The main objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and depression and to estimate the mediating effects of social network ...satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status among middle-aged and elderly men living alone, based on the reserve capacity model. Secondary data from a sample of 394 middle-aged and elderly men aged 45 years or older from the 15th Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) were analyzed. A path analysis model was constructed to evaluate the relationship among SES, social network satisfaction, self-esteem, perceived health status, and depression. The path analysis exhibited significant direct effects of social network satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status on depression and significant indirect effects of SES on depression. There was no direct effect of SES on depression. Social network satisfaction and self-esteem had significant mediating effects of SES on depression. Among middle-aged and elderly men, intrapersonal reserves, which are psychosocial factors including social network satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status, showed more association with depression than tangible reserves such as SES. This suggests that interventions promoting self-esteem and perceived health status could prevent depression.
The health costs of in-person schooling during the pandemic, if any, fall primarily on the families of students, largely owing to the fact that students significantly outnumber teachers. Data from ...North Carolina, Wisconsin, Australia, England, and Israel covering almost 80 million person-days in school during 2020 help assess the magnitude of the fatality risks of in-person schooling, accounting for mitigation protocols as well as the age and living arrangements of students and teachers. The risks of in-person schooling to unvaccinated teachers are, for those not yet elderly, small enough to challenge comprehension. Valued at a VSL of $10 million, the average daily fatality cost ranges from $0.01 for a young teacher living alone to as much as $29 for an elderly teacher living with an elderly spouse. For each 22 million unvaccinated students and teachers schooling in-person for a 5-day week during the pandemic, the expected number of fatalities among teachers and their spouses is one or less.
Aims: The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of unwitnessed STEMI on prehospital delay and delay related cognitive and behavioural responses of the patients-Methods: Data were from ...the Multicentre MEDEA study with a total of 619 ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Data on sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics were collected at bedside. To assess the context of the symptom onset (witnessed or not) and the subsequent responses (behavioural, cognitive, and emotional), the Response to Symptoms Questionnaire was used. Associations with pre-hospital delay were computed using logistic regressions. Results: Among 619 STEMI patients, a total of 221 (36%) patients were alone during the acute phase of myocardial infarction, and 182 (29%) patients were living alone. These patients experienced severer fear during the acute phase compared with patients with witnessed STEMI but without perceiving their symptoms more seriously. The patients with unwitnessed STEMI were less likely to get into contact with lay others (e.g. family, friends or colleagues) (p<0.0001). In case they did, lay others were less likely to suggest the patients to seek medical help (p<0.0001). Unwitnessed STEMI was not associated with delay time. (196 vs. 213 mins, p= 0.3). However, there was a significant interaction between unwitnessed STEMI and living alone (p=0.02); the patients who experienced an unwitnessed STEMI and were living alone delayed the longest whilst patients who experienced a witnessed STEMI and were living alone delayed the shortest (250 vs. 161 mins, p=0.06). The patients who experienced an unwitnessed STEMI and were living alone had increased risk of delay longer than two hours compared with the patients with a witnessed STEMI who were living with someone (OR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.04-2.79) and the patients with unwitnessed STEMI who live alone(OR 2.54, 95% CI: 1.27-5.09). The prolonging effect of unwitnessed STEMI combined with living alone on prehospital delay remains significant only when the lay others did not suggest the patients to seek medical help (OR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.11-4.46). Conclusion: Unwitnessed STEMI combined with living alone was associated with higher risk of delay. However, this effect was moderated by lay others' behavioral response.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Life course complexity has so far been analyzed from a cohort perspective, but period measures could allow the holistic analysis of the impact of temporary circumstances on it. We measure life course ...complexity from a period perspective and decompose the results according to age and transition type. Complexity is measured as the number of distinct states visited (NDS) and the average number of visits to each visited state (ANV). Measures are based on sequences taken from different cohorts from a similar age onward, until a common period of interest. Period complexity is the sum of the cohort-specific differences in complexity reached at the beginning and at the end of the period of interest, summed through years of age. Analyzing life courses of Dutch women born 1977-2000, we find decreases in NDS and increases in ANV from both perspectives. Changes are explained by a decrease in transitions to being married and an increase in returns to the parental home and living alone. A woman who would experience the complexity of the years 2017-2018 throughout her life course would visit fewer distinct states and return more often to the same states than any average woman born between 1977-1978 and 1987-1988 actually did. This means that life courses might continue to become less linear in the future and that some of the parts that constitute them might continue to become more often omitted.
Over the past decades, the number of single households is constantly rising in metropolitan regions. In addition, they became increasingly heterogeneous. In the media, individuals who live alone are ...sometimes still presented as deficient. Recent research, however, indicates a way more complex picture. Using the example of Vienna, this paper investigates the quality of life of different groups of single households in the city. Based on five waves of the Viennese Quality of Life Survey covering almost a quarter of a century (1995–2018), we analyse six domains of subjective well-being (satisfaction with the financial situation, the housing situation, the main activity, the family life, social contacts, and leisure time activities). Our analyses reveal that, in most domains, average satisfaction of single households has hardly changed over time. However, among those living alone satisfaction of senior people (60+) increased while satisfaction of younger people (below age 30) decreased. Increasing differences in satisfaction with main activity, housing, or financial situation reflect general societal developments on the Viennese labour and housing markets. The old clichéd images of the “young, reckless, happy single” and the “lonely, poor, dissatisfied senior single” reverse reality.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In the last decade, the family system has changed significantly. Although in the past, older people used to live with their children, nowadays, they cannot always depend on assistance of their ...relatives. Many older people wish to remain as independent as possible while remaining in their homes, even when living alone. To do so, there are many tasks that they must perform to maintain their independence in everyday life, and above all, their well-being. Information and communications technology (ICT), particularly robotics and domotics, could play a pivotal role in aging, especially in contemporary society, where relatives are not always able to accurately and constantly assist the older person.
The aim of this study was to understand the needs, preferences, and views on ICT of some prefrail older people who live alone. In particular, we wanted to explore their attitude toward a hypothetical caregiver robot and the functions they would ask for.
We designed a qualitative study based on an interpretative phenomenological approach. A total of 50 potential participants were purposively recruited in a big town in Northern Italy and were administered the Fried scale (to assess the participants' frailty) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (to evaluate the older person's capacity to comprehend the interview questions). In total, 25 prefrail older people who lived alone participated in an individual semistructured interview, lasting approximately 45 min each. Overall, 3 researchers independently analyzed the interviews transcripts, identifying meaning units, which were later grouped in clustering of themes, and finally in emergent themes. Constant triangulation among researchers and their reflective attitude assured trustiness.
From this study, it emerged that a number of interviewees who were currently using ICT (ie, smartphones) did not own a computer in the past, or did not receive higher education, or were not all young older people (aged 65-74 years). Furthermore, we found that among the older people who described their relationship with ICT as negative, many used it in everyday life. Referring to robotics, the interviewees appeared quite open-minded. In particular, robots were considered suitable for housekeeping, for monitoring older people's health and accidental falls, and for entertainment.
Older people's use and attitudes toward ICT does not always seem to be related to previous experiences with technological devices, higher education, or lower age. Furthermore, many participants in this study were able to use ICT, even if they did not always acknowledge it. Moreover, many interviewees appeared to be open-minded toward technological devices, even toward robots. Therefore, proposing new advanced technology to a group of prefrail people, who are self-sufficient and can live alone at home, seems to be feasible.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Geriatric depression is a key public health issue, as it leads to many negative health consequences. This study examines the effects of education on depression of older adults in Vietnam, focusing on ...gender differences. The study utilizes the
2011
Vietnam Aging Survey. The sample consists of individuals aged 60 years and older (N = 2,789, comprising 1,683 females and 1,106 males). Path analysis is used to analyze the direct and indirect effects of education on depression of older males and females. For the indirect effects, the following three channels are investigated: family resources, economic resources, and health status. Education significantly lowers depression for both genders. Education has both direct and indirect effects on the depression of females, but only indirect effects in the case of males. While several channels through which education affects depression are similar for males and females, there are some differences which reflect gender roles in Vietnam. Policies promoting education and gender equality should be strengthened to improve old-age mental health. Specific policies for different groups of older persons are also needed, such as older persons with ADL difficulty and those living alone, as these groups are more likely to suffer from depression.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Introduction
Older adults who live alone in poverty are highly susceptible to non-communicable diseases and other adverse conditions owing to health disparities resulting from social structures. ...However, the factors associated with health behavior to prevent non-communicable diseases in this population are rarely explored. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with health behavior to prevent non-communicable diseases among older adults living alone in poverty.
Methods
We conducted a self-administered mail survey covering 2,818 older adults living alone who were receiving public assistance, randomly selected from lists of individuals receiving national public assistance in all 1,250 local social welfare offices across Japan. A total of 1,608 individuals completed the questionnaire, a valid response rate of 57.1%. Respondents’ mean age was 74.5 years (standard deviation = 6.7), and 52.9% were women. The study variables included demographic characteristics, scores on a health behavior scale for older adults living alone and receiving public assistance (HBSO), and individual and community-related factors.
Results
Logistic regression analysis revealed that the individual factor of having a health check-up in the past 12 months odds ratio (OR): 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–1.91 and the community-related factors Lubben social network scale score (OR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.12–1.18) and Community Commitment Scale score (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00–1.08) were significantly associated with HBSO scores.
Conclusion
To improve health behavior among older adults living alone in poverty in Japan, social structures, such as lowering mental barriers to the detection, treatment, and management of non-communicable diseases and developing human resources, should be changed to provide social support, such that these individuals are not only dependent on family and friends.
European countries have developed a range of long-term care (LTC) policy responses to support the increasing share of older people. However, little is known about the effectiveness of LTC services ...and benefits, particularly their impact on older peoples’ quality of life (QoL). This paper investigates the role of personal, care service and environmental characteristics on the effects of home care services on QoL across England, Finland and Austria. We used data from surveys conducted in England, Finland and Austria. In total, 811 older adults were included in the analysis. OLS regression including main effects and country-specific interactions was used to explore variation in gains in long-term care service-related quality-of-life (LTC-QoL). Explanatory variables were derived from the production of welfare framework and comprised home care service user socio-demographics, needs indicators, social support and environmental variables and characteristics of home care service provision. In all three countries, LTC-QoL gains increased with needs, indicating that home care services perform well, with additional gains declining the higher the needs. Also, better process quality contributed to LTC-QoL improvements in all three countries. In addition, the availability of informal care, social contact, financial household situation and living alone, were associated with changes in LTC-QoL only in one or two of the countries. Home care services increased service users’ QoL in all three European countries. The increase in QoL, however, varied across the countries. The results also provide insights into the benefits and limits of home care service provision and areas for future improvements.
JEL: I31, I38, J14
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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