiving burden, and work burden. Emotional workplace support reduced WIC, CIW, and work burden. CIW and WIC were positively associated with caregiving burden; only WIC was positively associated with work burden. Findings suggest that demands and supports related to the caregiving role do not influence work-related role strain; work demands and supports influence role strain experienced from both caregiving and work domains.

Self-Rated Health and Depressive Symptoms in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease and Their Spouses: A Longitudinal Dyadic Analysis of Late-Life Marriages

Limited research has examined the ways in which changes in self-rated health experienced by aging spouses affect depressive symptoms of both members of the dyad. Longitudinal data from 315 older couples in which one partner had end-stage renal disease were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results indicate that for both patients and spouses, own mean self-rated health was associated with own depressive symptoms, and change in self-rated health had a significant negative association with change in own depressive symptoms. Both mean self-rated health of the patient and change in patients self-rated health had negative relationships with spouse depressive symptoms, with changes in patients self-rated health having a stronger impact on spouse depressive symptoms than changes in spouses own self-rated health. Results suggest the importance of understanding physical and mental health in the context of the marital dyad.

The Texture of Neighborhoods and Disability Among Older Adults

OBJECTIVESnTo present and test an ecological multidimensional model of neighborhood characteristics and examine its relationship to older disability among older adults.nnnMETHODnIndicators of social vulnerability, wealth, violence, storefronts, residential stability, and the presence of physicians, supermarkets, and fast-food establishments for 1,644 of New Jerseys census tracts were derived from sources that include the U.S. Census 2000, Uniform Crime Report for New Jersey, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Marketing and Development, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Division of Alcohol Beverage Control, and Health Resources and Services Administration Geospatial Data Warehouse. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop and test a measurement model of neighborhood texture. Structural equation modeling examined the relationships between neighborhood characteristics and disability of persons aged 65-69 years.nnnRESULTSnAnalyses revealed that distinct dimensions of neighborhoods could be modeled with administrative data and that neighborhood contextual (supermarkets, physicians, storefronts, violence) and compositional (social vulnerability, wealth, residential stability) characteristics were related to the prevalence of disability.nnnDISCUSSIONnThe use of multiple indicators of neighborhood with good psychometric qualities is critical for advancing knowledge about the mechanisms by which neighborhood characteristics are associated with the health of older people.

Using Probability vs. Nonprobability Sampling to Identify Hard-to-Access Participants for Health-Related Research Costs and Contrasts

This article compares the recruitment costs and participant characteristics associated with the use of probability and nonprobability sampling strategies in a longitudinal study of older hemodialysis patients and their spouses. Contrasts were made of people who accrued to the study based on probability and nonprobability sampling strategies. Probability-based sampling was more time-efficient and cost-effective than nonprobability sampling. There were no significant differences between the respondents identified through probability and nonprobability sampling on age, gender, years married, education, work status, and professional job status. Respondents from the probability sample were more likely to be Protestant and less likely to be Catholic than those from the nonprobability sample. Respondents from the probability sample were more likely to be Black, whereas those from the nonprobability sample were more likely to be White. There are strengths and shortcomings associated with both nonprobability and probability sampling. Researchers need to consider representativeness and external validity issues when designing sampling and related recruitment plans for health-related research.