Manifestations of Internalized Ageism in Older Adult Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-182
Author(s):  
Marvin Formosa
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learning ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Third Age ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Self Differentiation

While ageism can be understood as an unconscious defence mechanism against a feeling of apprehension toward ageing on behalf of young and middle-aged groups, older persons themselves are not exempt from such internalized and implicit psychological machinations. Internalized ageism constitutes an insidious form of ageism that compels older adults to embrace social norms that devalue or marginalize same-aged peers by either acting in ways that reinforce the youth norm by battling the visible markers of ageing such as grey hair and wrinkles or denying any commonality and camaraderie with same-aged peers. This article explores that interface between internalized ageism and older adult learning by analyzing one of its hallmark institutions, the University of the Third Age (U3A), in the context of psychosocial interventions that are utilized by older people to defuse or counterbalance the noxious effects of negative self-perceptions of ageing. Research evidence demonstrated that U3A members generate counter-stereotypes by constructing a “third age” mental imagery and positioning themselves firmly in it while also practicing self-differentiation strategies to ameliorate or even prevent the negative impact of internalized ageism on their self-esteem and confidence. The U3A not only functions to meet the expressive and coping needs of older persons but also serves as a safe haven and buffer zone for older persons to stretch their middle-aged identity and at the same time distance themselves from being labelled as members of the “old age” cohort.

scholarly journals Race and Ethnic Group Disparities in Emotional Distress Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy N Bui ◽  
Changmin Peng ◽  
Jan E Mutchler ◽  
Jeffrey A Burr
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Framed within Conservation of Resources theory, this study addressed race-ethnic differences in the relationships between emotional distress and current and expected Coronavirus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic stressors. Research Design and Methods The study employed data from the Household Pulse Survey, a large national survey collecting weekly data to understand the experiences of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic (age 55 and above; N=94,550). Emotional distress included depression and anxiety symptoms. COVID-19 stressors included current and expected income, housing, healthcare, and food insecurities. Results Older persons of color reported higher rates of stressors and emotional distress than their White counterparts. In relation to current stressors, older Black persons responded with less emotional distress and older Latino persons responded with more emotional distress than older White persons. In addition, older persons of color were more likely to expect future resource losses related to COVID-19, and the association between these expectations and emotional distress varied by race-ethnic group. Discussion and Implications The findings reflected the disproportionate negative impact of COVID-19 stressors on emotional distress among older persons of color, providing a baseline for future studies to further examine the impacts of the pandemic among diverse older adult populations.

The French and British Models of the University of the Third Age: A Socio-Historical Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-43
Author(s):  
Marvin Formosa
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learning ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Third Age ◽  
The Third ◽  
The University

The University of the Third Age is one the leading organisations on older adult learning. Since its founding in 1973, it has been marked by an extensive increase of centres and members all over the globe. This article provides a socio-historical analysis on the origins and establishment of the French and British U3A models which, to-date, remain highly influential towards the planning and running of older adult learning. It provides both a thematic and chronological account of how the U3A movement grew to its present dimensions from unexceptional settings in Toulouse and Cambridge in 1973 and 1982 respectively.

From “Secret” to “Sensitive Issue”: Shifting Ideas About HIV Disclosure Among Middle-Aged and Older Rural South Africans in the Era of Antiretroviral Treatment

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110202
Author(s):  
Enid Schatz ◽  
Ifeolu David ◽  
Nicole Angotti ◽  
F. Xavier Gómez-Olivé ◽  
Sanyu A. Mojola
Keyword(s):  
Older Persons ◽  
Antiretroviral Treatment ◽  
Hiv Disclosure ◽  
Death Sentence ◽  
Treatment As Prevention ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Rural South ◽  
South Africans

Objective As HIV shifts from “death sentence” to “chronic condition,” disclosure of HIV status to intimate partners and family is a significant component of both prevention and treatment adherence. While disclosure is closely considered in many studies, few examine middle-aged and older persons’ (age 40+) perspectives or practices. We trace older rural South Africans’ views on HIV disclosure to their partners and family members in a high prevalence community over a period of extensive antiretroviral treatment (ART) rollout. Methods Community focus group discussions (FGD) conducted in 2013 and 2018 show shifts in older persons’ thinking about HIV disclosure. Findings Our FGD participants saw fewer negative consequences of disclosure in 2018 than in 2013, and highlighted positive outcomes including building trust (partners) as well as greater support for medication collection and adherence (family). Discussion Particularly as the epidemic ages in South Africa and globally, tracing changes in older persons’ views on disclosure is an important step in developing messaging that could enhance treatment as prevention and ART adherence.

Complete congenital stationary night blindness associated with a novel NYX variant (p.Asn216Lys) in middle-aged and older adult patients

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Takaaki Hayashi ◽  
Yusuke Murakami ◽  
Kei Mizobuchi ◽  
Yoshito Koyanagi ◽  
Koh-Hei Sonoda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adult ◽  
Night Blindness ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness ◽  
Middle Aged

Body Dissatisfaction: Among Middle-aged and Older Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. e241-e241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Marshall ◽  
Christina Lengyel ◽  
Alphonsus Utioh
Keyword(s):  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Aging Women ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Impossible Task ◽  
Body Image Issues

With the growing pervasiveness of mass media, individuals of all ages and both sexes are bombarded with images that glorify youthfulness, messages that tie self-worth to thinness, and products that promise youth and beauty forever. Aging women are vulnerable to these societal messages and experience strong pressures to maintain their youth and thinness. As the physiological changes that accompany normal aging move these women farther from the “ideal” image, body dissatisfaction may increase. These women are confronted with the impossible task of trying to defy the natural process of aging through a variety of means, including fashion, cosmetics, selective surgeries, and personal food choices. The resulting body image issues, weight preoccupation, and eating disturbances can lead to voluntary food restriction, depression, social withdrawal, lower self-esteem, and disordered eating, all of which can have a negative impact on quality of life and nutritional status. In this review we explore existing research on body dissatisfaction among middle-aged (30 to 60) and older (over 60) women, discuss the prevalence of body dissatisfaction, its predisposing risk factors, and the resulting eating and body maintenance behaviours, and examine implications for dietetic practice.

scholarly journals AGEING IN LUSOPHONE COUNTRIES: THE IMPACT OF AGE-SPECIFIC LEGISLATION ON THE RECOGNITION OF RIGHTS

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-15
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Braz ◽  
Maria da Luz Cabral ◽  
Susana Maria Gonçalves Coimbra ◽  
Anne Marie Victorine Germaine Fontaine ◽  
Zilda Aparecida Pereira Del Prette
Keyword(s):  
Older Persons ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Brazilian Sample ◽  
Brazilian Legislation ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ageing Phenomenon

The ageing phenomenon of the 21 St Century has led to an increased need of public policies to protect the rights of the older population. An example is the Law of the Rights of Older Persons, a Brazilian legislation. Some countries still lack this kind of legislation, which may cause more vulnerability among this population. The exercise of interpersonal rights in daily life requires recognition of general and specific duties, beyond the competence to exercise them. Considering that the first step in the exercise of rights is to recognize them, the goals of this descriptive study are: (a) presenting some exploratory and inferential data on the recognition of rights, from the responses of 60 elderly (30 Brazilian and 30 Portuguese) to an eight-item questionnaire regarding to the Law for the Rights of Older Persons, (b) discussing the importance of the elderly rights in the Brazilian and Portuguese contexts. In general, the Brazilian sample presented higher scores than the Portuguese sample for the recognition of three rights (priority assistance, free issuing of documents, reserved parking spaces) which might be related to the existence of a legislation in Brazil but not in Portugal. Both groups reported higher scores only of awareness of rights, medium scores for exercising rights and low scores for discrimination of unrespected rights and for mobilization of feelings of justice, which points to possible difficulties to claim for their rights. These findings may indicate that age-specific legislation is a necessary but not sufficient condition to prevent violence against the older persons. We discuss the importance of research and psychosocial interventions to promote the necessary skills for the older persons claim and defend their rights. Key words: Lusophone countries, older persons, recognition of rights.

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.

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