The Short and Long-Term Correlates of Change in Loneliness Status: The Role of Epidemic Control Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding measures taken to control it seem to have had negative effects on the well-being of older people. The present study regressed short and long-term loneliness scores on the degree of stringency of epidemic control policies in Europe and in Israel, and on other pandemic-related variables, controlling for a range of possible confounders. The longitudinal sample numbered 18,265 persons, aged 65 and older.

The Interplay of Personality Traits and Social Network Characteristics in the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults.

Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we regressed three well-being measures (CASP, life satisfaction and Euro-D depressive symptoms) on indicators of personality and social network. Personality was indicated by the Big-Five personality traits, while social network was measured in terms of size, contact frequency and emotional closeness. The analysis also considered personality-network interactions, controlling for confounders.

Does personality shape the personal social networks of older Europeans?

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to clarify whether personality traits predict the structure, function and quality of egocentric confidant networks in later life. Data were drawn from Waves 7 and 8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) ( = 39,172) We regressed network size, contact frequency and network satisfaction on the Big-5 personality traits, using a single path analysis structure, controlling for country, sociodemographic background and health status. The findings showed that the personality traits were related to the social network outcomes, but their effect was modest and less predictive than the contextual factors.

Network-Exposure Severity and Self-Protective Behaviors: The Case of COVID-19.

Background And Objectives: To clarify whether awareness of the extent and severity of exposure to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the social networks of older adults is related to the engagement by the latter in self-protective behaviors. The inquiry is guided by the Health Belief Model and by concepts from the domain of social networks.

Research Design And Methods: Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used, including the SHARE COVID-19 Survey executed in the summer of 2020.

A longitudinal study on public policy and the health of in-house caregivers in Europe.

Caregiving has negative effects on the health of informal caregivers. The current aging of the population predicts an increase in the number of informal caregivers worldwide. The effect of available public policies that support informal caregivers in their self-perceived health is an understudied topic.

Network type, transition patterns and well-being among older Europeans.

Using SHARE data, this study was based on an earlier analysis that derived social network types among adults aged 65 and over in Europe. The current effort investigated the transitions that occurred across these network types after 4 years ( = 13,767). Four general network transition patterns were identified according to network type (close-family networks and other networks) and whether a network transition occurred.

Warfare exposure in later life and cognitive function: The moderating role of social connectedness.

This study examined the influence of warfare exposure on older adults' cognitive functioning and explored the protective role of social connectedness. The study used cross-sectional data from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-Israel) collected in 2015. We focused on a composite scale of social connectedness and on the exposure to war-related events during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict.

The effect of social network on the physical activity-cognitive function nexus in late life.

Unlabelled: ABSTRACTBackground:To examine the contribution of vigorous physical activity to subsequent cognitive functioning, taking into account the effect of social network.

Methods: The sample included respondents aged 65 years and older who participated in both the fourth and sixth waves of Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 17,104). Cognitive functioning in Wave 6, measured as the average of standardized scores for recall, fluency, and numeracy, was regressed on the extent of vigorous physical activity, social network size, and several confounders in Wave 4 (including the corresponding cognition score at baseline).

Contact frequency and cognitive health among older adults in Israel.

The current study set out to examine the links between contact frequency with one's social network and cognitive health in later life. It assessed both direct and indirect pathways and the possible role of ethnicity in the effect of the social network on cognitive function. We used data from adults aged 50 and above, which was collected in Israel as part of the Survey of Ageing, Retirement and Health (SHARE).

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Social Connectedness and Mental Health Among Older European Adults: A SHARE-Based Analysis.

Objectives: The current study aimed to understand the reciprocal relationship between social networks and mental health in old age. It explored the dynamic aspects of that relationship and assessed the influence of social networks on mental health, as well as a concurrent influence of mental health on change in social connectedness.

Method: The data came from two measurement points in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Religiosity and Well-Being among Older Jewish Israelis: Findings from SHARE.

This study examined the correlates of religiosity among Jewish Israelis aged 50 and older. Based on the second wave of Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, the findings show that almost half the Jewish respondents never pray and that, on average, prayer frequency is lower among Jewish Israelis than it is among most of their European counterparts. Multivariate logistic analyses revealed that those who pray more often have more health conditions, are less able to make ends meet financially and have fewer years of education.

Are newly added and lost confidants in later life related to subsequent mental health?

Background: This study examined internal changes in the personal social networks of older people and the relationship between these changes and mental health over time. It focused on two key aspects: emotional closeness and contact frequency with lost and newly added confidants.

Methods: The study was based on data from the fourth (2011) and sixth (2015) waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

The Complex Association Between Fear of Falling and Mobility Limitation in Relation to Late-Life Falls: A SHARE-Based Analysis.

Objective: This study examines fear of falling (FOF) in relation to falls in light of mobility limitation.

Method: Data on community-dwelling older Europeans, aged 65+, were drawn from two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analysis regressed fall status in 2013 on reported FOF 2 to 3 years earlier, controlling for previous falls.

Coming of age: health-care challenges of an ageing population in Israel.

Although Israel is still young in years, with relatively high birth rates and older people (individuals aged 65 years or older) constituting only about 11% of its population, the absolute number of older people is growing rapidly. Life expectancy is high, and increasing numbers of people are living to advanced old age (older than 85 years). A wide spectrum of geriatric care is provided within a universal system providing health services to all citizens.

Older Adults Exposed to Ongoing versus Intense Time-Limited Missile Attacks: Differences in Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Objective: The potentially different psychological effects of ongoing trauma vis-à-vis an intense time-limited exposure to trauma have not been examined in older adults. Therefore, this study examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and their health concomitants in two groups of older adults in Israel: those exposed to ongoing missile attacks and those exposed to an intense time-limited period of missile attacks.

Method: In the third administration of the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-Israel), 297 older adults reported ongoing exposure to missile attacks due to the Israel-Gaza conflict (mean age = 66.

Minority population group status and QOL change: The case of older Israelis.

This study explores minority group status in relation to change in Quality of Life (QOL) among three population groups in Israel-Veteran Jews, Arab-Israelis and immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU)-controlling for a set of known predictors. The study uses panel data from two waves (2009/10 and 2013) of the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, (N=1,590). A set of Ordinary Least Squares regressions is used to predict positive QOL change over the two waves.

Cognitively Stimulating Leisure Activity and Subsequent Cognitive Function: A SHARE-based Analysis.

Purpose Of The Study: The aim of the inquiry was to examine whether cognitively stimulating leisure activity (CSLA) can delay or reduce cognitive decline in late life and whether its effect is moderated by education, age, or activity pattern.

Design And Methods: Employing secondary analysis of data on respondents aged 65 and older from the 4th and 5th waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 16,572), the inquiry regressed cognitive function (memory, numeracy, and fluency) at Time 2 on frequency of engagement in CSLA at baseline, controlling for cognitive function scores at baseline and a range of confounders. The study also considered education by CSLA and age by CSLA interactions, as well as the effect of CSLA patterns.