scholarly journals Factors That Motivate Older Adults to Participate in Research: Typologies and Implications

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 554-554
Author(s):  
Zhe He ◽  
Mia Lustria ◽  
Shubo Tian ◽  
Maedeh Agharazidermani ◽  
Walter Boot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Reminder System ◽  
Aging Studies ◽  
Research Volunteers ◽  
Retention Practices ◽  
Adult Volunteers

Abstract A key challenge for scholars who study aging is identifying a pool of research volunteers willing to participate. Toolkits and strategies acknowledge the differences in recruitment needed for older adults relative to younger adults, but there is little information about variations among older adult research volunteers. Based on a community sample of older adults age 60+, this study evaluates differences across seven specific motivators across three broad categories: values/altruism, personal growth/improvement, and immediate gratification. We then identify and evaluate four typologies of older adult volunteers based on the combinations of motivations the older adults in our sample identify as important to participation in research studies. Based on these analyses, we describe how our results might inform recruitment and retention practices in aging studies. Further, we will discuss how these results will help shape our technology-based reminder system with a greater understanding of motivations.

Age Differences in the Malleability of Attitudes toward Automated Shared Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-128
Author(s):  
Kathryn Baringer ◽  
Dustin J. Souders ◽  
Jeremy Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Educational Video ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Automated Vehicles ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Difference Scores ◽  
Video Condition ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Introduction: The use of shared automated vehicles (SAVs) should lead to several societal and individual benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced traffic, and improved mobility for persons who cannot safely drive themselves. We define SAVs as on-demand, fully automated vehicles in which passengers are paired with other riders traveling along a similar route. Previous research has shown that younger adults are more likely to report using conventional ridesharing services and are more accepting of new technologies including automated vehicles (AVs). However, older adults, particularly those who may be close to retiring from driving, stand to greatly benefit from SAV services. In order for SAVs to deliver on their aforementioned benefits, they must be viewed favorably and utilized. We sought to investigate how short educational and/or experiential videos might impact younger, middle-aged, and older adult respondents’ anticipated acceptance and attitudes toward SAVs. Knowing what types of introductory experiences improve different age groups’ perceptions of SAVs will be beneficial for tailoring campaigns aiming to promote SAV usage. Methods: We deployed an online survey using the platform Prolific for middle-aged and older respondents, and our departmental participant pool for younger adults, collecting 585 total responses that resulted in 448 valid responses. Respondents answered questions regarding their demographic attributes, their ridesharing history, preconceptions of technology, as well as their anticipated acceptance attitudes towards SAVs as measured by the dimensions of the Automated Vehicle User Perception Survey (AVUPS). After this, respondents were randomly assigned to an intervention condition where they either watched 1) an educational video about how SAVs work and their potential benefits, 2) an experiential video showing a AV navigating traffic, 3) both the experiential and educational videos, or 4) a control video explaining how ridesharing works. Anticipated acceptance attitudes towards SAVs were measured again after this intervention and difference scores calculated to investigate the effect of the intervention conditions. Prolific respondents were paid at a rate of $9.50/hour and younger adults received course credit. Results: Controlling for preconceptions of technology and ridesharing experience, a MANOVA was run on the difference scores of the dimensions of the AVUPS (intention to use, trust/reliability, perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), safety, control/driving-efficacy, cost, authority, media, and social influence). Both older and middle-aged adults expressed significantly greater increases in PEOU and PU of SAVs than younger adults. We also observed an interaction between age and condition for both PU and PEOU. For PU, older adults’ difference scores were found to be significantly greater than younger adults’ for the control video condition. With PEOU, older adults’ difference scores were significantly greater than both younger adults’ for the control video condition, and middle-aged adults had greater difference scores for the educational-only video condition than younger or older adults. Discussion: The increases in PU observed for older adults in the control condition suggests that educating them on how to use currently available ridesharing services might transfer to and/or highlight the benefits that automated ridesharing might provide. The PEOU interactions also suggest that middle-aged adults might respond more positively than younger or older adults to an educational introduction to SAVs. Conclusion: The positive findings pertaining to PU and PEOU show that exposure to information related to SAVs has a positive impact on these attitudes. PU’s and PEOU’s positive relationship to behavioral intentions (BI) in the Technology Acceptance Model, coupled with the findings from this study, bode well for higher fidelity interventions seeking to inform and/or give individuals experience with SAVs. Providing information on how currently available ridesharing services work helped our older adult respondents recognize the potential usefulness of SAVs. Knowing that different age groups may respond better to educational versus experiential interventions, for example middle-aged adults in this study responding more positively to the educational video condition than younger or older adults, may be useful for targeted promotional campaigns.

Engaging Vital Older Adults in Intergenerational Service-Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 266-287
Author(s):  
Reneé A. Zucchero
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Adult Volunteers

The population of older adults within the United States is growing rapidly, which calls for increased understanding of that population. However, ageism is pervasive and one of the most engrained forms of prejudice. Intergenerational service-learning may be one way to reduce negative stereotypes and ageism. The Co-Mentoring Project is an intergenerational service-learning project that matches undergraduate students and vital older adult volunteers. Students meet with their partners at least four times over the course of the semester to conduct a life review and gather information to begin the older adults' memoirs. This chapter provides a rationale for intergenerational service-learning and information about its theoretical underpinnings. The chapter also offers information about service-learning best practices, including structured reflection, and how the Project's methodology is consistent with them. The multi-modal assessment conducted for the Project and its outcomes are discussed. Finally, directions for future research are described.

scholarly journals AGING AND FEELING CURIOUS: A TIME-SAMPLING STUDY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S839-S839
Author(s):  
Li Chu ◽  
Helene H Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Time Sampling ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
New Information

Abstract Curiosity is commonly defined as “the desire for new information and experience.” While curiosity has been associated with numerous positive outcomes (e.g., improved well-being, better cognitive performance and longer life expectancy, some studies suggested that curiosity declined with age. However, very few studies actually attempt to examine why curiosity may be lower among older adults. Moreover, scholars disagreed on “why” people feel curious. According to the dual process theory (Spielberger & Starr, 1994), curiosity is induced by optimal level of uncertainty and anxiety with the desire to reduce these aversive feelings. However, the personal growth facilitation model (Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2002) posits that people are curious intrinsically for one’s own growth, which is associated with positive affects. Therefore, the present study aims to examine age differences in the affective profile of feeling curious by comparing the momentary affective experience of curiosity between younger and older adults. In this study, we conducted a 2-week time-sampling study with 78 younger adults (age 19-29) and 79 older adults (age 60-85) from Hong Kong. Multilevel modeling analyses demonstrated a positive relationship between curiosity and positive emotions for both younger (β=.29, p<.01) and older adults (β=.70, p<.01). Interestingly, anxiousness was positively associated with younger adults’ curiosity (β=.09, p=.01) but not for older adults (β=.06, p=.29). Our study supported both theories, but suggested that one may be more dominant among older adults. These findings have important implications for future interventions to reduce anxiousness to encourage older adults to keep an open-minded attitude towards novelties.

Loss in the Life Story: Remembering Death and Illness Across Adulthood

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily L. Mroz ◽  
Susan Bluck ◽  
Shubam Sharma ◽  
Hsiao-wen Liao
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Psychosocial Outcomes ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Life Event ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Positive View ◽  
Loss Event

The experience of loss has not often been studied in the life story literature. Life disruption when loss of a loved one occurs may make loss events distinct, even from other challenges, when recalled. Optimally, individuals incorporate such events into their life story in a way that allows them to reflect positively on their life overall. We suggest that telling narratives that represent loss as leading to personal growth or as highlighting one’s connectedness to others may allow a positive view of life overall. In contrast, ruminating may signal a lack of meaningful integration of the event. The current study investigates personal growth from, communion in, and rumination about memories of past loss events. It also determines how these factors relate to positive reflection on one’s life overall. Age was explored as a moderator of these relations. Participants (29 younger adults, 40 older adults) narrated an autobiographical loss event and, for comparison, a non-loss challenging life event and a neutral event. Narratives were self-rated for rumination and extent of resultant personal growth, and reliably content-coded for themes of communion. Participants also completed a measure of positive reflection on their life. Loss narratives resulted in more personal growth and contained more communion themes than other challenging or neutral events. Greater loss-related personal growth predicted more positive life reflection for younger adults. How individuals recall and incorporate loss into their life story may relate differentially to psychosocial outcomes in different life phases.

scholarly journals FRAILTY EXISTS IN YOUNGER ADULTS ADMITTED AS SURGICAL EMERGENCY LEADING TO ADVERSE OUTCOMES

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
R. Smart ◽  
B. Carter ◽  
J. McGovern ◽  
S. Luckman ◽  
A. Connelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Surgical Units ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Comparative Group ◽  
Older Adult Population

Background: Frailty is prevalent in the older adult population (≥65 years of age) and results in adverse outcomes in the emergency general surgical population. Objective: To determine whether frailty exists in the younger adult emergency surgical population (<65 years) and what influence frailty may have on patient related outcomes. Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Setting: Emergency general surgical admissions. Participants: All patients ≥40 years divided into 2 groups: younger adults (40-64.9 years) and older adult comparative group (≥65). Measurements: Over a 6-month time frame the following data was collected: demographics; Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD); blood markers; multi-morbidities, polypharmacy and cognition. Frailty was assessed by completion of the Canadian Study of Health and Ageing (CSHA). Each patient was followed up for 90 days to allow determination of length of stay, re-admission and mortality. Results: 82 young adults were included and the prevalence of frailty was 16% (versus older adults 38%; p=0.001) and associated with: multi-morbidity; poly-pharmacy; cognitive impairment; and deprivation. Frailty in older adults was only significantly associated with increasing age. Conclusions: This novel study has found that frailty exists in 16% of younger adults admitted to emergency general surgical units, potentially leading to adverse short and long-term outcomes. Strategies need to be developed that identify and treat frailty in this vulnerable younger adult population.

scholarly journals Generativity in Life Review: Discovering Life Lessons and Wisdom in Naturalistic Intergenerational Conversations

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 978-979
Author(s):  
Patricia Chilton ◽  
Cindy Woolverton ◽  
Elizabeth Glisky ◽  
Matthias Mehl ◽  
Matthew Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Life Review ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Life Lessons ◽  
Age Segregation ◽  
Intergenerational Interaction

Abstract According to the theory of generativity, one would expect older adults to inherently feature life lessons in naturalistic conversations with younger adults. Little though, is known about the process of these conversations, and to what extent they convey wisdom characteristics. In this project, intergenerational conversations between university students and older adults living in assisted and independent living communities were analyzed to identify life lessons within older adults’ informal life reviews. In the original study, 37 young and 52 older adults engaged in an intergenerational interaction as part of an undergraduate course. These conversations were recorded with participants’ consent, and transcribed with identifying information removed. For the current project, we analyzed 15 of these recorded conversations, averaging 46 minutes each between 10 students and 5 older adults to (1) develop a coding scheme and procedure to examine life lessons in intergenerational conversations, and (2) investigate whether wisdom characteristics are embedded into life lessons shared in this context. On average, each older adult referenced 4 life lessons (SD = 2) per conversation, which were coded for the following constructs: meaning making, personal growth, emotional valence, wisdom characteristics, life lesson type, and autobiographical memory type. Exploratory analyses suggest life lessons are inherently integrated into naturalistic intergenerational conversations, and that reflectivity is the most frequently expressed wisdom characteristic. This supports previous research identifying reflectivity as key to wisdom, and to the process of generativity. Further analysis is needed to illuminate the value of intergenerational conversations, particularly in a time of age segregation and ageism.

The quality of self, social, and directive memories

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 395-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Alea ◽  
Mary Jane Arneaud ◽  
Sideeka Ali
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Directive Function ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

The quality of functional autobiographical memories was examined in young, middle-aged, and older adult Trinidadians ( N = 245). Participants wrote about an event that served a self, social, and directive function, and reported on the memory’s quality (e.g., significance, vividness, valence, etc.). Across age groups, directive memories were the most negative, and social function memories were the most positive. Social function memories were also talked about most. Compared to younger adults, older adults’ functional memories, regardless of the type of function, were positive and talked about often, and middle-aged adults’ memories were significant and vivid. The discussion encourages researchers to continue to simultaneously consider both why humans remember so much of their life, and what they remember when doing so.

Expectations for Communication with Positive and Negative Subtypes of Older Adults

1998 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Harwood ◽  
Angie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Communication Apprehension ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Identity ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
To Receive

The study uses a recently-developed scale for eliciting perceptions, expectations, and evaluations of intergenerational communication. As predicted, it is found that younger adults expect to experience more anxiety, receive more complaining, and receive lower levels of attunement from an older adult who is portrayed as “despondent” than one who is portrayed as a “perfect grandparent.” In addition, younger adults with more negative attitudes toward older adults expect to experience more negative affect, anxiety, and communication apprehension, to feel more compassion for the older adult, and to receive lower levels of attunement and more complaining from the older adult than those with more positive attitudes. Surprisingly, younger adults with higher levels of young age identification expect to experience lower levels of apprehension, more attunement from the older adult, and to feel more compassion for the older adult than those with lower levels of age identity. These findings are discussed in terms of theoretical models of intergenerational communication, in particular the communication predicament model. In addition, younger people's feelings of having “helped” an older person are discussed in the context of intergroup theory.

scholarly journals Social Distancing with Older Adults: Comparing Pre- and Post-Pandemic Preferences in Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 957-957
Author(s):  
Juliana Lapp ◽  
Jenny Bauer ◽  
Lea Scholz ◽  
Sonja Steltmann ◽  
Marit Lange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Social Preference ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Media

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has made age more salient, and the media has included numerous ageist messages (Bronwen, 2020), included messages aimed at children (e.g., “stay home to protect grandma and grandpa!”). When the pandemic reached Germany in March, we halted data collection on a project assessing ageism in children ages 4 to 8. In July, the situation had improved and testing resumed following hygiene protocols. We report findings from a simulated-behavioral measure where 45 children were asked to plan a party. One task involved asking the children to place pictures of ten party guests, plus themselves, around two party tables. We then assessed how many seats away the younger and older adult guests were placed, on average, from the child (i.e., social distance). Although, we anticipated that the pandemic might lead children to further distance themselves from older adults, our results, thus far, indicate similarity between pre- and post-pandemic preferences. At both occasions older adult guests were seated, on average, one seat further away from the child then younger adult guests. The guest chosen to sit closest to the child was younger on 88% of occasions, whereas the guest chosen to sit farthest away from the child was older on 64% of occasions. Preference for younger adults was confirmed in a second task where children selected teammates for a game. On average, children’s teams consisted of 70% younger guests versus 30% older guests. Findings indicate a social preference for younger, versus older, adults in children irrespective of the pandemic.

scholarly journals CRIME-RELATED PHYSICAL INJURIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES: FINDINGS FROM 2015 NIBRS DATA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S449-S450
Author(s):  
Gerson Galdamez ◽  
Zach Gassoumis
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Expert Witness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Injury ◽  
Crime Victimization ◽  
Violent Crimes ◽  
Visible Injury ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Physical Injuries

Abstract Approaches to addressing crimes within the justice system typically do not differentiate between younger and older adults. However, approaches to addressing elder abuse cases—which involve older adult victims exclusively—often rely on the preconception that abuse can only occur if a visible physical injury exists. This preconception is driven in part by perceptions of frailty and ease-of-injury in older, vulnerable victims. We aimed to quantify the prevalence of physical injuries among older victims of violent crimes. We used data reported by the U.S. National Incidence-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2015 to quantify the frequency of reported crimes which resulted in visible, physical injuries to victims aged 60+. Logistic regression was used to determine effects of age, race/ethnicity, type of crime, relationship to offender, and victim locality on physical injury from crime. Among 1,373,417 crime victims, 80.63% of older adults (60+) sustained an injury, as opposed to 65.17% of younger adults (&lt;60). The proportion of individuals who showed physical injuries consistently increased with age until age 90. Knowing the offender was associated with higher odds of sustaining a visible injury (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.38-1.58). Although older adults show higher risk of visible physical injuries from violent crimes than younger adults, it is possible for a crime against an older adult to have occurred without a visible injury. Medical and criminal justice practitioners should utilize this evidence on elder crime victimization to aid in expert witness testimony and other activities related to justice in crimes against older adults.

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