Purpose: To explore in a sample of older African Americans how religious songs were used to cope with stressful life events and to explore the religious beliefs associated with these songs. Design and Methods: Sixty-five African American older adults residing in the Southeastern US participated in a qualitative descriptive study involving…

Purpose: This study examined whether recalled childhood parental emotional abuse and support were associated with emotional reactivity to network stress among middle-aged and older adults. Design and Methods: Hypotheses were tested by performing 2-level multilevel modeling analysis on 787 participants aged 33-83 who participated in the Daily…

Purpose: The purpose of this experimental study was to test the efficacy of a psychoeducational individual program conceived to facilitate transition to the caregiver role following diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in a relative. Design and Methods: Caregivers were recruited in memory clinics and randomized to an experimental group (n = 62) or a…

Purpose of the study: Previous research found that "fun on line" is the most dominant content in seniors' online communities. The present study aimed to further explore the "fun culture" in these communities and to discover its unique qualities. Design and Methods: The study applied an online ethnography (netnography) approach, utilizing a full…

Purpose of the Study: Stanford's Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) has been proven to increase patients' ability to manage distress. We describe how we replicated CDSMP in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. Design and Methods: We used the "track changes" tool to deconstruct CDSMP into its various components…

Purpose: This study investigated direct and indirect effects of caregiver status on the physical health of Korean American caregivers in terms of caregiver coping styles and the quantity and the quality of informal social support. Design and Methods: Using a sample of 87 caregivers and 87 matched noncaregivers, we analyzed a path model, employing…

Purpose: Older adults watch more television than younger people do. Television's role in mental health has been described in the general population, but less is known about how older adults think of television in the context of depression. Design and Methods: Using a semistructured interview created to help clinicians understand how older adults…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the joint effects of bereavement and caregiver intervention on caregiver depressive symptoms. Design and Methods: Alzheimer's caregivers from a randomized trial of an enhanced caregiver support intervention versus usual care who had experienced the death of their spouse (n = 254) were repeatedly…

Examined whether positive and negative social ties moderate effects of negative daily events on psychological distress of 110 older adults. Effect of negative daily events on psychological distress significantly decreased as positive social ties increased. Negative social ties did not interact with negative daily events to influence psychological…

Examined how successfully an environmental simulation technique could provide older people with a working knowledge of an unknown building. Compared three groups of participants: site visit (n=20); simulation (n=20); and control (n=20). Found simulation comparable to site visits in instilling confidence in way-finding ability, providing a mental…

Conducted meta-analysis of 14 studies to determine gender differences in caregiving stressors and burden. Found essentially no significant gender differences in functional impairment of frail care recipient or total caregiver involvement in care or in money management tasks. Female caregivers were more likely to carry out personal care and…

Examined strategies used by 170 Alzheimer's disease caregivers to cope with memory deficits, communication impairments, and decline of loved one. Wishfulness was related to more depressed affect, regardless of stressor type. Relaxation in response to memory deficits, and acceptance in dealing with communication impairments and decline of loved one…

Examined personality factors and coping strategies among 50 spouse caregivers of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. Results showed that personality traits explained 60% of variance in emotion-focused coping, 30% of variance in problem-focused coping, and 15% of variance associated with social support coping.…

Found responses to open-ended coping questions asked of 100 older participants in Second Duke Longitudinal Study were commonly religious in nature. For at least one of three stressful periods inquired about, 45 percent of sample mentioned religious coping behavior. Subject characteristics refuted view of religion as relevant only to the poor and…

Surveyed 656 widows over age 50 about changes in working caused by widowhood. Almost one-third were employed when their husbands died; another one in six took jobs. Widows reported problems in locating employment, and findings suggested work is not a universally appropriate adaptive strategy. (JAC)