@article {12424, title = {A Longitudinal Examination of the Association Between Loss of Control and Loneliness Among Older Adults Diagnosed with Cancer.}, journal = {Journal of Aging and Health}, volume = {34}, year = {2022}, pages = {1092-1100}, abstract = {

The objective of this paper is to examine whether feeling a loss of control over one{\textquoteright}s life is associated with an increased risk for loneliness among those diagnosed with cancer. We draw on data from the Health and Retirement Study to identify three baseline and follow-up cohorts of cancer survivors age 50 and older. Ordinary least squared regression is used to examine predictors for future loneliness. Upon adjusting for other known predictors of loneliness, feelings of loss of control was significantly predictive of loneliness among 4-year cancer survivors. Social workers and other health care practitioners should seek to provide evidence-based interventions to reduce the risk for loneliness for cancer survivors feeling a loss of control.

}, keywords = {Cancer, Disability, Loneliness, Mental Health, Social work}, issn = {1552-6887}, doi = {10.1177/08982643221092735}, author = {Morris, Zachary and Malik, Sana and Burke, Shanna and Grudzien, Adrienne and Cadet, Tamara} } @mastersthesis {10250, title = {Beyond Wealth and Health: Psycho-Social Factors and Retirement Planning and Expectations in the U.S.}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2019}, month = {2019}, pages = {179}, school = {Boston College University}, address = {Newton, MA}, abstract = {Retirement is a significant transition in an individual{\textquoteright}s life course. More and more people are working past traditional retirement ages. Planning before retirement has been shown to relate to a number of positive outcomes and lead to a smoother transition to a retired life, such as more retirement savings, better retirement satisfaction, better social life, health, and mental health. However, most of the studies about retirement to date have focused on the impact of health and wealth in preparing for a successful retirement. This dissertation examines three issues related to retirement planning and expectations: (1) How do work and family relationships relate to having a plan to reduce or stop work and expected retirement timing in late life, and are there gender and occupational differences in these relationships? (2) How do workplace experiences relate to expectations to retire earlier or later than what is normative in different occupations? (3) Does sense of control explain the relationship between involuntary retirement and retirement satisfaction? To answer the three questions, the author adopts the role theory, the age norm theory, and the theory of self-efficacy to explain the background and findings. The data for this dissertation comes from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative dataset that captures the information about the health and retirement issues among adults over age 50 in the U.S. This proposed study uses pooled cross-sectional data from waves 2012 and 2014. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and logistic regression were used to examine the effect of work and family relationships and the plans/retirement timing of pre-retirees. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine workplace factors that contribute to the non-normative retirement age expectations. Mediation analysis was used to study how personal mastery, perceived constraints, and domain-specific control mediates the relationship between involuntary retirement and retirement satisfaction.}, keywords = {family and work, personal mastery, retirement expectation, Retirement Planning, retirement satisfaction, Social work}, url = {https://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:108593}, author = {Wang, Yihan} } @mastersthesis {10299, title = {The Impact of Adult Children{\textquoteright}s Education on Elderly Parents{\textquoteright} Health and Old-Age Support: Evidence from the United States and China}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2019}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2019-05-03}, pages = {120}, school = {Columbia University}, type = {phd}, abstract = {The aim of this dissertation is to study the effect of adult children{\textquoteright}s education on the health and economic wellbeing of their parents in old age. This dissertation contributes to the field of human capital theory through enhancing the understanding of the connections between adult children and parents in old age. It studies large nationally representative data sets in the US and China. The findings highlight the potential importance of pathways through which children{\textquoteright}s human capital affects parents in later life and suggest that offspring{\textquoteright}s human capital (education) is important for parental health and old-age support. This research has important implications for the amelioration of health disparities related to intergenerational inequality in both the U.S and China.}, keywords = {0351:Gerontology, 0452:Social work, Aging, Education, Gerontology, Human capital, Inter-generational relationship, Social Sciences, Social work}, isbn = {9781392078761}, url = {https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/d8-hfpz-rr25}, author = {Nan Jiang} } @mastersthesis {10317, title = {Neighborhood Environment, Social Participation, and Well-Being among Older Adults in the U.S}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2019}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2019-05-03}, pages = {123}, school = {Washington University in St. Louis}, type = {phd}, abstract = {Due to their diminished functional capacity, older adults are most sensitive and susceptible to the influences of immediate environmental situations. For older adults to enjoy healthy, safe, and active lives in the community, their neighborhood environment must have good person-environment fit. This study extends the current knowledge base of environment and healthy aging by using structural equation modeling with nationally representative panel data, the 2012{\textendash}2014 Health and Retirement Study, (1) to discern the direct impact of neighborhood features on well-being (i.e., physical health, mental health, and life satisfaction) in later life, (2) to investigate the intermediate outcome (i.e. social participation) of environmental antecedents and its pathway pointing to the ultimate health outcomes, and 3) to determine the relative importance of physical versus social aspects of neighborhood environment to participation and well-being in later life. A significant pathway was found between neighborhood environment and individual health outcomes (i.e., life satisfaction, depressive symptoms) and that pathway partially went through participation of the following social activities: interpersonal exchange/helping others and community leisure. Neighborhood physical environment (measured by neighborhood physical disorder scale) was found significantly associated with physical health, whereas neighborhood social environment (measured by neighborhood social cohesion scale) mattered to mental health (i.e., depressive symptoms) and psychological well-being (i.e., life satisfaction). Understanding the associations among environment, participation, and well-being confirms the hypothesis that environment influences people{\textquoteright}s well-being both directly and indirectly by changing human behaviors (i.e., social participation). The findings bring greater attention to the environmental and social factors of health in later life and set the stage for the development and implementation of interventions/ programs fundamentally informed by the person-environment perspective so as to improve human lives.}, keywords = {0452:Social work, 0470:Environmental Health, 0493:Aging, Aging, Environmental Health, Health and environmental sciences, Neighborhood environment, Older adults in the U.S, Social participation, Social Sciences, Social work, Well-being}, isbn = {9781392074145}, url = {https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1829/}, author = {Y Wang} } @mastersthesis {10283, title = {Racial and Ethnic Differences in End-of-Life (EOL) Care and Planning: A Secondary Analysis of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2004-2014}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2019}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2019-05-09}, month = {2019}, pages = {150}, school = {Fordham University}, type = {phd}, abstract = {Due to population ageing, coupled with advances in medical practices, more older Americans have a greater chance to consider end-of-life (EOL) care options such as hospice use and advance care planning, including the completion of two forms of advance directives, living wills and the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPAHC). Despite the documented benefits, advance care planning and hospice care are underutilized. A number of studies have been conducted to identify the factors affecting advance care planning and hospice care use, and among those factors, racial and ethnic disparities in EOL care and planning have been well-documented. However, the results of previous studies are not consistent with findings from recent other studies. These conflicting findings are, at least, due to variation in specific covariates in each study. An examination of EOL care and planning with a more comprehensive and theory driven consideration of potential covariates is limited. Therefore, based on two theoretical frameworks, the Andersen{\textquoteright}s Behavioral Model of Health Service Use (BM) and the Critical Race Theory (CRT), and using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which is a nationally representative dataset that includes an oversample of African Americans and Hispanics, the present study explored whether or not there are racial and ethnic differences in the completion of advance directives, place of death, and the receipt of hospice care by older non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic adults after controlling for a comprehensive list of covariates. The covariates which have been identified by two theoretical frameworks and documented in the literature included 12 variables divided into three categories; predisposing factors: age, gender, marital status, place of birth, religion, and educational attainment; enabling factor: income; and need factors: limitations in physical functioning, the presence of chronic diseases, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and geriatric syndromes (incontinence and falls). In addition, the present study examined the potential mediating effect of education and income on racial and ethnic differences in the completion of advance directives, place of death, and the receipt of hospice care as well as the potential moderating effect of gender on racial and ethnic differences in the completion of advance directives, place of death, and the receipt of hospice care. A secondary data analysis of the Health Retirement Survey (HRS), a nationally representative longitudinal panel survey collected by using a multi-stage area probability sampling, was utilized. The study initially included 6,518 HRS participants who have died at the age of 65 or above between 2004 and 2014 and have a completed an exit interview by a proxy, but final sample size was 5,312 decedents after cases with missing values from dependent variables, covariates, mediators, and moderators were excluded. The final sample size for testing the relationship between race and ethnicity and hospice use was 992 decedents since it was only asked at one survey wave due to changes in item wording and response categories for measuring the variable of hospice care use. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used to determine the independent influence of race and ethnicity on EOL outcomes. The analyses showed that race and ethnicity significantly predicted completion of ADs, either living wills or DPAHC, even after controlling for covariates. As compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics were less likely to have DPAHC or living wills. Race and ethnicity significantly predicted non-hospital death, as well. As compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics were less likely to die at non-hospital settings. However, race and ethnicity had no significant effect on hospice use. For the mediation analyses, the method suggested by Karlson, Holm, and Breen (KHB) was used. The KHB test showed that the relationship between race and ethnicity and the completion of living wills and DPAHC was significantly partially mediated by education and income. In particular, the degree of mediation was much larger for education than income. The interaction between race and ethnicity and gender did not have significant effects on the completion of living wills, place of death, and hospice use. However, there were significant interaction effects between race and ethnicity and gender on the completion of DPAHC. In particular, for non-Hispanic whites, the odds of completing DPAHC for female participants were 1.41 times that of non-Hispanic white male participants. From the CRT as an interpretative tool for understanding the complex mechanism of racial and ethnic gaps in EOL care and planning, the findings can be evidence that the source of the gaps may be structural racism, which interacts with gender, socio-economic status such as income and educational attainment, religion, and other social identities to create racialization in health care outcomes. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)}, keywords = {0452:Social work, 0631:Ethnic studies, End-of-life (EOL) care and planning, Ethnic studies, Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2004-2014, Racial and ethnic differences, Social Sciences, Social work}, isbn = {9781392118276}, url = {https://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2218669527?accountid=14667}, author = {Han,Junghee} } @mastersthesis {10295, title = {Risk Factors for Loneliness and Social Isolation among Black Older Adults}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2019}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2019-09-20}, pages = {153}, school = {Washington University in St. Louis}, type = {phd}, abstract = {There are limited empirical research studies examining loneliness and social isolation among Black older adults. Studying loneliness and social isolation among older Black populations is important given the projected growth of the Black older adult population in coming years, Black older adults disproportionately experience life situations associated with greater loneliness and social isolation compared to White older adults, Black older adults are significantly less likely to use health and social services compared to older Whites, and Black Americans are more likely to live in environments that lack economic and social resources, and have severe hazards in terms of the built environment. Given the limited knowledge in this area and significance of this topic, the purpose of my dissertation is to determine risk factors for loneliness and social isolation among Black older adults and whether risk factors for loneliness and social isolation among Black older adults vary by sex, age, and environmental context. I utilize the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to address my study aims. The HRS is a nationally representative longitudinal panel survey of adults 50 and older living in the United States of America. Loneliness was operationalized using the Hughes 3-item loneliness scale. Social isolation was operationalized using a social network index. Risk factors for loneliness and social isolation included demographic factors (e.g., age, education), health factors (e.g., self-rated health, depressive symptoms), and environmental factors (e.g., neighborhood social cohesion, neighborhood physical disorder). In addition to main effect regression models, I tested the moderating effects of sex (women and men), age, and environmental context (living in an urban, suburban, or rural environment) to determine if these factors moderated the relationships between the risk factors and loneliness/social isolation. A variety of demographic, health, and environmental factors were associated with loneliness and social isolation among Black older adults. Risk factors for loneliness were younger age, greater years of education, lower total household income, worse self-rated health, greater depressive symptoms, less neighborhood social cohesion, and greater social isolation. Risk factors for social isolation were lower total household income, worse self-rated health, living in an urban community (compared to living in a suburban community), and greater loneliness. Additionally, several of these risk factors varied according to sex, age, and environmental context. This is one of the first studies to examine risk factors for loneliness and social isolation among a nationally representative sample of Black older adults. I found that there was little overlap in risk factors for loneliness and social isolation among Black older adults, further indicating these are distinct conditions. Study implications include the need to raise awareness of loneliness and social isolation among Black older adults and to further explore and intervene upon risk factors for these conditions. Finally, evidence that several risk factors vary by sex, age, and environmental context underscores the heterogeneity with the older Black population. Strengths, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.}, keywords = {0325:Black studies, 0351:Gerontology, 0452:Social work, Black older adults, Black studies, Gerontology, Loneliness, social isolation, Social work}, author = {Harry Owen Taylor} } @mastersthesis {10241, title = {Drinking Behaviors and Health in Old Age.}, volume = {Master of Social Work}, year = {2018}, month = {04/2018}, pages = {26}, school = {University of New Hampshire}, address = {Durham, NH}, abstract = {Alcohol abuse among the elderly population is rapidly becoming a widespread public health concern. As it goes undetected and undiagnosed in many within this age cohort, there is an increased need to further examine the effects of alcohol consumption on physical and mental health. This study investigated how and to what extent drinking behaviors affect physical and mental health in older people. Data came from the 2012 and 2014 Health and Retirement study, a nationally representative survey of Americans aged 51 and older. Our sample was restricted to people who participated in both waves of the survey from 2012 and 2014 (N=19,719). Drinking behavior was split into three groups: non-drinker, moderate drinker, and binge drinker. Three independent variables were examined to explore overall health of respondents: self-rated health, chronic conditions, and depression. Chi-squares and ANOVA testing were used to determine characteristics of binge drinkers in old age. OLS regression was used to examine how drinking behavior affected self-rated health and chronic conditions and logistic regression was used to explore how drinking behavior affected depression in old age. We found that non-drinkers have the worst physical and mental health with a self-rated health score of 3.09 (SD = 1.07) and the highest number of chronic conditions (2.47; SD = 1.58). Moderate drinkers were found to be the most depressed (1.94, SD = 1.80). Binge drinkers were most likely to be Hispanic (26.16\%), male (97.93\%), unmarried (98.09\%) elders. Additionally, binge drinkers were the youngest group of respondents (60.88, SD = 7.98) and had the least amount of education (11.81 years, SD = 2.86). The findings of this study once again suggest further research into the affects of drinking behavior on health in old age is needed to better serve this population}, keywords = {Aging, Binge drinking, Gerontology, health conditions, Social work}, url = {https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2199\&context=thesis}, author = {Knapp, Kaleigh} } @mastersthesis {10300, title = {Volunteering Helps Unemployed Older Workers{\textquoteright} Mental Health: How, Why, and Does It Work for All?}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2018}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2018-08-28}, pages = {93}, school = {Boston College}, type = {phd}, abstract = {Despite the fact that older workers (50+) are much overrepresented among the long-term unemployed and often suffer from multiple mental health problems, the social work literature has rarely tackled this issue. In my dissertation, guided by Jahoda{\textquoteright}s Latent Deprivation Theory and the productive aging framework, I examined the positive coping strategies of unemployed older workers. I set out to understand whether engaging in formal volunteering in an organization would buffer the negative impact of unemployment on older workers{\textquoteright} mental health. I also fill out the gap in the literature regarding the mechanism of the positive effect of volunteering on mental health by examining two latent benefits from working as mediators: purpose in life and perceived social status. I used fixed effects modeling for the moderation analysis. I analyzed six waves (12 years) of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). I used structural equation modeling and analyzed two waves of HRS for the mediation analysis. I used full information maximum likelihood method to handle missing values. I found that there was a significant moderation between engaging in formal volunteering and unemployment status on older workers{\textquoteright} depressive symptoms. Unemployed older workers who engaged in volunteering fared better than those unemployed workers who did not volunteer. Consistent with previous studies using the HRS, I also found that those unemployed older workers who volunteered over 200 hours/year did not benefit from volunteering compared to those volunteered under 100 hours/year. Mediation analysis results showed that perceived social status and purpose in life mediate the protective effect of volunteering. Both the moderation and mediation results varied by race and ethnicity. Results from this dissertation have important implications for future intervention development. For example, interventions targeting the unemployed older workers may incorporate formal volunteering as one element for participants to gain social contact, purpose in life, and enhance perceived social status. Interventions can also create an environment that mirrors an office to enhance these latent benefits (mediators) in order to improve mental health.}, keywords = {0452:Social work, health, Helps, Mental, Older, Social Sciences, Social work, Unemployed, Volunteering, Work, Workers}, isbn = {9780438245907}, url = {https://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:108094}, author = {Jie Yang} } @mastersthesis {10318, title = {Who{\textquoteright}s In, Who{\textquoteright}s Out: A Descriptive Analysis of Demographic and Contextual Factors Related to Labor Force Participation among Older Adults}, volume = {PhD}, year = {2018}, note = {Copyright - Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works; Last updated - 2018-06-27}, pages = {98}, school = {University of Alabama}, type = {phd}, abstract = {As the proportion of older adults in the United States grows, there are significant concerns surrounding economic well-being in retirement. The two major components of the U.S retirement income system, Social Security and employer-sponsored retirement plans, have undergone significant changes that erode financial security in retirement. Working longer has been proposed to help older adults overcome deficits in retirement income. However, even when motivated to work, many older adults face significant challenges in the labor market, particularly those who are unemployed or displaced. In the current study, secondary data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is used to identify demographic and contextual factors associated with unemployment, displacement, and reemployment (among those who are displaced at Time 2) among older adults. Logistic regression is used to examine the influence of race/ethnicity, gender, education, relationship status, health status, income status, geographical location, eligibility for retirement/age, and sector of employment on unemployment, displacement, and reemployment. Results suggest being of an {\textquotedblleft}other{\textquotedblright} race, being married, being in fair to poor health, and having household income below the poverty threshold increased the odds of employed while being previously employed in the service sector reduced the odds of unemployment. All else equal, being African American and living in the West increases the likelihood of displacement among older adults while being female, living in poverty, and being eligible for retirement (aged 62 and older) reduces an older adult{\textquoteright}s chances of being displaced. Finally, all else equal, being African American, living in the Northeast, and being eligible for retirement (aged 62 and older) reduced the likelihood reemployment at Time 2. The major implications of these findings for research, policy, and practice are discussed.}, keywords = {0351:Gerontology, 0452:Social work, Gerontology, Older workers, Reemployment, Social Sciences, Social work, Unemployment, Worker displacement, Working Longer}, isbn = {9780438040755}, url = {https://books.google.com/books/about/Who_s_In_Who_s_Out.html?id=ouXsvQEACAAJ}, author = {White-Chapman,Nyshetia} } @article {7328, title = {Factors associated with long-stay nursing home admissions among the U.S. elderly population: comparison of logistic regression and the Cox proportional hazards model with policy implications for social work.}, journal = {Soc Work Health Care}, volume = {48}, year = {2009}, month = {2009}, pages = {154-68}, publisher = {48}, abstract = {

Two statistical methods were compared to identify key factors associated with long-stay nursing home (LSNH) admission among the U.S. elderly population. Social Work{\textquoteright}s interest in services to the elderly makes this research critical to the profession. Effectively transitioning the "baby boomer" population into appropriate long-term care will be a great societal challenge. It remains a challenge paramount to the practice of social work. Secondary data analyses using four waves (1995, 1998, 2000, and 2002) of the Health Retirement Study (HRS) coupled with the Assets and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) surveys were conducted. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards model were performed and compared. Older age, lower self-perceived health, worse instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), psychiatric problems, and living alone were found significantly associated with increased risk of LSNH admission. In contrast, being female, African American, or Hispanic; owning a home; and having lower level of cognitive impairment reduced the admission risk. Home ownership showed a significant effect in logistic regression, but a marginal effect in the Cox model. The Cox model generally provided more precise parameter estimates than logistic regression. Logistic regression, used frequently in analyses, can provide a good approximation to the Cox model in identifying factors of LSNH admission. However, the Cox model gives more information on how soon the LSNH admission may happen. Our analyses, based on two models, dually identified the factors associated with LSNH admission; therefore, results discussed confidently provide implications for both public and private long-term care policies, as well as improving the assessment capabilities of social work practitioners for development of screening programs among at-risk elderly. Given the predicted surge in this population, significant factors found from this study can be utilized in a strengths-based empowerment approach by social workers to aid in avoiding LSNH utilization.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Female, Geriatric Assessment, Health Status, Homes for the Aged, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Mental Health, Nursing homes, Proportional Hazards Models, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Social work, Socioeconomic factors, United States}, issn = {0098-1389}, doi = {10.1080/00981380802580588}, author = {Cai, Qian and J. Warren Salmon and Mark E. Rodgers} } @article {7052, title = {Understanding the racial and ethnic differences in caregiving arrangements.}, journal = {J Gerontol Soc Work}, volume = {45}, year = {2005}, month = {2005}, pages = {3-21}, publisher = {45}, abstract = {

In this study, the relative importance of family/household structure, socioeconomic status, and culture is examined, and their connection to racial and ethnic variations in caregiving networks is explored. Each of these three domains is seen as contributing to the race/ethnic variations in caregiving arrangements.

}, keywords = {Aged, Caregivers, ethnicity, Family Characteristics, Female, Frail Elderly, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Social work, Socioeconomic factors, United States}, issn = {0163-4372}, doi = {10.1300/J083v45n04_02}, author = {Terry Y S Lum} }