bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relationship of Stressful Life Events to Intellectual Functioning in Women Over 65
Authors: Sands James Daniel
Published: May 2005

The relationship of stressful life events to decline in intellectual abilities in 112 women aged 65–92 was assessed. A ratio of crystal/fluid abilities was used to estimate decline. The Vocabulary and Comprehension subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) were used to assess crystalized abilities, and the Block Design and Object Assembly subtests of the WAIS were used to assess fluid abilities. The Holmes and Rahe Schedule of Recent Events (SRE) was used as a measure of stress along with a method for quantifying individual estimates of stress experience. In addition, the relationship of subsets of actual events experienced to intellectual functioning was analyzed. Stress was found to be related to the ratio used to estimate decline. Changes in personal health and changes in health of a family member were positively related and vacations were negatively related to decline in intellectual functioning.
The Old Prospector: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as Exemplar of Old Age in Popular Film
Authors: McKee Patrick , McLerran Jennifer
Published: May 2005

Popular films often feature representations of older people and interpretations of the aging experience. Interpretations of aging in film parallel concepts and theories in contemporary gerontology. This article examines gerontological themes in the classic popular film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The ubiquity of aging motifs in popular film offers gerontology a significant opportunity for public education.
Are Health Care Professionals Ready for Alzheimer's Disease: A Comparison of U.S. and Hong Kong Nurses
Authors: Nagy M. Christine , Beal S. Colleen , Kwan Alex Yui-Huen , Baumhover Lorin A.
Published: May 2005

The Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Test (ADK) was administered to samples of practicing nurses in the United States and Hong Kong. Nurses experienced with Alzheimer's Disease patients, having specific training on AD, and reporting greater knowledge about AD were, in fact, more knowledgeable. Overall, U.S. nurses were significantly more knowledgeable, but exhibited more negative bias than Hong Kong nurses. Findings suggest that nurses in Hong Kong, as well as in the United States, need more training about Alzheimer's disease.
Second Time around Parenting: Factors Predictive of Grandparents Becoming Caregivers for Their Grandchildren
Authors: Minkler Meredith , Fuller-Thomson Esme
Published: May 2005

More than one in ten American grandparents raise a grandchild for at least six months, with most of these providing care for three years or more. This longitudinal study, utilizing data from the National Survey of Families and Households, identifies the pre-existing personal characteristics and contextual variables which are predictive of individuals becoming primary caregivers for their grandchildren. Contrary to hypothesis, pre-caregiving attitudes concerning intergenerational solidarity bore little relationship to the likelihood of becoming a caregiver. In contrast, being female, younger, African American, and having not completed high school were significantly predictive of becoming a custodial grandparent. Implications of these findings for research, practice, and policy in gerontology, mental health, and related areas are discussed.
Computer Environments for Learning Geometry
Authors: Clements Douglas H. , Battista Michael T.
Published: May 2005

Given their graphic capabilities, computers may facilitate the construction of geometric concepts. Comparative media research, however, reveals few differences between media; alterations in curricula or teaching strategies might also explain the positive results of many studies that compare computer to noncomputer media. Yet, there remain certain computer functions that non-computer media may not easily duplicate. This article reviews research to describe such functions of construction-oriented environments and to evaluate their unique contributions to students' learning of geometry. Implications for the design of geometric computer environments for geometry education are drawn.
Tinto's Model and Successful College Transitions
Authors: Tucker John E.
Published: May 2005

This article compares the themes of academic integration and social integration in Tinto's model (1987) with the themes of vision and sense of community as described in a recent ethnographic study (Tucker, 1998). Tinto's model has been used in a variety of college settings to develop Freshman Interest Groups as a method of improving student persistence (Upcraft & Gardiner, 1989). However, Tinto himself notes that while “… retention programs have helped some students complete their college education, their long-term impact on retention has been surprisingly limited” (1996). I argue that vision and sense of community contain more useful theoretical considerations to help us address the issue of student retention programs at colleges. Tinto (1987) has developed a theoretical model which may need to be reconsidered.
Deference and Dominance in Old Age: An Exploration in Social Theory
Authors: Mc Gee Jeanne , Barker Melissa
Published: May 2005

Nonverbal expressions of power and control in the daily lives of old people are examined from a life span perspective that combines social exchange theory, Goffman's classic work on deference and demeanor, and Henley's power theory of nonverbal communication and paralinguistics. Because of societal devaluation of the aged and the typical later life declines in power resources, old people are likely to experience a loss of status and social control during everyday nonverbal rituals of dominance and deference. Supporting evidence is drawn from studies of the social impact of the physical setting and interactions between institutionalized old people and staff members. Discussion emphasizes the generally subtle nature of nonverbal expressions of dominance and deference, the impact of normal sensory declines in typical later life role transitions, and the potential for ageist interpretations of nonverbal cues.
Attitudes and Behavior of Elderly Pedestrians
Authors: Mathey Franz Josef
Published: May 2005

Considering the increased traffic incident rate of pedestrians above sixty-five years of age, a study of attitudes and behavior patterns of older pedestrians in large towns was carried out by the Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, from 1973 to 1975. Interviews, group sessions, and additional thematic apperception tests were performed, as well as traffic observation and an analysis of behavior which was followed by accident events. Results showed many indications of especially dangerous traffic situations and especially risky behavior tendencies in older people. Recommendations can be derived for improving traffic communication dynamics and for influencing the traffic behavior of older pedestrians.
The Health Status and the Health Care Problems of the Aged in an Italian Community
Authors: Figà-Talamanca Irene
Published: May 2005

This study had the purpose of identifying the health needs of the elderly population of a small urban Italian community for the purpose of planning sociomedical services. The data were collected by interviewing a stratified random sample of 1291 individuals over sixty years of age. About one third sample reported poor health. However, health complaints, both physical and mental, were particularly common among the persons living in disadvantaged social and economic conditions. The great majority of the respondents were found to be self-sufficient, and ambulatory. The results indicate that the present health needs of the elderly living in the community require new health services, such as home care, which will permit the elderly to avoid future hospitalization.
Discouraged Older Workers: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Rife John C. , First Richard J.
Published: May 2005

The research literature has documented the social and psychological consequences of unemployment for individuals in our country. Unfortunately, few studies have examined the impact of unemployment on the older worker. This exploratory study examined the characteristics and experiences of seventy-three older unemployed workers, age fifty and above, who were discouraged and had stopped searching for a full-time job. The findings portray the discouraged older worker as potentially at risk of both economic and psychological difficulties. Participants reported feeling mildly depressed about their current unemployment situation, socially isolated and embarrassed, and were experiencing low life satisfaction generally. They also tended to use a low number of social and employment-related community services. Younger participants in the sample under age sixty, those with higher levels of education, and those suffering longer periods of unemployment tended to report having the greatest adjustment difficulties. These results reflect the challenges faced by the discouraged older worker and the need for targeted employment and supportive services to aid this population group.
The Age Group Evaluation and Description (AGED) Inventory: A New Instrument for Assessing Stereotypes of and Attitudes toward Age Groups
Authors: Knox V. Jane , Gekoski William L. , Kelly Lynn E.
Published: May 2005

The AGED Inventory was designed to overcome shortcomings identified in the Aging Semantic Differential, a frequently used measure of how age groups are perceived. The new instrument was developed to allow assessment both of age stereotypes and of attitudes toward age-specified targets. The Inventory was developed with data from 300 male and 300 female respondents. Two seven-item evaluative factors (the Goodness and Positiveness dimensions) resulted from a series of factor analyses used to reduce an initial set of thirty-five evaluative adjective pairs. Two seven-item descriptive factors (the Vitality and Maturity dimensions) resulted from a separate series of factor analyses used to reduce an initial set of fifty adjective pairs judged to differentiate age groups. Using confirmatory factor analyses and coefficients of congruence on data from an additional 800 respondents, the factor structures of the two evaluative factors and of the two descriptive factors were found to be replicable for young, middle-aged, and old targets assessed in either between or within subject designs. Its ease of administration, multi-dimensionality, flexibility of targets specification, and capability for assessing attitude and/or stereotype in a manner congruent with current conceptualizations of these constructs make the AGED Inventory useful in a variety of contexts.
On Defining WISDOM
Authors: McKee Patrick , Barber Clifton
Published: May 2005

Many gerontologists propose definitions of wisdom. Usually these are “empirical,” as opposed to a-priori or “real” definitions. In this article we defend an a-priori definition of wisdom. We briefly explain a-priori and empirical definitions, and how they relate to each other in research. After rejecting two classical a-priori definitions of wisdom, we present and defend our own, and examine its ability to predict key findings of recent empirical studies. Finally, we describe some implications of our approach for future empirical studies of wisdom.
The Relationship with Grandparents: Contact, Importance, Role Conception
Authors: Hartshorne Timothy S. , Manaster Guy J.
Published: May 2005

While studies have considered the importance of the grandparent and grandchild relationship from the perspective of the former, the present study explores the perspective of young adult grandchildren concerning this relationship. Four relationship variables are examined: 1) the amount of contact; b) the assessed adequacy of contact; 3) the importance of the relationship; and 4) the role conception. The results of this study support the position that grandparents remain a significant factor in the lives of young adults.
Test Anxiety in Elderly and Young Adults
Authors: Whitbourne Susan Krauss
Published: May 2005

Test anxiety in elderly and young adult college students was measured by the Anxiety Achievement Test following a free-recall memory experiment. As expected, the elderly had higher levels of debilitating test anxiety than the younger adults. A large proportion of older persons showed behavioral manifestations of test anxiety either by refusing to participate in the study, or by their reactions during the testing. Test anxiety was related to memory performance among both age groups, suggesting that an older person's performance on a cognitive task may be influenced by affective reactions to the testing situation itself.
Critical Training Needs of Caregivers Working with the Woman Alcoholic
Authors: Kline Michael V.
Published: May 2005

The author intensively examines selected areas of education, training, and needed awareness for caregivers working with the woman alcoholic. The training of alcoholism and drug caregivers is viewed from a multi-dimensional perspective. He attempts to describe important issues which must be recognized and integrated into existing training efforts.

The writer considers four interrelated areas which should be incorporated into the total training experience, regardless of the type of treatment setting. First, he develops the need to view the training as a dynamic and rational process. Second, the writer stresses the importance of training and the need to include recognition of many different sub-groups of women alcoholics with many different developmental variations. Third, he provides approaches for assisting caregivers to acquire increased self-awareness and positive attitudes about women, and the need to identify and deal with harmful myths and stereotypes related to women in general. Fourth, the author describes how training efforts can better consider the special needs of the woman alcoholic during the entire process of care and treatment.
Focused Smoking: An Unequivocably Safe Alternative to Rapid Smoking
Authors: Hackett Gail , Horan John J.
Published: May 2005

Rapid smoking is generally considered to be the most effective single treatment strategy for the behavioral control of smoking. Unfortunately, its safety has recently been questioned. A new procedure termed focused smoking poses absolutely no health hazard. Six month follow-up data collected from two groups of subjects exposed to a comprehensive treatment program which included focused smoking are noteworthy in their own right (55.6% abstentions) and just as promising as earlier versions of the program which included rapid smoking as a treatment component.
Implementing an Income Strategy for the Elderly: Studies in Organizational Change
Authors: Lebowitz Barry D. , Dobra John L.
Published: May 2005

The organizational dimensions of the shift in aging policy from a services strategy to an income strategy are examined. With data from the first year of a longitudinal study of the impact of the new Supplemental Security Income program in the United States, hypotheses about the local-level effect of federally mandated changes in the relationships between organizations and in the adaptation of focal organization staff are tested. Domain consensus, differential prestige and complementarity of function are identified as important factors in the implementation of change.
Anthropology, Life Histories, and the Aged: The Toronto Baycrest Centre
Authors: Holzberg Carol S.
Published: May 2005

This article describes and analyzes the accomplishments of a group of aged Jews residing at the Toronto Baycrest Centre, a multilevel geriatric facility. A project that began as an informally planned program to keep the participants socially engaged and active led to the publication of their memoirs, From Our Lives [5], with financial support from the Canadian government. The value of the memoir activity for the group and for the community is outlined. The article concludes with a general discussion of the importance of replicating such activities not only with elderly Jews but also among other groups of elderly persons.
Attitude and Information Change Effected by Drug Education via Broadcast Television and Group Viewing
Authors: Wong Martin R. , Barbatsis Gretchen S.
Published: May 2005

Little research has focused on the use of broadcast television as an instructional medium. With broadcast television the problem of limited student-teacher and student-student interaction and feedback is maximized. If effective, the use of a mass medium for a topic needing widespread dissemination, such as drug education, seems especially appropriate.

The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to explore the effectiveness of broadcast television as a drug education tool, and 2) to test the effect of group viewing as a component of a positive learning environment for instructional television. Learning was measured both in terms of information acquisition and in terms of attitude change.

The results of the study show that broadcast television can effectively be used for information dissemination and attitude change in drug education. Subjects showed a significant increase in knowledge and a significant change in attitude toward drugs and drug use. The second hypothesis of the study was not supported. Students viewing in groups did not differ significantly in knowledge or attitude change from those viewing alone. It is the opinion of the researchers, however, that this finding is a function of the research design and should be further tested.
Mapuifagalele, Western Samoa's Home for the Aged—A Cultural Enigma
Authors: Rhoads Ellen C. , Holmes Lowell D.
Published: May 2005

Mapuifagalele is Polynesia's first home for the aged, and why it exists at all is something of a mystery. Although Samoan families emphatically insist that they can and do provide for their own aged (and in fact suffer loss of face if they do not), this institution is full to overflowing and there is a waiting list. The article discusses the origin and function of this residence for the aged and explores the changing life style, economic patterns and world view that make its existence possible and even necessary.
Geriatric Pathology à L'ancienne
Authors: Wortley John
Published: May 2005

Long before modern medicine thought of old age as a disease, the Greeks and Romans appear to have referred to it as such and their learned men to have worked out theories on similar lines. Aristotle distinguished old age as a “natural” disease; both he and the Hippocratic school sought to devise a pathology of aging on the basis of the four “humours.” Both were agreed that a loss of heat lay at the root of the matter, but Aristotle thought this was accompanied by dryness, the Hippocratic school by humidity. In the end it was the Aristotelian position which posterity accepted and embraced into the last century.
Not Yet Equal: Employment Experience of Older Women and Older Men
Authors: Kahne Hilda
Published: May 2005

Women age forty-five and over are an important component of all working women and of the older labor force. They make up almost 30 percent of the female civilian labor force. Of the older labor force, 40 percent are women. Yet contrary to societal values about equality in the market place, employment-related experience of older women is not only different from that of men but frequently disadvantaged. This article examines the growing importance of the issue of market equality of older working women. It then considers six ways in which their employment-related experience differs from that of men: labor force participation rates; occupational distribution; earnings; unemployment; poverty; and retirement income. The article concludes with suggested policy directions that would improve the status of older women. Some of these would assist, as well, employment needs of older men.
Comprehension Monitoring, Stylistic Differences, Pre-Math Knowledge, and Transfer: A Comprehensive Pre-Math/Spatial Development Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) and Logo Curriculum Designed to Test their Effects
Authors: Howard Janice R. , Watson J. Allen , Brinkley Vicki M. , Ingels-Young Ginger
Published: May 2005

A comprehensive computer curriculum designed to teach pre-math/spatial skills was used to examine the performance of preschool children using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and Logo software. Forty preschool children received approximately 80 percent of pre-math/spatial instruction via computer and approximately 20 percent via teacher instruction. The following pretest/posttest measures were used to assess gains in skill: pre-math knowledge (TEMA), comprehension monitoring (Flavell scale), spatial ability (color identification and pointing), and ability to transfer (mazes). Overall, field independent (FI) and field dependent (FD) children did not perform significantly different from each other on posttest measures. Reflective (Ref) children performed significantly better than impulsive (Imp) children on several measures including fewer trials on a maze task, more correct answers on color and color/direction questions, and less time on color/direction questions. Both FI/FD and Ref/Imp groups improved performance from pretest to posttest and made gains in pre-math knowledge and comprehension monitoring. Key factors of the computer instructional method are discussed.
The Ecology of Adaptation to a New Environment
Authors: Lawton M. Powell , Patnaik Beverly , Kleban Morton H.
Published: May 2005

The intrainstitutional room transfer of 48 elderly residents was studied by direct behavior-mapping techniques. Data were obtained on the physical location, body position, and behavior of both residents and staff on a large number of tours of residential floors preceding and following the move. About half of the hypotheses suggesting that greater passivity and restriction in social space would occur following the move were supported. These responses were seen as adaptive in allowing the individual to comprehend the new environment prior to moving out more actively.
The Aging Mover: A Preliminary Report on Constraints to Action
Authors: Williams Kathleen , Bird Michael
Published: May 2005

Locomotion by older adults is typically characterized by performance declines. Older individuals walk more slowly, take shorter steps, and spend a longer time in support than young individuals. Investigators assumed implicitly that declines are related to an inevitable aging process. The purpose of this investigation was to examine constraints that might result in the declines described, outside or in addition to, the general process of aging. We examined two types of terrain over which locomotion might occur, level ground and stairs, and two movement speeds, preferred and fast. Healthy, active females between twenty to eighty years were videotaped. Individuals over sixty years walked at significantly slower speeds, particularly climbing stairs. They used a smaller range of speeds than younger individuals. Despite this slowing, the pattern of coordination between limbs remained essentially the same across the ages tested. The small magnitude of declines observed was attributed to the good health and active lifestyles of these individuals.
Student Teachers, Computer Anxiety and Computer Experience
Authors: McInerney Valentina , McInerney Dennis M. , Sinclair Kenneth E.
Published: May 2005

Recent research has demonstrated the debilitating effect of computer anxiety on achievement in computer related learning. As controversy exists over the merits of increasing experience with computers in order to reduce computer anxiety, the effects of increased computing experience on computer anxiety were assessed for students enrolled in a University teacher education course. In addition, other hypothesized correlates of computer anxiety were studied, viz., age, sex, school background, and computer competence.

The Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS) was used to measure computer anxiety prior to and at the conclusion of computer training. A control group, not undergoing computer training, was used for comparison purposes. Many of the teacher trainees in this study exhibited a high degree of computer anxiety on a number of key dimensions related to computing.

The evidence from this study gives some support to the notion that increased experience leads to a diminution in computer anxiety. However, the high levels of anxiety remaining for some students after treatment suggest that a simplistic belief that increased computer experience alone will reduce computer anxiety is not tenable.

The article discusses the issue that initial anxiety and continuing anxiety, after computer training, may be a function of an individual's prior computing experiences, attitudes towards computing, perceptions of self efficacy, and expectations of success associated with computer interaction.
Social Networks and Mortality in an Inner-City Elderly Population
Authors: Cohen Carl I. , Teresi Jeanne , Holmes Douglas
Published: May 2005

The authors address some of the methodological problems found in earlier investigations of the relationship between social networks and mortality. Of particular concern was the use of rudimentary measures of social interaction in previous work. Utilizing nineteen social network variables, the authors examined 155 elderly residents of midtown Manhattan single-room occupancy hotels. On three-year follow-up, twenty-eight persons had died. Discriminant function analysis indicated that ten of nineteen network variables were relatively strong discriminators between survivors and non-survivors (i.e., standardized coefficient of .20 or greater). The network variables cut across all categories of social interaction, thereby revealing why, despite the few network variables used in previous studies, nearly all had been significant.
Is There an Alcoholic Personality?
Authors: Zimering Stanley , Calhoun James F.
Published: May 2005

Given the high rate of alcoholism in the United States, the question is pursued regarding the existence of a personality type in which the individual is predisposed toward alcoholism. Following a brief description of the alcoholic personality, three theoretical models are examined. Based on these models, it is concluded that the alcoholic personality may be one characterized by certain predisposing traits that may be “triggered” by specific environmental stresses.
An Empirical Examination of the Anomie Theory of Drug Use
Authors: Dull R. Thomas
Published: May 2005

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between anomie theory, as measured by Srole's Anomie Scale, and the respondents self-admitted drug use (alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, amphetamines, and barbiturates). An analysis of self-reported drug use data was conducted of a general Texas adult population. This analysis included a series of bivariate cross comparison correlations between the independent variable (anomie) and the dependent drug variables. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables were further examined by calculating the correlation and level of significance within selected categories of several demographic (age, race, sex, education, income, and marital status) control variables. The results indicated that anomie was significantly correlated with several of the drug variables. However, these associations were extremely weak and of little explanatory value. It was concluded that, within the framework of this analysis, anomie theory fails to provide an adequate explanation for the use of drugs.
The People and Health Service Development in India: A Brief Overview
Authors: Banerji Debabar
Published: May 2005

Health is politics, and politics is health as if people matter—this has been a refrain of such scholars as Rudolf Virchow, Halfdan Mahler, and B. C. Roy. Many seeds of hope for health were generated during India's struggle against colonial rule. After Independence, with the changes in power relations, these seeds could not find the appropriate soil to nurture them. Power relations influence health service development, which is a sociocultural, economic, political, organizational, and managerial process with epidemiological and sociological dimensions. Even within the power structure, however, a carryover of the democratic process of the pre-Independence era has created a pro-people ambience. Despite considerable difficulties and shortcomings, India has developed an endogenous, alternative body of knowledge more suited to the prevailing social, cultural, economic, and epidemiological conditions. This has formed the content of alternative approaches to education, practice, and research in public health—strikingly similar to the Alma-Ata Declaration. The response to this declaration of self-reliance by the world's poor, together with the earlier specter of population explosion, brought together the political leadership of all hues, the bureaucrats, and foreign agencies to impose prefabricated programs on the people. The result was a decimation and decay of the health service system, causing considerable suffering to the poor. The remedy is a return to the heritage of the alternative approaches that emerged during the early years of Independence.
Cross-Cultural Differences in Adolescents' Perceptions of Their Grandparents
Authors: Hurme Helena
Published: May 2005

Partial results from a larger Finnish-Polish study on the relations between grandchildren, parents, and grandparents are presented here. The results are based on a content analysis of essays written by 731 Finnish and Polish adolescents between eleven and twenty-one. Older children used more abstract descriptions, girls mentioned more personality features and feelings than boys, and grandmothers, especially maternal grandmothers were described in the most positive terms. The central new finding was that there are highly significant cross-cultural differences in the descriptions of grandparents: the Poles describe them in more abstract terms even after controlling for age and gender. Polish adolescents make more mention of their feelings, their personality, and their skills as well as of emotional/intellectual input from them; they use more positive terms than do the Finns, but make less mention of activities and appearance. These differences between the two cultures are mediated by contact frequency, which through its working on the proximal level enables co-construction of the relationship and the transmission of interactional styles.
Life Review: Preventing Despair in Newly Relocated Nursing Home Residents Short- and Long-Term Effects
Authors: Haight Barbara K. , Michel Yvonne , Hendrix Shirley
Published: May 2005

Relocation to a nursing home places frail elders at risk for developing depression and suicide ideation. This study followed two hundred and fifty-six newly relocated nursing home residents for five years. Using a Solomon Four research design, participants were divided into four groups, two control and two experimental, one each with pretesting and all with posttesting. Participants in the control groups received a friendly visit and those in the experimental groups received the intervention of life review. Immediate short-term results showed the life review to be an effective preventive intervention for clinical depression ( p = .05). Additionally, when looking at long-term effects at one year, there were significant decreases in depression ( p = .05), hopelessness ( p = .01), and psychological well-being ( p = .02) with measurable increases in life satisfaction ( p = .08). These findings support the hypothesis that life review prevents despair in frail elders newly admitted to a nursing home.
Stereotypes of the Elderly in Magazine Advertisements 1956–1996
Authors: Miller Patricia N. , Miller Darryl W. , McKibbin Eithne M. , Pettys Gregory L.
Published: May 2005

The globalization of American culture is increasing as various media target an international market. This article reports the results of a study examining trends in the stereotyping of the elderly in print advertisements appearing from 1956 to 1996 in U.S. magazines. Results show that the percentage of elderly portrayals in print ads has decreased. There has been relatively little overall stereotyping of elderly, with only 4 percent of the sample depicting negative stereotypes. Nevertheless, there has been an increasing percentage of negative stereotypes and a decreasing percentage of positive stereotypes. Results are analyzed in relationship to marketing trends and the social impact on aging.
The Effects of Praise and Reproof on the Performance of Middle Aged and Older Subjects
Authors: Lair Charles V. , Moon W. Harold
Published: May 2005

Aged (n=33) and middle-aged (n-33) Ss were compared on a digit symbol substitution task under three conditions of verbal feedback incentive: praise, reproof, and neutral comment. Elderly Ss appeared to show decrement while middle-aged Ss showed increment under the censure condition. Elderly Ss showed early gains with praise but these were not significantly sustained through later trials as compared to controls. An analysis of “fast” and “slow” responders suggested that the fast-responding aged showed greatest decrement with censure while the middle-aged slow responders showed a tendency toward an increment with censure.
Partial Learning and Recognition Memory in the Aged
Authors: Smith Anderson D.
Published: May 2005

A recognition-memory paradigm was used to test two hypotheses, storage and retrieval, which account for the adult age decrement seen in recall. Partial storage was minimized by using items in the recognition list which were similar to the to-be-remembered items. Recognition performance was unaffected by adult age differences, thereby supporting the retrieval hypothesis. However, older persons made a greater number of semantic errors in the recognition test list supporting the storage hypothesis. While the error difference did not affect overall recognition performance, the result does indicate some caution is necessary in interpreting age-recognition interactions.
Gambling as a Social Activity of Older Adults
Authors: McNeilly Dennis P. , Burke William J.
Published: May 2005

A significant number of senior citizens (aged 65+) spend their leisure time in gambling casinos in this country. For some older adults eager for a stimulating social outlet, casino gambling can become a virulent and destructive addiction. While prevalence studies have examined the incidence of problem gambling in other age groups, little attention has been paid to the impact of casino gambling on older adults. This study investigated the prevalence of casino gambling as a social activity for active senior citizens (aged 65+). Activity directors from residential and assisted-care facilities as well as from senior and retirement centers completed mailed surveys of eleven different types of social activities available to older adults. Results of the survey of activity directors found bingo the most highly frequented on-location-type social activity and casino gambling the most highly frequented day-trip-type social activity for 6,957 active senior citizens represented in the activity directors' survey. On average, 16 percent of the senior citizens were reported by the activity directors to have taken part in facility-sponsored trips to the casino on at least a once-a-month basis. In addition, the casinos themselves had offered additional gambling day-trips to 66 percent of the facilities, which were accepted in 58 percent of the cases. These findings suggest the need for greater awareness of the impact casino gambling may have on senior citizens in this country.
Housing Quality among the Elderly: A Decade of Changes
Authors: Markham John P. , Gilderbloom John I.
Published: May 2005

Little research has been conducted on housing quality among the elderly. The fault lies partly with the lack of reliable data. Studies on elderly housing quality are spotty, anecdotal, and unsystematic. Many rely on decennial census data which provide a limited and unsatisfactory portrait of special housing needs of elders in general. This article seeks to fill this void by reporting a comprehensive study of elderly housing quality. For all units, logistic regression revealed that region and race are the most important predictors of housing inadequacy; tenure and the gender of the person living alone are moderately powerful influences upon inadequacy. Housing inadequacy is greater among blacks, in the South, for males living alone, and for renters.
The Values of Middle Class Drug Users and Their Perceptions of the Values of Society
Authors: Beech Robert , Katz Bernard
Published: May 2005

The values of twenty-four drug users were measured using the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS). Their perceptions of the values of society were measured by altering the instructions for the RVS. Background information on drug usage and social economic status was also obtained. The value systems which the drug users espouse and perceive to be in opposition to society's values form three themes: tranquility, aesthetics, and humanism. Although this group of drug users is often perceived by society as deviant, they appear to adhere to the literal meaning of these cultural ideals.
Identity Processing Styles and the Need for Self-Esteem in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Authors: Sneed Joel R. , Whitbourne Susan Krauss
Published: May 2005

This study was a test of the relationship between self-esteem and the identity processing styles of identity assimilation (i.e., maintaining consistent views of the self), accommodation (i.e., changing the self), and a balance between consistency seeking and identity change. A community sample of 242 older adults ranging in age from forty to ninety-five ( M = 63.31) completed measures of identity processing and self-esteem. Previous research has demonstrated that identity assimilation increases with age in order to maintain self-esteem in the domain of physical and cognitive functioning; this is referred to as the identity assimilation effect (IAE). Based on this research, a similar result was expected in the domain of personality. Although identity assimilation and balance predicted increases in self-esteem, and identity accommodation predicted decreases in self-esteem, as predicted, no interaction effects were observed. The results of this study suggest the IAE may be domain specific to physical and cognitive functioning.
Geriatrics in Lebanon: The Beginning
Authors: Abyad A.
Published: May 2005

In Lebanon, it is estimated that 5.4 percent of the population is above sixty-five years of age. This percentage is expected to increase with improvement of the health care delivery in the country. The Lebanese health care system and the role of the American University of Beirut is discussed. Lebanon, like other developing countries, needs to define the policies and programs that will reduce the burden of aging populations on the society and its economy. There is a need to ensure the availability of health and social services for older persons and promote their continuing participation in a socially and economically productive life. The morbidity burden of the geriatric population can quickly overwhelm fragile and underfinanced health infrastructures which are unable to meet fully the prevention and treatment needs of a younger population with relatively low-cost, easy-to-prevent, easy-to-treat illnesses.
Understanding and Counseling the Chronic Drug User
Authors: Dyer Wayne W. , Vriend John
Published: May 2005

Effectively understanding and counseling the chronic drug user and others who are dependent upon agents and substances outside themselves to bring about affects of well being and more positive emotional states in their lives requires that the counselor understand how emotions and sensations occur, and what their relationship is to internal and external thinking. The authors present a paradigm of external and internal thinking as these apply as causes for positive and negative emotional shifts. The concepts of internally and externally oriented thinking and behaving are discussed, and these are related to counseling the dependent drug user. Finally, strategies for dealing with the dependent drug user, always an externally oriented person, are presented.
Decision-Making—A Key to Prevention of Drug Abuse
Authors: Pollack Bernard
Published: May 2005

This article focuses upon the role of decision-making in the schools as a vehicle for drug abuse prevention. Decision-making is examined as a process that may be structured to make learning more meaningful and at the same time gives youngsters the skills and resources necessary to face up to the social pressures involved in the spread of drug abuse. Teachers are encouraged in the classroom to stimulate students to develop, design, and plan independent approaches to problems.
The Nature and Extent of Drug Use among Students at a Comprehensive Suburban High School
Authors: Willson John Paul
Published: May 2005

This study is of particular significance for curriculum development in drug education. While describing the nature and extent of drug use among a sampling of high school students, and identifying variables which predict drug use, the study also offers a valuable method of determining the appropriate grade level placement of drug prevention and intervention strategies within the school curricula.

The sample consisted of 455 students attending a comprehensive, multi-ethnic-economic, suburban high school. The data indicated the lowest incidence of drug use was among freshmen, with a 72 per cent increase among sophomores, and only significant change in mode of use and not amount among upperclassmen.
Aging In Place: Knowing Where You Are
Authors: Rosel Natalie
Published: May 2005

Research on aging in place appropriately emphasizes the value of familiar surroundings. The current study contributes an exploration of elders' personal knowledge of where and with whom they are aging in place, knowledge actively accumulated from a lifetime spent in the same area. Structured conversations over a four-month period with 10 elders living on a peninsula in northern Maine provide richly detailed narratives of physical and social particulars of where they live. I use Rowles's (1978) image of concentric circles radiating out from home to organize the information gathered regarding each elder's dwelling, neighborhood and community. Most notable is the depth and detail of their personal knowledge of where they are and with whom they are growing old. I conclude that both the knowledge itself, and the sharing of that knowledge with others, contribute to the implicit and explicit support deemed so valuable for elders who age in place.

“… but then shall I know even as also I am known”

First Corinthians 13:12
Interventions for Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Review and Analysis of Content, Process, and Outcomes
Authors: Bourgeois Michelle S. , Schulz Richard , Burgio Louis
Published: May 2005

Current reviews of the caregiver intervention literature have focused primarily on the outcomes of interventions for caregivers and general methodological limitations of individual studies (i.e., sampling and recruitment issues, adequacy of outcome measures, and generalization issues). Little attention has been paid to the specific factors affecting the therapeutic process, including the intensity and integrity of the interventions used. The purpose of this review is to examine closely the content and process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) caregiver interventions. We describe the types of interventions currently in use, factors affecting intervention outcomes, and we conclude with specific recommendations for the application of intervention technology and for the documentation of intervention research.
Circe's Terrible Island of Change
Authors: Markson Elizabeth , Grevert Priscilla
Published: May 2005

In old age, the relationship between physical incapacity and mental state is apparently circular; that is, degree of physiological degeneration both affects and reflects psychic state. This paper focuses on two questions: 1) To what extent do old people referred for psychiatric care differ from the general aged population in their own ratings of level of self-care? 2) To what extent do age, sex, and mental symptoms play a part in how old people referred for psychiatric care evaluate their physical activity level and health?

Interviews with a sample of 140 old people referred for mental hospitalization suggest that they're neither homogeneous in their self-evaluations of health nor in ability to perform activities of daily living. There seem to be two elements that make up the pattern of self-evaluations by mentally ill old people. One of these is presence or absence of observable symptoms of mental illness. The second is the sex of the respondent. Men, regardless of mental state, feel themselves as independent more often than do women and are even more likely to stress independence when confronted by a female interviewer. The differences between men and women probably reflect sex role behavior persisting even after work and parental roles have been abandoned.
Effective Communication and Counseling with Older Adults
Authors: Giordano Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2005

Age-sensitive communication skills must be developed to achieve greater effectiveness in assisting older adults. These skills should be guided by research findings on the development changes related to normal aging. A listening-responding technique is presented outlining six principles that can be applied in a wide variety of situations. These principles are governed by the intention to preserve self-esteem and to clarify the needs of elderly clients. By using this approach with the older adult, the practitioner will achieve an effective communication process that generates accurate information, supports self-determination, and achieves a therapeutic process.
Social Support and Well-Being: Preliminary Indicators Based on Two Samples of the Elderly
Authors: Levitt Mary J. , Antonucci Toni C. , Clark M. Cherie , Rotton James , Finley Gordon E.
Published: May 2005

The structure of social support and its relation to health, affect, and life satisfaction are compared for two samples of the elderly. The first is a national representative sample; the second is a distressed sample from South Miami Beach. Although there are similarities in the structure of social support across the two groups, those in the Miami Beach sample report fewer support figures, and far fewer within geographic proximity, than do those in the national sample. This comparative network impoverishment is particularly marked for male respondents and is accentuated by a high number of isolates in this group. In addition, stronger relationships are found between support network size and affect, and among affect, life satisfaction, and health in the South Miami Beach sample. Older men in poor health and without supportive relationships are targeted as a particularly high risk subgroup. The discussion includes a focus on personal, situational, and life span differences related to variations in support and well-being and a consideration of implications for more recent waves of elderly sun-belt migrants.
Disengagement Theory Revisited
Authors: Markson Elizabeth W.
Published: May 2005

Cumming and Henry erected the basic frame for a socio-cultural theory of normal aging in their 1961 book, Growing Old. The basic postulates of this theory are reviewed, and the overall structure of the theory briefly examined. Critical data necessary either to accept or reject disengagement theory are not yet available, although useful information has been gathered since the theory first appeared. Part of the difficulty in amassing “proof or” disproof is inherent in the intricate and complex nature of the aging process itself. This orienting paper introduces a set of contributions by other commentators on disengagement theory.