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Lewis JP, Kim SM, Asquith-Heinz Z, Withrow A. Generativity as a Traditional Way of Life: Successful aging among Unangan Elders in the Aleutian Pribilof Islands. J Cross Cult Gerontol 2024; 39:107-123. [PMID: 38441785 DOI: 10.1007/s10823-024-09501-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Predominantly Western-based biomedical models of successful aging have been used to research, understand, and explain successful aging among diverse populations. With an increasingly heterogeneous older adult population nationwide, scholars have been exploring Indigenous understandings of successful aging. To add to the accumulation of knowledge of diverse Alaska Native populations, this study involved semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 Unangan Elders from the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. This community-based participatory research study explores the aging experiences and conceptualization of successful aging of these Elders from this remote and culturally distinct region of Alaska. Thematic analysis was employed to identify themes related to successful aging within this specific region, which supported our previous four themes, or characteristics, of Alaska Native successful aging: physical health, social support and emotional well-being, generativity as a traditional way of life, and community engagement and Inidgenous cultural generativity. Each of these themes or characteristics of Eldership is intertwined and together support successful aging within two remote communities in the Bering Sea. The findings of this study illuminate how Alaska Native Elders can live in geographically diverse regions of the State, yet the values and teachings they possess on successful aging possess the same cultural values and teachings. This study highlighted two new emerging constructs that influence Alaska Native Elders' successful aging based on geographical location. Findings contribute to the thematic saturation of the four main successful aging domains while outlining the importance of future research to conduct deeper investigations into the role of environment and history on Elders' perceptions and understanding of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan P Lewis
- Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, Duluth, MN, USA.
| | - Steffi M Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Zayla Asquith-Heinz
- Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Ashley Withrow
- Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc., Anchorage, AK, USA
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Kennedy MA, Stevens CJ, Pepin R, Lyons KD. Behavioral Activation: Values-Aligned Activity Engagement as a Transdiagnostic Intervention for Common Geriatric Conditions. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2024; 64:gnad046. [PMID: 37068017 PMCID: PMC10943502 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Scalable, transdiagnostic interventions are needed to meet the needs of a growing population of older adults experiencing multimorbidity and functional decline. Behavioral activation (BA) is a pragmatic, empirically supported treatment for depression that focuses on increasing engagement in values-aligned activities. We propose BA is an ideal transdiagnostic intervention approach for older adults because it (a) specifically targets activity restriction, a shared characteristic of common conditions of aging; and (b) has strong potential for scalability through delivery by a broad range of clinician and nonclinician interventionists and via telehealth. We describe the history of BA and review recent literature demonstrating impacts beyond depression including on cognition, social isolation, and disability. We also describe the feasibility of delivering BA across interventionists, settings, and modalities. Our approach advances scholarship by proposing BA as a scalable, transdiagnostic behavioral intervention to address functional decline in older adults with common geriatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan A Kennedy
- New England Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Courtney J Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medicine Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Renée Pepin
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Kathleen D Lyons
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Department of Occupational Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Rauvola RS, Rudolph CW. Worker aging, control, and well-being: A specification curve analysis. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 233:103833. [PMID: 36623471 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the many work (and life) characteristics of relevance to adult development and aging, various forms of control are some of the most extensively and diversely studied. Indeed, "control," whether objectively held (i.e., "actual" control), perceived, or enacted through self-regulation, is a concept central to our understanding of person-environment interactions, development, and well-being within and across life domains. However, variability in conceptualization and analysis in the literature on control presents challenges to integration. To partially address these gaps, the present study sought to explore the effects of conceptual and analytical specification decisions (e.g., construct types, time, covariates) on observed control-well-being relationships in a large, age-diverse, longitudinal sample (Midlife in the United States I, II, and III datasets), providing a specification curve analysis (SCA) tutorial and guidance in the process. Results suggest that construct types and operationalizations, particularly predictor variables, have bearing on observed results, with certain types of control serving as better predictors of various forms of well-being than others. These findings and identified gaps are summarized to provide direction for theoretical clarification and reconciliation in the control and lifespan development literatures, construct selection and operationalization in future aging and work research, and inclusive, well-specified interventions to improve employee well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cort W Rudolph
- Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, USA
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Tsai MC, Wang SF, Gray NJ, Jourdan D. Occupational Health of Education Personnel-The Role of Job Crafting and Other Control Strategies on Healthy Ageing at Work. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15970. [PMID: 36498038 PMCID: PMC9740758 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This article looks at the strategies that influence healthy ageing at work from the motivational theory of life span development (MTD). It aims to better understand the influence of job crafting as a selective primary control, help-seeking as a compensatory primary control, positive reappraisal as a selective secondary control, and downward social comparison and downgrading expectation as a compensatory secondary control on healthy ageing at work (work engagement, health, and motivation to continue working after retirement). A total of 386 educational personnel participated in the study. This study used hierarchical regression analysis to test incremental validity, supplemented with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling as a solution to solve the potential error problems caused. The results show that job crafting is positively correlated with healthy ageing at work. Positive reappraisal and downward social comparison showed incremental validity in predicting healthy ageing at work beyond job crafting among the middle-aged group (45-65-years-old); in particular, positive reappraisal was the determinant of healthy ageing at work among the middle-aged group. However, both help-seeking and downgrading expectation did not show incremental validity. This study can contribute to the evolution of career development interventions and human resource management focused on supporting older people at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Chien Tsai
- Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan
| | - Sy-Feng Wang
- Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan
| | - Nicola J. Gray
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Didier Jourdan
- ACTé EA 4281 Research Group, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Isaacowitz DM, Freund AM, Mayr U, Rothermund K, Tobler PN. Age-Related Changes in the Role of Social Motivation: Implications for Healthy Aging. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021; 76:S115-S124. [PMID: 33881524 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior research has established the importance of social relations and social embeddedness for motivation in healthy aging. Thus, social orientation appears to be essential for understanding healthy aging. This article focuses particularly on age-related changes in goals concerning social orientation, such as increased prioritization of emotional goals, increased prosociality/altruistic motives, generativity, and ego transcendence. We then consider open questions regarding gaps in the links between goals related to social orientation and healthy aging, as well as the implications of theories and research on social goals for leveraging motivation to promote healthy aging. In particular, interventions to promote healthy behavior in late life may be most effective when they match the themes of older adults' strivings to find meaning and purpose in their personal goals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexandra M Freund
- Department of Psychology and University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Philippe N Tobler
- Department of Psychology and University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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Freund AM, Hennecke M, Brandstätter V, Martin M, Boker SM, Charles ST, Fishbach A, Gow AJ, Heckhausen J, Hess TM, Isaacowitz DM, Klusmann V, Lachman ME, Mayr U, Oettingen G, Robert P, Roecke C, Rothermund K, Scholz U, Tobler PN, Zacher H, Zadeh RS. Motivation and Healthy Aging: A Heuristic Model. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021; 76:S97-S104. [PMID: 34228802 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Building on the seminal definition of "healthy aging" by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2015; 2020), we present a model of motivation and healthy aging that is aimed at identifying the central psychological constructs and processes for understanding what older persons value, and how they can attain and maintain these valued aspects of their lives. This model places goals at its center, and then proceeds from motivational processes of goal setting, pursuit, and disengagement, to contextual factors (cultural, social, technological, physical, organizational, and life-history related aspects) that provide opportunities and constraints to the healthy aging of individuals. We briefly introduce each of these constructs and processes, thereby setting the scene for the articles included in this supplement that each address one or more of the facets of the heuristic model of motivation and healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Freund
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of HealthyAging", University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research - LIVES
| | | | - Veronika Brandstätter
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of HealthyAging", University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mike Martin
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of HealthyAging", University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Steven M Boker
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Susan T Charles
- Dept. of Psychological Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Ayelet Fishbach
- Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Alan J Gow
- Dept. of Psychology, Herriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jutta Heckhausen
- Dept. of Psychological Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Thomas M Hess
- Dept. of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA
| | | | - Verena Klusmann
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Dept. of Psychology and Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Ulrich Mayr
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - Gabriele Oettingen
- Dept. of Psychology and Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Dept. of Psychology, New York University, New York City, USA
| | - Philippe Robert
- Cognition Behaviour Technology, University Cote D'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Christina Roecke
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of HealthyAging", University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Rothermund
- Dept. of Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany
| | - Urte Scholz
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of HealthyAging", University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Hannes Zacher
- Dept. of Psychology, Wilhelm Wundt University Leipzig, Germany
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