"You get old. You get invisible": Social isolation and the challenge of communicating with aging women

"A little love is enough for me to live my life…": Precarity and resilience among older sex workers in India

Most research on sex workers globally has focused on cis women sex workers vulnerabilities including violence, risk for HIV/AIDS, and stigma. Despite the plethora of studies on the topic, older sex workers are significantly underrepresented in research. We used a phenomenological approach to highlight street and home-based sex workers' experiences. Using a purposive sampling strategy, 39 cis women sex workers were recruited from Karnataka, India and data were collected using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Findings revealed a range of changes in sex workers' lives as they aged, financial instability, lack of alternate livelihood options, and limited access to governmental benefits and social security. Participant narratives challenged the notion of anticipated traditional familial support especially from their grown children. Findings were replete with instances of sex workers' personal agency to confront personal and professional challenges. Peer networks formed the biggest forms of support as were sex workers' connections with local community-based groups. There is an urgent need for helping professionals to recognize the ongoing marginalization faced by older sex workers. It is critical to address concerns broadly along with inequities in terms of access and power as experienced by older sex workers. Finally, examining the differential impact of ageism, structural barriers including neglect by the State, violence, and stigma that follow sex workers is vital.

Communication Matters: Loneliness in Senior Living Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate individuals residing in senior living communities (SLCs) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. One reason those living in SLCs often choose these communities is to have a readily available social network. Necessary social distancing disrupted this socialization, thus, possibly increasing perceptions of loneliness in residents of SLCs. This study examined relationships among loneliness, perceived provider communication about the pandemic and related restrictions, as well as individual characteristics.

Research Design and Methods

In December 2020, a survey was administered to older adults residing in a network of SLCs in Nebraska. Utilizing data from 657 residents aged 60 and older, ordinary least squares regression models were used to examine associations between 2 distinct measures of perceived provider communication and feelings of loneliness during the pandemic. The analysis also considered whether these associations varied as a function of education.

Results

The respondents were, on average, 84 years of age, primarily female (72%), and living independently (87%) in the SLC. The linear regression results revealed that 53% of respondents were very lonely during the pandemic. However, provider communication that was rated as helpful to residents' understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with lower perceived loneliness. There was not a similar association for provider communication regarding services and amenities, and the association was not present for those with the highest level of education.

Discussion and Implications

Provider communication in times of disruption from normal activities, such as with the COVID-19 pandemic, is important to perceptions of loneliness among those living in SLCs, particularly for those with lower educational attainment. SLCs are communities that individuals select to reside in, and through communication, providers may have the opportunity to positively affect resident experiences, especially in times of stress.

"It's the not being seen that is most tiresome": Older women, invisibility and social (in)justice

Older women experience intersectional discrimination at the nexus of ageism and sexism. This is embodied, women's aging bodies being culturally devalued within youth-privileging cultures and the hyper-sexualization of younger, able-bodied, women. Older women often face the dilemma of attempting to mask the signs of aging or aging "authentically" but encountering heightened stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. Very old women in the fourth age who "fail" to age "successfully" are subject to extreme social exclusion. Many older women speak of experiencing a loss of visibility as they age, however how this occurs, and what it means, has not yet been analyzed in depth. This is an important issue, as recognition-cultural status and visibility-is essential for social justice. This article reports on findings taken from a U.K. survey on experiences of ageism and sexism completed by 158 heterosexual, lesbian, and bisexual women aged 50 to 89. Their perceived invisibility took five forms: (a) being under-seen/mis-seen in the media; (b) being mis-seen as objects of sexual undesirability; (c) being "ignored" in consumer, social, and public spaces; (d) being "grandmotherized," that is, seen only through the lens of (often incorrectly) presumed grandmotherhood; (e) being patronized and erroneously assumed to be incompetent. The findings are compared with Fraser's social justice model. The argument presented is that older women's experiences of nonrecognition and misrecognition are profound sources of social injustice. Both increased visibility and cultural worth are needed for older women to enjoy the benefits of social justice in later life.

Network analysis of acute stress reaction in a sample of Chinese male military college students

Background

Acute stress reaction (ASR) following a stressful event is associated with stress-related mental disorders. However, no studies have investigated the relationships between ASR symptom clusters. The present study aimed to provide a fine-grained understanding of the complex relationships among symptom clusters and identify the central symptom clusters of ASR using network analysis.

Methods

The Acute Stress Reaction Scale (ASRS) was used to investigate the network structure of ASR in 1792 Chinese male military college students who were about to participate in an important physical fitness test. We calculated the weights of the edges connecting different symptom clusters and the central indices of 25 symptom clusters in the final network.

Results

There were five strongest edges with significantly higher weights than most other edge weights, including the edges between "Less communication" and "Isolated from others." The symptom clusters of "Somatic symptoms," "Hypoprosexia," and "Anxiety" were found to be the central nodes with the highest expected influences (primary centrality index).

Conclusion

The present study explored the network structure of ASR, revealed complex connections between symptom clusters, and identified central clusters. These findings have important clinical implications, and it is suggested that the three central symptom clusters may be potential targets for effective interventions for ASR.

A Conceptual Review of Loneliness in Adults: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

The paper reports an evidence synthesis of how loneliness is conceptualised in qualitative studies in adults. Using PRISMA guidelines, our review evaluated exposure to or experiences of loneliness by adults (aged 16+) in any setting as outcomes, processes, or both. Our initial review included any qualitative or mixed-methods study, published or unpublished, in English, from 1945 to 2018, if it employed an identified theory or concept for understanding loneliness. The review was updated to include publications up to November 2020. We used a PEEST (Participants, Exposure, Evaluation, Study Design, Theory) inclusion criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment (CASP) were completed and cross-checked by a second reviewer. The Evidence of Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual) was used to evaluate confidence in the findings. We undertook a thematic synthesis using inductive methods for peer-reviewed papers. The evidence identified three types of distinct but overlapping conceptualisations of loneliness: social, emotional, and existential. We have high confidence in the evidence conceptualising social loneliness and moderate confidence in the evidence on emotional and existential loneliness. Our findings provide a more nuanced understanding of these diverse conceptualisations to inform more effective decision-making and intervention development to address the negative wellbeing impacts of loneliness.

Older Women Living Alone in the UK: Does Their Health and Wellbeing Differ from Those Who Cohabit?

With an increased prevalence of people living alone in later life, understanding the health and wellbeing of older women living alone in the UK is an important area of research. Little is known about health and wellbeing in this population and whether they differ from those who cohabit. This paper fills this research gap. Analysis was undertaken of Wave 8 of the Understanding Society Household Panel Survey, including variables such as internet use and volunteering. Differences were found between those who live alone and cohabit. Volunteering was a predictor of better health outcomes for those who lived alone but not for those who cohabit, despite similar rates of volunteering. Internet use predicted some better health outcome for those who cohabit but poorer for those who live alone. This suggests lifestyle factors vary in how they affect the health and wellbeing of older women, depending on cohabitation status.

Reduced to curtain twitchers? Age, ageism and the careers of four women actors

Cultural gerontology has developed critical work around cultural representations of age and aging and their role in the reproduction of ageism. However, the cultural industries as producers and disseminators of representations remain under researched. This paper draws on a focus group with four older women actors to argue that workforce allocation and assumptions about audience demographics intersect with cultural attitudes around women's aging to impact on older women actors' career opportunities. We argue that ageism within the cultural industries is limiting our ability to develop diverse and non-ageist cultural representation of women's aging.

'Everyone's so kind and jolly it boosts my spirits, if you know what I mean': A humanising perspective on exercise programme participation

BACKGROUND

Maintaining a physically active lifestyle across the life course can add to an individual's health and well-being. Many people are insufficiently active to achieve these gains with a trend towards further decreases in activity as people age. Community-based group exercise programmes have been shown to be one means of increasing sustained activity levels for older people.

AIM

To understand how and why older people sustain participation to community-based group exercise programmes from a humanising perspective.

METHODS

A multiple-case study approach was employed to study three exercise programmes in the South-West of England. Data were collected through participant observation, focus groups and documentation. Data were analysed with deductive thematic analysis and mapped against the humanisation framework.

RESULTS

Findings suggest that the humanising nature of these particular exercise programmes supported sustained participation. In these programmes, agency was evidenced in the way participants self-selected their level of exertion with exercises. There was freedom to be their unique selves and exercise within the limits of their insider challenges of an ageing body. Through this non-judgemental exercise environment, there was an embodied understanding of who they were as people. The exercise programme became part of their personal journey. This journey helped inform their future by enabling them to keep active and maintain independence, allowing them to continue engaging in the world. There was a sense of togetherness and belonging which led to feelings of homeliness as they found a sense of place within the group. The friendships they formed helped them make sense and add meaning to their experiences and personal health challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

When planning exercise environments to support the long-term adoption of a sustained behaviour change, in the form of physical activity for older people, it is helpful to consider dimensions that make an individual feel human.

Recreational burlesque and the aging female body: challenging perceptions

Rejecting the association between aging and asexuality that persists in the UK's cultural representation of the female aging body, this paper reveals the importance of sensuality and maintaining physical agency to older women. It pays attention to the phenomena of participating in recreational burlesque classes to counter and negotiate potentially negative representations. Through in-depth interviews and researcher-as-participant observation, the paper explores the transformative possibilities mediated through participating in theatrically glamorized performance classes and the processes thereby initiated. The author examines the potential of burlesque to offer improvements to wellbeing and healthier self-perceptions for aging women experiencing marginalization through social invisibility.