Digital Commons Network^™

A Causal Discovery Exploration Of Determinants Of Social Isolation, Barry Nuqoba, Kenneth Choo, Yi Wen Tan, William Tov

ROSA Research Briefs

In this report, we explore the potential causes of social isolation among older adults in Singapore using causal discovery. We found an inferred causal relationship between perceived helpfulness and social isolation, where older adults who perceived themselves as helpful were less likely to perceive themselves as socially isolated. Our study also found that perceived isolation and loneliness may be distinct concepts among older adults in Singapore, with loneliness being more likely to precede social isolation. Policy recommendations include promoting a sense of helpfulness through programs such as volunteering to reduce social isolation.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Perspectives Of Elderspeak, Katelynn Shimanski

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Compared to other forms of discrimination, ageism, and specific forms of ageism such as elderspeak are understudied. Despite the fact that the majority of older adults are community-dwelling, much of the existing literature on elderspeak focuses on caregiver perceptions on elderspeak occurring in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The present study analyzed community dwelling older adult’s perceptions of elderspeak using their personal examples of experiences of elderspeak. Results indicated that the majority of participants had negative perceptions of elderspeak that would likely not be influenced by changes in contextual factors such as setting, relationship to the speaker, and gender …

Ability To Reduce Gram Scams Through Educational Intervention, Ellis Garel

Scripps Senior Theses

Objective: This study aims to understand why people fall for scams and seeks to explore what interventions for scam prevention are the most effective in older adults. Participants: Approximately 686 participants aged 65 and above will be randomly assigned to view one of four intervention types: celebrity endorsement PSA, community-based PSA, personal advice from a family member, or the control group. Method: A path analysis will be conducted to examine how the type of intervention, gender of the participant, and history of financial fraud, mediated through concerns and susceptibility to scams, impact the propensity to fall for a hypothetical scam …

การศึกษาความโดดเดี่ยวของผู้สูงอายุในบ้านพักคนชรา: การวิจัยแบบสร้างทฤษฎีจากข้อมูล, ภาดล สุขสถิตย์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยฉบับนี้จัดทำขึ้นเพื่อศึกษาถึงกระบวนการสร้างมโนทัศน์ การรับรู้ และการตอบสนองของผู้สูงอายุที่มีต่อประสบการณ์ความโดดเดี่ยวที่อาศัยอยู่ในศูนย์ดูแลผู้สูงอายุหรือผู้มีภาวะพึ่งพิง โดยใช้ระเบียบวิธีการวิจัยแบบทฤษฎีฐานรากตามแนวคิดสรรคนิยม (constructivist grounded theory) ผ่านการเก็บข้อมูลด้วยการสัมภาษณ์จากผู้สูงอายุจำนวน 22 คน เพศชายจำนวน 9 คน เพศหญิง 13 คนจาก ศูนย์ดูแลผู้สูงอายุฯ จำนวน 5 แห่งในจังหวัดระยองและจังหวัดจันทบุรี เมื่อนำข้อมูลการสัมภาษณ์มาทำการลงรหัสและวิเคราะห์พบว่ามีข้อค้นพบที่อธิบายกระบวนการในการรับรู้ สร้างมโนทัศน์และตอบสนองต่อความโดดเดี่ยวของผู้สูงอายุ จำนวน 5 ประเด็น ได้แก่ 1) ปัจจัยด้านบุคคล 2) ศูนย์ดูแลผู้สูงอายุ 3) ประสบการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้น 4) ความโดดเดี่ยว 5) การตอบสนองต่อความโดดเดี่ยว โดยพบว่าปัจจัยด้านบุคคลที่เป็นปัจจัยที่อธิบายถึงลักษณะบุคลิกและภูมิหลังของผู้สูงอายุและปัจจัยด้านลักษณะการรับรู้ของผู้สูงอายุที่มีต่อศูนย์ดูแลผู้สูงอายุฯ นั้นมีอิทธิพลต่อการรับรู้ความเป็นไปหรือประสบการณ์ในขณะที่อาศัยอยู่ในศูนย์ดูแลผู้สูงอายุ รวมไปถึงการรับรู้ประสบการณ์ความโดดเดี่ยวและรูปแบบที่ผู้สูงอายุแต่ละคนตอบสนองต่อความโดดเดี่ยวที่เกิดขึ้น ซึ่งในขณะเดียวกันการรับรู้ประสบการณ์ หรือความโดดเดี่ยวและการตอบสนองที่เกิดขึ้นกับผู้สูงอายุก็ส่งผลให้เกิดการเปลี่ยนแปลงในด้านบุคลิกภาพของผู้สูงอายุได้เช่นกัน ซึ่งข้อค้นพบนี้ได้เน้นย้ำให้เห็นถึงอิทธิพลที่ส่งผลซึ่งกันและกันในกระบวนการรับรู้ประสบการณ์และความโดดเดี่ยวของผู้สูงอายุทั้งจากปัจจัยภายในผู้สูงอายุ ปัจจัยด้านสภาพแวดล้อมและปัจจัยเชิงสังคม งานวิจัยฉบับนี้จึงได้เสนอให้มีการพัฒนาการดูแลผู้สูงอายุอย่างเป็นองค์รวมและสร้างความเข้าใจถึงพลวัตที่เกิดขึ้นกับการรับรู้ของผู้สูงอายุที่อาศัยภายในศูนย์ดูแลผู้สูงอายุฯ ซึ่งจะเป็นรากฐานในการพัฒนาการบริการการดูแลระยะยาวต่อไป

Environmentalism Among Older Adults: Investigating Predictors Of Pro-Environmental Behavior In Later Life, Ajit Singh Mann

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Human actions are largely responsible for degradation of the natural environment, and environmental threats due to climate change are increasingly prevalent. Despite the immediate need to conserve the natural environment, the role of older adults in pro-environmental initiatives has largely been ignored. I conducted two studies to understand pathways for promoting pro-environmental behavior among older adults, with the goal of shedding light on older adults’ engagement in environmental action. In the first study, I investigated the indirect effect of age on pro-environmental behavior, through personal values and environmental concern, among a general sample (N=292). I considered the role of flow …

The Unequal Distribution Of Social Risk For Black Men Across The Life-Span. A Novel Framework., Waleed Y. Sami

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual overview offers a comprehensive overview of systemic pathways that negatively impact the mental health of Black Men throughout their lives. Our argument highlights the importance for counselors and mental health professionals to utilize a thorough social risk assessment that considers these pathways in order to effectively address the mental health needs of Black Men while fostering positive working relationships. This overview strongly advocates for the use of context and structural determinants when evaluating mental health symptoms. Without an appropriate understanding of social risk and determinants, counselors may inadvertently perpetuate disparities by decontextualizing symptomology, and reproducing racist discourse.

Loneliness Is The Nucleus For Psychopathology: Relationships With Cognitive, Social, And Personality Disorders, Natalie S. Byrd

Soaring: A Journal of Undergraduate Research

Loneliness is not just a phenomenon observed in clinical practice but is a core issue in the study of mental disorders more broadly – psychopathology. Loneliness is the key to the study of all mental disorders as many have shown significant relation to loneliness either as a risk factor for developing or maintaining the disorder, or as a co-occurring condition of the disorder. In other words, loneliness is both a cause and a consequence of mental illness. Specifically, this review explores the relationships of loneliness in cognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder), social disorders (social anxiety disorder, …

The Effectiveness Of Group Treatments For Veterans: A Meta-Analysis, Janine S. Hazel

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Transitioning into civilian life after serving in the military can be a huge adjustment for many military members. The military lifestyle and culture are unique structures that become a large part of military members’ identity and belief systems. For decades, veterans have struggled with several mental health issues and other poor outcomes at higher rates than non-military individuals (i.e., depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation, homelessness, financial distress). Often, these poor outcomes can leave veterans feeling alone and misunderstood by their non-military community—impacting their ability to reintegrate into civilian life successfully. Social isolation and a lack of felt interconnectedness negatively affect veterans’ …

Developing A Gender Diverse Stimulus Set For Emotion Expressions, Amir Robertson

Honors Theses and Capstones

Much past research has demonstrated that gender plays an important role in emotion perception, such that gendered stereotypes about emotion seem to shape how we perceive and interpret the emotion expressions of men and women. However, the stimulus sets that are typically used in the vast majority of this research have been based on binary ideas of gender, and purposefully limit common elements of gender presentation, with models posing with limited accessories or personal aesthetic choices. In everyday life, however, individuals’ gender and gender presentation are not limited in these ways and likely contribute in important ways to how we …

Individual Differences In Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories, Kelly Jakubowski, Edith Lee, Elena Bai, Amy M. Belfi

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Music is increasingly used as a cue for autobiographical memories in psychological research and clinical interventions. Despite the burgeoning body of evidence on the phenomenology of music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs), few previous studies have focused in detail on how the capacities and experiences of individual listeners impact features of MEAMs. The present work examined the relationship of individual differences in visual and auditory imagery, musical familiarity and engagement, musical reward sensitivity, musical training, and gender to MEAM features. Participants (N = 304, ages 18–25 years, 156 female) completed a self-selected MEAM task, in which they described an autobiographical memory they …

Qualitative Family Research: Innovative, Flexible, Theoretical, Reflexive, Abbie E. Goldberg, Katherine R. Allen

Psychology

Qualitative research is increasingly part of the methodological repertoire of scholars who study families. In this article, we examine contemporary trends, tensions, and possibilities for the interdisciplinary enterprise of qualitative research on and about families. We situate our collaborative approach as critical family scholars who pursue social justice work. We then examine four trends that have recently emerged or evolved in qualitative family research. First, we address methodological innovations associated with the pervasive emergence of online technologies and their possibilities for enhanced sample selection, data collection, and data analysis. Second, we address the potential for qualitative methodological orthodoxy to become …

Fantasia On A Theme Of Purpose: Using A Music-Guided Scribble Technique To Support Meaning-Making In Older Adult Retiree Musicians, Sophia R. Smith

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

Within the population of older adults, overall well-being corresponds with the ability to self-actualize and seek meaning, but age-related changes combined with ageism and isolation can negatively impact this capacity to maintain a sense of purpose, especially following retirement. It may be that retired musicians are especially vulnerable to this experience later in life due to a loss of the primary method of creative engagement and community that is facilitated by musical performance in a group setting. Integrating phenomenological and ethnographic approaches, this study utilized a qualitative design to understand how music-guided art-making incorporating the scribble technique could support a …

Anxiety And Depression In Older Adults Post Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Mickaela R. Reed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research has investigated challenges that are created when one experiences a disaster within populations such as older adults and other vulnerable groups of people. However, there is little to no consideration given to how age in combination with trauma history are related to well-being after a disaster. Using two theories, socioemotional selectivity theory (SST, Carstensen, 2006) and the strength and vulnerability integration model (SAVI, Charles, 2010). I compared older adults post disaster vulnerabilty to depression and anxiety to that of younger adults with trauma history as a moderator. The 2,508 participants in the current study were from the Survey of …

Cognitive Reflection And Socioeconomic Status Predict Children's Explanations Of Inequality, Mykee Vives

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Research suggests children who prefer internal over external explanations of inequality (e.g., innate ability differences vs. structural racism/sexism) are more likely to develop social biases. Adults with greater cognitive reflection (i.e., analytic thinking) and socioeconomic status (SES) are sometimes less likely to engage in internal reasoning about social groups. We investigated whether cognitive reflection and SES similarly predict children’s explanations of inequality. Five to 12-year-old children (N = 162) completed Rizzo et al.’s (2021) explanations for inequalities task for the domains of race and gender. In this task children chose between internal (“because of who they are on the inside”) …

Investigating The Role Of Glycemic Control In Cognitive Impairement Risk Among Elderly Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Scoping Review, Julia Pessaia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), presents a significant health burden globally, affecting millions of individuals, especially in the elderly population. While its association with cardiovascular diseases and cognitive impairments is well-documented, further research on the precise influence of glucose control on cognitive outcomes in elderly T2DM patients is necessary. This scoping review aims to address this gap by investigating the impact of HbA1c levels representing glycemic control on the risk of developing cognitive impairments in elderly patients with T2DM. A literature search was conducted on MEDLINE and eligible studies involved T2DM patients aged 60 or older, with documented cognitive function …

The Influence Of Intersectionality On Identity And Resilience, Stephanie Washburn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Co-occurring multiple minority group membership (e.g., ethnic/racial minority and sexual/gender minority) has come to be referred as intersectionality. The purpose of this study was to explore if intersectionality is related to identity and resilience in undergraduate adults. The participant pool consisted of college students from a large metropolitan university in the Southeastern United States, (N = 340), who took an anonymous online self-report survey battery in exchange for course credit. Higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of identity distress. Further, identity commitment, but not identity exploration, predicted resiliency. Sexual/Gender Minority (SGM) individuals had lower resiliency than …

Deceptive Realities: Exploring The Nexus Of Fake News, Artificial Intelligence, And Public Perception, Victor E. Milanes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Our research delves into two critical areas: fake news and artificial intelligence (AI). Historically, fake news predates the printing press, but its resurgence after the 2016 US Presidential Election garnered mass attention. Studies indicate its potency, with one fake article found to be as influential as a campaign ad (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). However, partisan media likely skews its impact on public perception.

Conversely, AI's integration has surged in recent years, sparking both excitement and concern among the public (Pew Research Center, 2022). Its ability to generate hyper-specific images, demonstrated by DALL·E 2 and Midjourney, poses challenges in distinguishing real …

Predictors Of Canadians’ Psychological Well-Being In Retirement: A Mixed Methods Approach, Jessica Miller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In prior decades, retirement research focused on the negative effects of the life transition—such as negative psychological well-being caused by factors such as difficulties adjusting to retirement, feelings of a role loss, or the financial effects of retirement. However, there is considerable agreement across recent research studies that post-retirement years are marked by positive psychological well-being due to a variety of factors. For example, retirees often spend more time in roles (such as volunteer positions) that provide life satisfaction. The present study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine factors related to well-being in retirement among individuals living in …

Extracellular Free Water As An Imaging Biomarker Of Neuroinflammation, Cristina N. Pinheiro

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Older adults experience a chronic state of heightened immune response referred to as “inflammaging” which can be observed by detecting levels of proinflammatory cytokines in blood serum. These proinflammatory cytokines are secreted in the central nervous system and may also enter the brain through the blood brain barrier. Previous literature has suggested that extracellular free water, a magnetic resonance imaging metric, may allow us to detect alterations in the extracellular space which are thought to correlate with inflammation in the central nervous system. This study examined the correlation between two proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNFα, collected longitudinally and cross-sectionally imaged …

Subjective Cognitive Decline: Examining The Contributions Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Social Determinants Of Health, Amber Victoria Rusch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Subjective cognitive decline is one’s awareness of their own consistent memory loss or confusion that interrupts their day-to-day activities (CDC, 2022; Roehr et al., 2017). Several risk factors for subjective cognitive decline, such as demographic social determinants of health (SDOH) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified through previous research (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016; Dening & Sandilyan, 2015); however, less is known about the interaction between demographic SDOH and ACEs on subjective cognitive decline. The current study sought to examine how demographic SDOH (i.e., age, sex, race, and education) (research question 1) and ACEs (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse, and …

Association Of Circulating Ketone Bodies With Cognitive Performance And Dementia In The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis (Mesa), Parag Anilkumar Chevli, Christopher L Schaich, Alexis C Wood, Luqman A Tk, Anurag Mehta, Vardhmaan Jain, Margery Connelly, Suzanne Craft, Elad Shemesh, José A Luchsinger, Kathleen M Hayden, Bonnie Colleen Sachs, Timothy M Hughes, Michael D Shapiro

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction

Growing interest centers on the association between circulating ketone bodies (KB) and cognitive function, notably in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Methods

Associations of plasma KB with incident dementia and cognitive performances were examined among Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants. KB were measured using plasma samples collected following an overnight fasting at Exam 1 (2000–02) and detailed cognitive testing at Exam 5 (2010–2012, N = 4392), Exam 6 (2016–2018, N = 1838), and in MESA‐MIND (2019–2021, N = 2060).

Results

Over 16.7 years, a doubling of total KB was associated with a greater risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio …

Assessment Of Deficits In Specific Cognitive Domains In Older Adults Living With Hiv., Andrea Reyes-Vega, Harideep Samanapally, Rishikesh Rijal, Stephen P. Furmanek, Christopher B. Shields, Brandon C. Dennis, Smita Ghare, Shirish Barve

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A significant proportion of people living with HIV (PLWH) have cognitive impairment. Moreover, approximately 70% of PLWH in the United States will be ≥50 years old by 2030, raising concerns of a higher incidence of dementia as they age. Accordingly, there is a clinical need to monitor their cognitive status. The aim of this study was to delineate specific cognition areas impacted in OALWH with a clinical diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment. We used a comprehensive set of tests (paper and NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery), to assess different cognitive domains in a total of 25 OALWH ≥ 50 years. 64% were …

Sequence Analysis Of Cardiometabolic Multimorbidity And Association With Subsequent Dementia, Corey Nagel, Heather Allore, Anda Botoseneanu, Jeffrey Kaye, Jason Newsom, Nicholas Bishop, Ana Quinones

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sequence analysis is used in the social sciences to examine patterns of events occurring across the life course, but there are few examples of its use in multimorbidity research among older adults. We used sequence analysis to identify longitudinal patterns of cardiometabolic multimorbidity over a five-year period among participants in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N=5,218). Multimorbidity sequences were constructed using self-reported diagnosis of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) assessed annually. Death was included as an absorbing state, yielding a total of 281 distinct sequences. We calculated sequence dissimilarity using optimal matching then used hierarchical …

Project Silverlight: Community Based And Participant-Led Initiatives To Increase Civic Engagement Among Older Adults, Paulin T. Straughan, William Tov, Wensi Lim, Rachel Ngu, Yan Er Tan, Mindy Eiko Tadai

ROSA Research Briefs

Project Silverlight was a year-long project aimed at redefining social engagement and participation of older adults in the community. In this report, we share our findings from the project and key recommendations to community partners who are looking to adopt a similar model of participant-led programs. Our study found that by engaging student volunteers as a key partner in this initiative, participants showed a significant improvement in their perceptions of youth, and that participants derived a great sense of satisfaction from being involved in the curation of their activities.

Exploring Aging Using The Selection, Optimization, And Compensation (Soc) Framework In Conjunction With Kinematic Gait And Verbal Fluency Task Analysis In Healthy Adults, Emily Ann Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This multi-study dissertation examined dual-task performance in young and middle-aged adults using verbal fluency tasks (VFT) during different walking scenarios (baseline, performing a VFT, walking narrowly, and performing a VFT while walking narrowly) as well as the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) model. Thirty adults (15 young adults (YA; 19-44 years) and 15 middle-aged adults (MA; 45-65 years) participated in this study. Overall, there were no significant differences between groups when data was examined in short (means of means approach) and long-form (incorporating all data), when analyzing clustering and switching strategies, gait speed variability, or dual-task costs. Overall, these three …

The Use Of Deception In Dementia-Care Robots: Should Robots Tell "White Lies" To Limit Emotional Distress?, Samuel R. Cox, Grace Cheong, Wei Tsang Ooi

ROSA Journal Articles and Publications

With projections of ageing populations and increasing rates of dementia, there is need for professional caregivers. Assistive robots have been proposed as a solution to this, as they can assist people both physically and socially. However, caregivers often need to use acts of deception (such as misdirection or white lies) in order to ensure necessary care is provided while limiting negative impacts on the cared-for such as emotional distress or loss of dignity. We discuss such use of deception, and contextualise their use within robotics.

Projecting, Persuading, & Protecting: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Adult Children’S Predictions Of Parents’ Quality-Of-Life Valuations In Serious Illness States, Jessica Hahne

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Older adults often face complex serious illness decisions and involve their adult children as shared or surrogate decision makers. However, previous research asking family members to predict older adults’ treatment preferences in serious illness situations typically shows poor concordance with older adults’ actual preferences. In the current mixed methods analysis, we surveyed older adults (n = 38) on their health state valuations in five serious illness scenarios. Two of their adult children (n = 76) predicted their parent’s preferences. Families also participated in a semi-structured conversation to discuss their preferences and predictions. Quantitative analyses showed that parents’ average valuations were …

Relationship Status And Psychological Well-Being: Initial Evidence For The Moderating Effects Of Commitment Readiness, Kenneth Tan, Daniel Ho, Christopher R. Agnew

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Past research has suggested that the association between romantic relationship status (i.e., single vs. coupled) and well-being can be dependent on different aspects of an individual's personal life. In the current research, we examined whether commitment readiness (i.e., the subjective sense that the current time is "right" to be in a committed romantic relationship) moderates the link between current relationship status and psychological well-being. With correlational data obtained from three independent samples (two from Singapore, one cross-cultural comparison between Singapore and USA), we found a significant moderating effect of commitment readiness. Coupled individuals higher in readiness reported greater levels of …

Ageism By A Community Sample Of Young Adults: Expanding The Contact Hypothesis To Explore Ageism, Helena Lucia Swanson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Aging demographics globally are changing rapidly, resulting in the category of “older adults” (65 years and older) growing to eventually become the largest age demographic (United Nations, 2022). As our world gets older, ageism is a growing concern given its health, societal, cultural, and political consequences (Chrisler et al., 2016; Bugental & Hehman, 2007; Levy et al., 2020). Following Allport’s Contact Hypothesis (1954), this dissertation empirically analyzed predictors of ageism, including contact with older adults, for younger adults (18-26 years old) residing in U.S. communities. Participants were recruited using Prolific Academic, an online crowdsourcing platform and responded to five scales …

The Ritual Of Therapeutic Artmaking In Long-Term Care, Melinda Heinz Dr., Elissa Wenthe, Alexis Schramel

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

The transition to long-term care settings can be difficult for residents and feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety are not uncommon in these environments. However, participating in therapeutic artmaking rituals creates opportunities for residents to process their feelings, experience states of flow and mindfulness, engage with others, and focus on their own psychological growth. In long-term care, the physical needs of residents are often prioritized, but psychosocial needs also require attention. For this project, therapeutic artmaking rituals were created at a long-term care facility in three levels of care over 12 months. Older adults engaged with clay, paint, raw fiber, …