Metamemory and Self-Compassion as Protective Factors in the Relationship Between Benevolent Ageism and Environmental Mastery

The present study examined the interrelationships between benevolent ageism, metamemory, self-compassion, and environmental mastery. By assessing older adults' perceptions of overaccommodative behaviors, we found greater perceptions of benevolent ageist experiences, or well-intended patronage, related to lower levels of environmental mastery, effectively managing one's own affairs, in a sample of 202 older adults. Additionally, this relationship is mediated by metamemory, or self-perceptions of memory abilities, as greater perceptions of benevolent ageism experiences indirectly predicted less environmental mastery through having decreased metamemory confidence. Finally, this mediated relationship is moderated by self-compassion, or kindness and acceptance towards oneself, in that self-compassion interacts with benevolent ageism to predict metamemory, which in turn predicts environmental mastery. Self-compassion is part of a growing literature on intervening variables that helping professionals can teach older adults to mitigate the relationship between ageism and their overall well-being alongside efforts to diminish the pervasiveness of ageism in society.

"Older, Entitled, and Extremely Out-of-Touch": Does "OK, Boomer" Signify the Emergence of a New Older Adult Stereotype?

"OK, Boomer" is a phrase used to dismiss an older person for their perceived out-of-touch or offensive beliefs. The popularity of this retort suggests the presence of intergenerational tension; this study explores how the use of "OK, Boomer" relates to the current age stereotype literature. Results indicated that this literature base does not adequately capture how younger adults perceived the titular "Boomer," and therefore, we used interpretive phenomenological analysis to identify seven unique characteristics ascribed to "Boomers": closed-minded, argumentative, out-of-touch, offensive, critical, nostalgic, and/or conservative. Future work should monitor how derogatory age-based internet jargon influences ageism and intergenerational relations.

Expanding Benevolent Ageism: Replicating Attitudes of Overaccommodation to Older Men

Background: Older adults are stereotyped in a paternalistic manner (warm, but incompetent), deserving of assistance regardless of their need; however, little is known about how gender contextualizes these attitudes. The purpose of this study was to extend previous work that examined the malleability of the paternalistic older adult stereotype using a two-part experimental vignette. The goals of the current study included: (1) to examine attitudes of benevolent ageist behavior toward a male target, (2) to confirm whether attributions made toward an older male target change if they defy or confirm the paternalistic stereotype, and (3) to examine the distinct roles of age and gender on an act of benevolent ageism. Method: In prior work, a female target was offered unnecessary assistance, which is replicated in the current study with a male target. The age (young vs. old), response (accepting vs. declining assistance), and gender (male vs. female) of the target were manipulated and then rated by a young adult sample (N = 698). Results: Our findings replicated earlier work in that overaccommodative behaviors were endorsed more so for the older target than the younger target, which corroborates support for the Stereotype Content Model in that older adults are viewed paternalistically. Additionally, the older male target and the older female target were viewed differently when they respectively defied the paternalistic stereotype indicating distinctness between benevolent ageism and benevolent sexism. Conclusions: These findings add to the growing body of benevolent ageism literature and highlight the intersection of gender and age.

Age Differences in Sexual Minority Stress and the Importance of Friendship in Later Life

OBJECTIVES

This study examined whether younger and middle-aged and older sexual minorities (YSM, MAOSM) experience minority stress differently in relation to social support and depressive symptomatology.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from 238 sexual minorities (18-80; M = 40.93) comprised the sample, who were strategically separated into cohorts. Group difference and regression methods were used to examine differences in minority stress between groups and the relationships between minority stress-social support-depressive symptomatology within groups.

RESULTS

MAOSM had greater outness and lower IH. Additionally, outness and IH were the best predictors for the MAOSM and YSM group, respectively. MAOSM indicated better adaption to minority stresses, highlighting the importance of friend support as a protective mechanism.

CONCLUSIONS

The minority stress-depressive symptomatology is mitigated by friend support in MAOSM.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

OSM and YSM demonstrate different susceptibility of minority stress on depressive symptomatology, with outness being a stronger indicator in MAOSM and IH being a stronger predictor in YSM. Social support does not work uniformly in different cohorts; however, multiple sources (i.e., family, friends) should be discussed with clients. Clinicians should treat cohort as one of the defining features of a sexual minority's lifelong experience with minority stress.

Minority Stress and Relationship Well-Being in Sexual Minorities: The Varying Role of Outness on Relationship and Sexual Satisfaction

Objectives: Empirical inquiry has targeted how same-sex couples grapple with unique stressors in their romantic relationships. Meta-analyses demonstrate that the adverse link between minority stress and sexual and relationship well-being is contingent on the type of stressor and relationship component. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study examining a sample of 238 individuals currently in same-sex relationships. Results: Outness predicted relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and sexual dissatisfaction relative to other stressors, and depressive symptomatology mediated the minority stressors and relationship well-being associations. Conclusions: The current findings offer practical applications for practitioners working with sexual minority clients and researchers who continue to reveal the boundaries in the minority stress process.

Benevolent ageism: Attitudes of overaccommodative behavior toward older women

Stereotypes of older adults fit a paternalistic pattern, including elevated warmth and lowered competence, yet little effort has been made to elucidate this in an everyday context. This phenomenon was examined with an experimental vignette, in which a woman was offered unnecessary help; specifically, the age (young vs. old) and the independence (accepting vs. declining assistance) of the woman were manipulated. Attributions from a college-age sample toward the woman were examined. In the older conditions, hypotheses were confirmed that participants approved overaccommodative behaviors, endorsed higher warmth and lower competence, and attitudes were modified when the older women contradicted the paternalistic stereotype by declining assistance. That is, competence was modifiable for older women, whereas warmth was not. Implications of these findings as possible evidence of benevolent ageism and the malleability of the Stereotype Content Model are discussed.

EXPLORING HOW AGE PREDICTS OUTNESS AND INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA IN A LIFESPAN SAMPLE OF SEXUAL MINORITIES

Minority Stress Theory posits that specific minority stressors, such as internalized homophobia and outness, predict negative health outcomes in sexual minorities. There has been substantial work in addressing these stressors in young adult samples; however, less in known about older adults. Older sexual minorities were socialized in a time in which same-sex relations were considered deviant and illegal, and therefore, have been exposed to a lifetime of marginalization. Although there is evidence that minority stressors negatively impact health in older adults, many studies exclude a complete lifespan sample. The goal of this study was to collect a sample of individuals in same-sex relationships ranging in age from 18-80 (N = 228, M = 40.93, SD = 15.87) and examine whether age correlates with outness and internalized homophobia. We found that older participants had higher degrees of outness (r = .21, p < .01) and less internalized homophobia (r = -.20, p < .01) resulting in less overall minority stress. We also analyzed different social resources that might explain the age-related decrease in minority stress and found that age was related to higher self-esteem (r = .24, p < .01). We tested whether self-esteem moderated the direct relationships between age and the minority stressors and found a significant interaction for internalized homophobia (B = .0175, p < .01), but not outness. Our findings provide support that older sexual minorities report less minority stress and more research is needed to explain what promotes these trends.

BENEVOLENT AGEISM: THE CORRELATES OF OVERACCOMMODATION TOWARDS OLDER ADULTS

Using the Stereotype Content Model as a framework for understanding ageism, our two objectives are (1) examining the predictive utility of benevolent ageism on well-being outcomes and (2) identifying conditional relationships between sex, perceived age, benevolent ageism, and well-being outcomes. In a snowball sample of 150 older adults who were 65 years old and older, we examined sex, perceived age, ageism, environmental mastery, and depression. Our benevolent ageism scale is an expanded version of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale that included additional items of accommodation created by us. Environmental mastery and depression were assessed by standard, internally valid, measures. Using regression analyses, we found that benevolent ageism predicted depression above and beyond hostile ageism. Additionally, benevolent ageism uniquely predicted environmental mastery for men, whereas hostile ageism uniquely predicted environmental mastery and depression for women. Finally, perceived age was a better predictor of well-being than chronological age. It is essential to consider how benevolent ageism relates to well-being due to the tenets of the Stereotype Content Model. Additionally, delineating the ways that sex and perceived age contribute to double jeopardy vs. crisis competence in the face of benevolence will lead to a more intricate understanding of the paths in which overaccommodative behaviors relate to well-being in older adulthood.

EXPANDING BENEVOLENT AGEISM: MEASURING EXPERIENCES OF OLDER ADULTS

Benevolent ageism has recently been recognized as a form of patronizing treatment that older adults experience because of the kind and incompetent age stereotype proposed by the Stereotype Content Model. However, there is limited research that examines older adults’ experiences with patronizing treatment. The aim of this study was to conceptualize benevolent ageism based on older adults’ experiences with items from an existing measure of ageism, the Ambivalent Ageism Scale, and additional items created by us that expand the measurement of benevolent ageist behaviors. In an internet-based sample of older adults who were 65 years old and older (N =135), the benevolent subscale of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale with our additional 10 items demonstrated excellent reliability (α = .90). An exploratory factor analysis cleanly yielded a 4-factor solution that mirrored previous findings, (1) hostile ageism, (2) unwanted help, (3) cognitive assistance/protection, while introducing a new factor of (4) condescending endearment. The findings from this study have widened the scope with which ageism is viewed by examining older adults’ experiences with ageism and conceptualizing characteristics of benevolence that older adults may face due to the widespread belief that they are kind and incompetent. The validation of a scale measuring individuals’ experiences with ageism will provide insight as to whether older adults experience ageist behaviors that people report endorsing and if older adults receive unnecessary offers of help. A recipient’s perspective of ageism will aid in the understanding of the insidious and benevolent characteristics of ageism within society.

Trajectories of social support and well-being across the first two years of widowhood

The death of a spouse can be one of the most challenging events an older adult can face, yet many exhibit resilience. The present study examined the trajectories of structural and functional social support components, depression, and life satisfaction across the first two years of widowhood. The majority of structural and functional support trajectories exhibited stability across the first two years postloss. However, emotional support and support provided by family members did display a slight decline across time. Depression showed a linear pattern across time (e.g., decline in depressive symptomology) and life satisfaction demonstrated evidence of a one-year anniversary effect.

The self-concept and conjugal loss: evidence for structural change

The self-concept is often considered to be a personal resource that individuals may use to cope with life stressors, but little is known about how this entity might itself change in response to profound stress. The present study examines structural change in self-concept following conjugal loss in later life. Analyses were conducted on data collected from 57 widows every 4 months over the first 2 years post-loss. The first objective was to explore the adequacy of an operational definition of the self-concept as a latent construct lying at the confluence of self-esteem, perceived environmental mastery, and optimism. Because confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported this theoretically based conceptualization, the second objective of the study was to model stability and change in the structure of the self-concept over the 2-year study period. Results suggested that there is both stability and change in the self-system during the adjustment to major life stress.

Interventions to reduce sexual minority stigma in sororities

This study examined the effects that two different types of interventions have on reducing sexual minority stigma in sororities. Affect, behaviors, and cognitions toward gay men and lesbians were measured using the Affective Reactions to Homosexuality Scale, Homophobic Behavior of Students Scale, and Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gays Scale. A total of 82 participants from two sororities participated in two different types of interventions, that is, panel discussion and video and discussion. Repeated measures analyses revealed significant reductions in the measures of sexual minority stigma and that neither intervention was more effective than the other. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

The role of dispositional resilience in regaining life satisfaction after the loss of a spouse

The purpose of the present study was to examine dispositional resilience in the perceived stress-life satisfaction relation following conjugal loss. The sample included 55 widows, assessed on average, 1 month following the death of a spouse. Results supported dispositional resilience as a mediator (the initial relation between perceived stress and life satisfaction was significant, but reduced to a non-significant level once dispositional resilience was included in the model) and a moderator (the interaction between perceived stress and dispositional resilience significantly predicted life satisfaction) between perceived stress and life satisfaction. This research identifies personality characteristics that may be importantly involved in the adjustment to widowhood and discusses implications of mediators vs. moderators in this process.

Social Support in Widowhood: A Mixed Methods Study

Although social support is assumed to be an important factor following loss, the mechanisms by which it influences outcomes are not well understood. This study explored the nature of social support following loss using mixed methods. Widows participated in semistructured interviews 1 and 4 months after loss; a subsample completed 98 days of questionnaires between interviews. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method; themes included the importance of supportive groups and the meaning of support. Social support trajectories were examined using hierarchical linear modeling; perceived social control explained differences in trajectories. Additional interviews were selected by their maximally divergent plots. The findings of these analyses were integrated to contribute a more detailed description of social support in the transition to widowhood.

Adaptive change in self-concept and well-being during conjugal loss in later life

The present study examines the association between the self-concept and adaptation to conjugal loss; the primary aim was to explore whether those individuals high in self-esteem, environmental mastery, and optimism have more adaptive resources with which to ameliorate the detrimental sequelae of bereavement. Analyses were conducted on data collected from 58 widows every four months over a two-year period. One goal of the research was to explore the adequacy of the theoretically chosen operational definition of the self-concept; another goal was to analyze how changes in the level of self-concept components correlated with changes in levels of depression, health, and grief resolution as individuals adjusted to their losses. Analyses revealed that trajectories of depression and grief resolution were more highly related than health to changes in self-concept.

Psychological resilience, positive emotions, and successful adaptation to stress in later life

In 3 studies, the authors investigated the functional role of psychological resilience and positive emotions in the stress process. Studies 1a and 1b explored naturally occurring daily stressors. Study 2 examined data from a sample of recently bereaved widows. Across studies, multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses revealed that the occurrence of daily positive emotions serves to moderate stress reactivity and mediate stress recovery. Findings also indicated that differences in psychological resilience accounted for meaningful variation in daily emotional responses to stress. Higher levels of trait resilience predicted a weaker association between positive and negative emotions, particularly on days characterized by heightened stress. Finally, findings indicated that over time, the experience of positive emotions functions to assist high-resilient individuals in their ability to recover effectively from daily stress. Implications for research into protective factors that serve to inhibit the scope, severity, and diffusion of daily stressors in later adulthood are discussed.

Social support as a predictor of variability: An examination of the adjustment trajectories of recent widows

The variability pattern of emotional well-being in recent widows across a 98-day period beginning in the first month post-loss has previously been modeled by dynamical systems and shown to be an oscillating process that damps across time. The goal of the present study was to examine how variables that comprise the social support network predict characteristics of these emotional shifts in 28 recent widows. In the present study, emotional support seeking led to a steeper overall trend, whereas perceived control for social support led to a shallower overall trend. When examining intraindividual variability, instrumental support seeking predicted a slower damping rate. Understanding the individual differences in the variability patterns of recent widows is a necessary step in identifying the etiology of adjustment to widowhood.

Emotional Well-Being in Recently Bereaved Widows: A Dynamical Systems Approach

A dynamical systems approach was used to model the intraindividual variability in emotional well-being following conjugal loss. Well-being in a sample of 19 recently bereaved older adult widows was measured every day for 3 months. The pattern of variability of well-being was hypothesized to be an oscillating process that damps across time (i.e., large swings followed by a gradual damping). Results indicated that there was significant patterned variability in the emotional well-being adjustment that can be modeled by a linear oscillator model (R2=.77), in addition to an overall positive trend. Applying dynamical systems analyses to capture variability and subsequent well-being trajectories following spousal loss is an important step in delineating the complex adjustment to widowhood.

The Role of Daily Positive Emotions During Conjugal Bereavement

The role of daily positive emotions in the stress process was examined in a sample of 34 recently bereaved older adult widows. Humor coping and perceived stress were measured in questionnaires, and positive emotions, depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed daily for 98 days. Results highlight the critical role of daily positive emotions in the months immediately following conjugal loss. Intraindividual analyses revealed significant reductions in the magnitude of the stress-depression correlation on days in which greater positive emotions were present. Results also suggest that different vulnerability and resilience factors are implicated in the emotion differentiation process. For widows with greater humor coping skills, there was less overlap in daily ratings of positive emotions and depressive symptoms. In contrast, higher levels of chronic stress resulted in less differentiation of emotional responses.

Perceived social control as a mediator of the relationships among social support, psychological well-being, and perceived health

The purpose of the present study was to delineate the process by which social support facilitates better health outcomes in older adulthood. In order to best understand the process behind the support-outcome relationship, an aspect of perceived control specific to the social domain was hypothesized to mediate the said relationship. Measures of social support included quantity of support from family and friends and the perceived satisfaction with that support. Outcome measures included depression, life satisfaction, and self-reported perceived physical health. Based on previous research, the hypothesized model of control serving as a mediator was tested against two alternative hypotheses including an examination of control as a moderator of the support-outcome relationship as well as support as a mediator of the control-outcome relationship. Results indicated that perceived control mediates the support-outcome relationship in two independent samples, each comprised of approximately 250 adults older than 65, primarily Caucasian and functioning independently, illustrating the strong replicative nature of the findings. This examination begins to illuminate the process by which social support may facilitate well-being in older adulthood by focusing on the internal structures that may play a crucial role in the utilization of the social support.