We examined associations between change in social contact communication modalities and change in perceived control over social life (PCOSL) following onset of the COVID-19 pandemic among older Americans and evaluated the extent to which associations were moderated by personality. Data were from the 2016 and 2020 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Multivariate ordinary least squares regression analyses were computed adjusting for baseline PCOSL, sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe drastic increase in the aging population has increased the prevalence of osteoarthritis in the United States. The ability to monitor symptoms of osteoarthritis (such as pain) within a free-living environment could improve understanding of each person's experiences with this disease and provide opportunities to personalize treatments specific to each person and their experience. In this work, localized knee tissue bioimpedance and self-reports of knee pain were collected from older adults ([Formula: see text]) with and without knee osteoarthritis over 7 days of free-living to evaluate if knee tissue bioimpedance is associated with persons' knee pain experience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
July 2022
Objectives: This research examined main and moderating effects of global depressive symptoms upon in-the-moment associations of pain and affect among individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Effects of depression on short-term change in pain and affect were also examined.
Method: Older adults with physician-confirmed OA (N = 325) completed a baseline interview tapping global depressive symptoms, followed by an experience sampling protocol that captured momentary pain and affect 4 times daily for 7 days.
Systemic racism can have broad impacts on health in ethnoracial minorities. One way is by suppressing socioeconomic status (SES) levels through barriers to achieve higher income, wealth, and educational attainment. Additionally, the weathering hypothesis proposes that the various stressful adversities faced by ethnoracial minorities lead to greater wear and tear on the body, known as allostatic load.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The objective of this study was to examine the role of purpose in life in the relationship between widowhood and cognitive decline.
Methods: This study used a sample of 12,856 respondents (20,408 observations) collected from a national panel survey, the 2006-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), that sampled older adults aged 50 or older. The study estimated growth-curve models with years since spousal death, purpose in life, and interaction between the two to predict cognition using three measures-total cognition, fluid, and crystallized intelligence scores.