Psychological flexibility in the face of potential adversity: Examining wellness among gay and heterosexual men.

This work expands the theoretical model on , which concerns individuals' coping processes in the face of life adversity while focusing on regarded as an adaptive strategy presenting co-occurrence of converse experiences. Psychological flexibility was operationalized by concurrent, positive, and negative affect as well as by differing modes of coping (negative and positive engagement) related to the concept of a . The adaptive role of psychological flexibility was examined among Israeli gay men, a sexual minority that deals with unique hardships.

Evil-related threats and mental health concomitants among offspring of Holocaust survivors gay men.

Objectives: In view of the accumulated stress associated with the combination of intergenerational trauma and minority stress, we aimed to examine whether offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS) reported stronger evil-related threats compared to non-OHS individuals and whether OHS gay men experienced stronger threats. We also examined whether sexual orientation moderated the hypothesized indirect effect of Holocaust background on mental health through evil-related threats.

Method: Participants were 346 middle-aged and older Israeli men (mean age = 60.

The Association Between Views of Aging and Subjective Cognitive Complaints in Older Adults: Findings From Two Samples.

This cross-sectional study examined whether views of aging (VoA) relate to subjective cognitive complaints in two separate cohorts of older adults. Ageist attitudes, attitudes to aging (psychological loss, physical change, and psychological growth), subjective age, and subjective successful aging were examined. A moderating effect of chronological age was also examined.

Subjective Age and Late-Life Functional Status: Mediating and Moderating Effects.

Objectives: This study examined the longitudinal relationships between subjective age (SA) and future functional status in later life, via depressive symptoms. Additionally, we assessed the role of subjective nearness to death (SNtD) as a potential moderator within these pathways.

Methods: Older adults (average age 81.

Vulnerability and Resilience in Sensitive Research: The Case of the Quantitative Researcher.

The emotional experiences of quantitative researchers, particularly while conducting sensitive research, are largely neglected. This article aims to advance the awareness of possible emotional strains for quantitative researchers engaged in sensitive research. It qualitatively assesses the ethical and emotional experiences of quantitative researchers conducting a study on aging of bereaved parents and people with a physical disability.

The Moderating Role of the Hostile-World Scenario in the Connections Between COVID-19 Worries, Loneliness, and Anxiety.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had pronounced effects on individuals' psychological well-being around the world. Concerns regarding the consequences of infection, as well as the general uncertainty and governmental regulations have resulted in increased psychological distress among many populations and cultures. In this regard, research has shown that the manner by which individuals perceive such large-scale threats and appraise them significantly contributes to the psychological consequences of such events.

The moderation of socio-demographics in physical and mental health disparities among Israeli gay and heterosexual middle-aged and older men.

Objectives: Physical and mental health disparities were explored among Israeli middle-aged and older gay and heterosexual men alongside the moderating role of age, relationship status, and place of birth.

Method: 173 middle-aged and older gay men were individually matched with 173 middle-aged and older heterosexual men at the age range of 50-86 ( = 60.56, SD = 8.

Inventory of complicated grief: Factor structure among middle-aged and older bereaved parents.

This study examines the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Hebrew version of Prigerson's Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), on 116 middle-aged and older Israeli bereaved parents. Analysis revealed a three-factor structure: . A high percentage of explained variance and sound internal consistency were found for the entire scale and for all factors, as well as adequate convergent and construct validity.

Do past and prospective adversities intersect? Distinct effects of cumulative adversity and the hostile-world scenario on functioning at later life.

Studies have barely juxtaposed the effect of over one's past life on health in later life with the related effect of one's actual or anticipated adversities. The latter adversities, anchored in the individual's present and future, are referred to by the concept of the (HWS). The aim of the current study was to examine the distinct effects of cumulative adversity and the HWS on changes in health over time using various markers of physical and mental health.

Self-Perceived Parental Role and Mental Health Concomitants Among Israeli Gay and Heterosexual Fathers.

In this study we examined the association between self-perceived parental role and adverse mental health (indicated by depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and negative affect) in a sample of 82 Israeli gay fathers ( = 39.57,  = 6.70) that were individually matched with 82 heterosexual fathers ( = 39.

Which Factors do Older Adults Consider When Estimating the Time Left for Them to Live?

Objectives: The present study examines which factors older adults consider as important when rating their subjective nearness-to-death (SNtD), as well as the associations between corresponding variables as reported in a multidimensional questionnaire and responses on a SNtD question. In addition, we examine whether importance ratings fit or diverge from the actual associations between corresponding variables and SNtD.

Method: Two hundred and seventy-two participants (average age 80.

Interpersonal vulnerability among offspring of Holocaust survivors gay men and its association with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction.

The aim of the current study was to examine whether offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS) gay men report higher interpersonal vulnerability in comparison to non-OHS gay men, and to further assess whether that vulnerability mediates the association between having a Holocaust background and mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms and life satisfaction). For this purpose, a community-dwelling sample of 79 middle-aged and older OHS and 129 non-OHS gay men completed measures of hostile-world scenario (HWS) in the interpersonal domain, satisfaction from current steady relationship, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Results indicated that OHS reported higher HWS interpersonal vulnerability and lower satisfaction from current relationship in comparison to non-OHS gay men.

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.

The association between negative attitudes toward aging and mental health among middle-aged and older gay and heterosexual men in Israel.

Objectives: The association between negative attitudes toward aging and mental health (indicated by depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and happiness) was explored among Israeli middle-aged and older gay and heterosexual men.

Method: In a community-dwelling sample, 152 middle-aged and older gay men and 120 middle-aged and older heterosexual men at the age range of 50-87 (M = 59.3, SD = 7.

Changes in Religiosity in Old Age: An Exploratory Study.

Changes in religious identity and predictors of change in religiousness are explored in a sample of 1,191 self-respondent Jewish Israeli participants, aged 75 to 94. Data were drawn from two waves of a national survey. Assessments included measures of religious identity, reported change in religiousness, religious practice, functional status, cognitive functioning, and depression.

The association between self-perceived parental role and meaning in life among gay and heterosexual fathers.

The association between self-perceived parental role and meaning in life (indicated by personal growth and purpose in life) was explored among 82 Israeli gay fathers that were individually matched with 82 heterosexual fathers. Self-perceived parental role was associated with meaning in life and this association was moderated by sexual orientation, demonstrating a significant positive association between self-perceived parental role and meaning in life among gay fathers but not among heterosexual fathers. The results are interpreted in light of the unique parental role gay fathers possibly construct in the context of intentional parenting and through possible life circumstances which appear associated with increased feelings of personal growth and purpose in life.

Which category of lifetime adversity accelerates physical impairment among Israeli older adults?

Preliminary evidence suggests that exposure to lifetime cumulative adversity is related to faster increase in physical impairment with time, especially when depressive symptoms are present. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether different adversity categories accelerate impairment. The current study capitalized on the unique accounts of adversity available in the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-Israel) by focusing on different categories of adversity, while accounting for their interaction with depressive symptoms in predicting trajectories of physical impairment (i.

The Role of the Hostile-World Scenario in Predicting Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in Older Adults.

Objective: The hostile-world scenario (HWS) denotes a personal belief system regarding threats to one's physical and mental integrity. We examined whether the HWS predicted health among older adults.

Method: The Israeli branch of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-Israel) provided data on 1,286 participants, aged 50+, interviewed in two waves 4 years apart.

How Do Meaning in Life and Positive Affect Relate to Adaptation to Stress? The Case of Firefighters Following the Mount Carmel Forest Fire.

Background: We examined how positive affect (PA) and meaning in life (MIL) conjointly regulate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and perceived coping self-efficacy. Hypotheses were guided by a recent holistic model, according to which PA and MIL should compensate for each other in relating to adaptation to high stress.

Method: The sample included 75 Israeli firefighters who took active part in extinguishing the 2010 Mount Carmel forest fire.

Gender differences in the prevalence and correlates of psychotropic medication use among older adults in Israel.

Background: This study evaluates gender differences in the prevalence of psychotropic medications use among elderly Israelis and the socio-demographic, physical and mental health correlates of their use.

Method: Data were taken from a national survey that sampled the community-dwelling Jewish population aged 65-94 in Israel. Psychotropic medications were assessed from the list of all medications recorded during a faceto- face interview.

Age-related and death-related differences in emotional complexity.

The present study aimed to examine an aspect of emotional complexity as seen in covariation between retrospective judgments of positive and negative affects. We assume that individuals can experience positive affect independently of negative affect. Theories argue that emotional complexity increases in old age, but research shows mixed evidence.

The will to live and death-related decline in life satisfaction.

This study examined the relationship between the will to live (WTL) and death-related decline in life satisfaction in 382 decedents who participated in a national 3-wave study (mean age at study entry 79 years). Growth-curve models revealed that distance to death was more predictive of declines in life satisfaction than chronological age. WTL moderated, but did not mediate, death-related decline in life satisfaction.

The old, old-old, and the oldest old: continuation or distinct categories? An examination of the relationship between age and changes in health, function, and wellbeing.

This study aims to examine whether old age, old-old age, and oldest-old age comprise distinct categories via comparing persons aged 75-84, 85-94, and 95+ on demographics, health, function, and wellbeing. The sample was drawn from a representative longitudinal cohort of older persons in Israel. Matched cohort comparisons found a significant decline in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), instrumental ADL, cognitive function, percent of participants who go outside their home, and physical activity, with an increase in physical and mobility difficulties, and no difference in depressed affect or loneliness.

The prediction of subjective wellness among the old-old: implications for the "fourth-age" conception.

Objectives: As the "fourth-age" conception suggests that the adaptability of psychosocial capabilities is disrupted at old-old age due to failures in maintaining balanced functions, this study examines the predictability of subjective wellness outcomes by factual dysfunction markers of health among old-old people across 12 years.

Method: Participants were self-respondents in a 3-wave survey that sampled the older (age 75-94) Jewish population in Israel. Wave 1 (N = 1,369, mean age = 83.

Potentially traumatic events at different points in the life span and mental health: findings from SHARE-Israel.

This study addressed the association between adversity cumulated at different points in the life span and present mental health. Data of 1,130 participants aged 50+ were drawn from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Measures included an inventory of potentially traumatic events, mental distress (depressive symptoms), and well-being (quality of life, life satisfaction).