Health Psychology Commons^™

Maladaptive Personality Traits And Health Behaviors, Health Perceptions, And Inflammatory Biomarkers In Older Adults, Joshua R. Oltmanns

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Traits from dimensional models of normal-range personality have been shown to predict physical health outcomes including health behaviors, health perceptions, disease, and mortality. Maladaptive traits of personality disorders may predict even more variance in physical health indicators. Dimensional models of maladaptive personality traits are replacing categorical models of personality disorder, and the five-factor model of personality disorder (FFMPD) has been shown to be a useful dimensional model of maladaptive traits. However, there has been little work investigating the criterion validity of the FFMPD for predicting physical health indicators. The present study examines FFMPD scales in the prediction of health behaviors, …

Advancing Research On Psychological Stress And Aging With The Health And Retirement Study: Looking Back To Launch The Field Forward, Alexandra D. Crosswell, Madhuvanthi Suresh, Eli Puterman, Tara Gruenewald, Jinkook Lee, Elissa S. Epel

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) was designed as an interdisciplinary study with a strong focus on health, retirement, and socioeconomic environment, to study their dynamic relationships over time in a sample of mid-life adults. The study includes validated self-report measures and individual items that capture the experiences of stressful events (stressor exposures) and subjective assessments of stress (perceived stress) within specific life domains.

Methods

This paper reviews and catalogs the peer-reviewed publications that have used the HRS to examine associations between psychological stress measures and psychological, physical health, and economic outcomes.

Results

We describe the research to date …

Beliefs About Savoring In Older Adulthood: Aging And Perceived Health Affect Temporal Components Of Perceived Savoring Ability, Paul Jefferson Geiger, Jennifer N. Morey, Suzanne C. Segerstrom

Psychology Faculty Publications

The ability to savor positive life events is associated with higher emotional well-being; however, few studies have examined savoring ability in older adults. The present study used a longitudinal design to examine changes in perceived savoring abilities and associations with perceived health in older adulthood. Older adults (N=131) reported on beliefs about savoring and perceived health at baseline and 2½ years later. Perceived anticipation (savoring the future) and reminiscing (savoring the past) abilities declined from baseline to follow-up. Better perceived health at baseline predicted greater perceived reminiscing and anticipation abilities at follow-up. Greater perceived ability to savor the …

Dance And Well-Being In Older Adult Communities: Exploring Efficacy As A Mediator, Beth M. Mcgowan

Honors Thesis

As the population of older adults expands, it becomes increasingly important to develop effective interventions to ensure high levels of well-being. Previous research in a variety of populations has shown that dance produces broad benefits including improving physical mobility, social relationships, autonomy, and self-image. Given this, the present study attempted to clarify the mechanisms through which dance might lead to these improvements. Specifically, this research examined the role of self-efficacy, or beliefs that one can accomplish certain tasks, have in explaining the psychological benefits of dance. I hypothesized that when dance is a social activity it instills a sense of …

Openness, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, And Family Health And Aging Concerns Interact In The Prediction Of Health-Related Internet Searches In A Representative U.S. Sample, Tim Bogg, Phuong T. Vo

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Recent estimates suggest 60 % of the U.S. adult population uses the Internet to find health-related information. The goal of the present study was to model health-related Internet searches as a function of an interdependent system of personality adaptation in the context of recent health and aging-related concerns. Assessments of background factors, Big Five personality traits, past-month health and aging-related concerns, and the frequency of past-month health-related Internet searches (via Google, Yahoo, AOL, Bing, or some other search engine) were obtained from a representative U.S. sample (N = 1,015). Controlling for background factors, regression analyses showed more frequent health-related …

Ethnicity And Lifetimes: Self Concepts And Situational Contexts Of Ethnic Identity In Late Life, Mark Luborsky, Robert L. Rubinstein

Anthropology Faculty Research Publications

This chapter reports on finding from a study of ethnic older men, aged 65 an older (Jewish, Irish, and Italian) who were widowed from 2 to 8 years after a long-term study. It focuses on life reorganization after the initial bereavement period. It identifies key issues in the process concerning continuity and change in identity reformulation, changes in health and activity patterns, ethnic identity and lingering attachment to the deceased spouse. Ethnicity as a dynamic life course process, shaped by contextual and historical dimensions, and personal meaning processes are highlighted. Supported by NIH# R01-AG005204