Education and health in late-life among high school graduates: Cognitive versus psychological aspects of human capital

Just as postsecondary schooling serves as a dividing line between the advantaged and disadvantaged on outcomes like income and marital status, it also serves as a dividing line between the healthy and unhealthy. Why are the better educated healthier? Human capital theory posits that education makes one healthier via cognitive (skill improvements) and noncognitive psychological resources (traits such as conscientiousness and a sense of mastery). I employ the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (1957-2005) to test the relative strength of measures of cognitive human capital versus noncognitive psychological human capital in explaining the relationship between education and health outcomes among high school graduates. I find little evidence that noncognitive psychological human capital is a significant mediator, but find a relatively significant role for cognitive human capital, as measured by high school academic performance. It is not just higher educational attainment; academic performance is strongly linked to health in later life.     

Developmental changes in self-perception: The role of gender in a preadolescent clinical population

Research indicates that gender and psychopathology are interrelated and that the nature of this relationship changes over the course of development. Rates of incidence for psychological distress reflect both gender and age differences. Furthermore, the expression of emotional problems is also related to gender. Some symptom patterns, for example, are more likely experienced by females than males. This study examines how psychological disturbance, operationalized as magnitude of symptomatology, interacts with development, or chronological age, in order to predict a child's self-perception. Forty-eight children involved in psychotherapy and their mothers were sampled for this research. It was found that for girls and not boys self-perception diminished with age. Results were interpreted in light of recent feminist theory on female development.     

Impact of age and symptom severity on parent-child relationships and self-perception among Chinese children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Little information is available on the effect of parent-child relationships on self-perception among Chinese children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Hong Kong. This study examined the impact of children’s age and symptom severity on the linkage of quality parent-child relationships to perceived competence/hope among children with ADHD. A clinical sample of 81 school-age children (ages 5–11, mean age = 8.38) who were diagnosed with ADHD were recruited in this study. Separate questionnaires were employed to collect data among children and their parents in the pre-treatment phase. Parent-child relationships were positively correlated with self-perception of children with ADHD, with physical competence to be father-child specific. Children’s age had moderated the correlation between mother-child relationship and children’s hope. Maternal role on children’s hope was significant for the mild symptom group; paternal role on children’s hope was significant for the severe symptom group. No moderation effect was found for symptom severity on the correlation between parent-child relationship and children’s self-perception. The study’s findings helped mental health professionals in a Chinese context to develop psychosocial interventions to foster quality parent-child relationships, which in turn will maintain children’s self-perception. Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

Older Adults' Perceptions of Well-Being after Intergenerational Experiences with Youth

Abstract

Drawing upon Ryff's (1995) positive dimensions of well-being in older adulthood, thisstudy investigated older adults' perceptions of well-being following participation in anintergenerational program. Specifically, we examined the relationship between age, years of volunteer service, and sense of well-being among older adults (n= 46; 55 to 100 years of age) participating in intergenerational programs at 10 sites in Midwestern, agriculturally based communities. Using a mixedmethods design, results revealed that olderadults perceive a heightened sense of well-being from intergenerational interactions wit youth. Older adults reported successful aging included staying active, not worrying aboutone's problems, feeling young, and keeping up with the children and community. Adults aged 74-85 experienced significantly greater satisfaction and enjoyment than their older counterparts, particularly in anticipating working with youth and positive self-perception. No relationship emerged between years of involvement in the program and well-being. Implications for research and program development are discussed.     

Status inequalities, perceived discrimination, and eudaimonic well-being: do the challenges of minority life hone purpose and growth?

Considerable prior research has investigated links between racial/ethnic status and diverse aspects of mental functioning (e.g. psychological disorders, quality of life, self-esteem), but little work has probed the connections between minority status and eudaimonic well-being. Derived from existential and humanistic perspectives, eudaimonia describes engagement in life challenges and is operationalized with assessments of purpose in life, personal growth, autonomy, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, and positive relations with others. Using Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), a national survey of Americans aged 25-74, plus city-specific samples of African Americans in New York City and Mexican Americans in Chicago, minority status was found to be a positive predictor of eudaimonic well-being, underscoring themes of psychological strength in the face of race-related adversity. Perceived discrimination was found to be a negative predictor of eudaimonic well-being, although such effects were gender-specific: it was women, both majority and minority, with high levels of discrimination in their daily lives whose sense of growth, mastery, autonomy, and self-acceptance was compromised.     

First-year university students' health status and socio-demographic determinants of their self-rated health

This study surveys university students' physical and psychological health status and socio-demographic determinants of their self-rated health (SRH). The study population consists of all first-year students enrolled on the three programs offered at a Swedish university in the autumn of 1998 (3,229 students). In the spring of 1999, a self-administered questionnaire (44 forced-response questions) dealing with health status, life-style and living conditions was sent to the students at their home address (response rate 70%). Associations between overall health and its physical and psychological components were measured, and ANOVAs were conducted to establish the variation in physical, psychological and overall SRH explained by a series of socio-demographic variables. Most students rated their psychological and physical health as good or very good, and restrictions on life activities - when experienced - were found to be considerably more common for physical than for psychological problems. Symptoms related to psychological problems were more frequent among female than male students. Country of birth of student was the strongest predictor of self-rated physical health, and the second strongest predictor of psychological and overall health (following sex of student). Parental educational attainment was a weak but significant predictor of psychological and physical SRH among students, but not of their overall SRH. Overall, physical and psychological SRH, though strongly inter-correlated, are not necessarily redundant measures of one and the same thing. The variation in self-ratings cannot be explained simply with reference to one set of socio-demographic variables.     

OUT OF UTOPIA:

An important segment of writings on postindustrialization is distinctly utopian in stressing the greater mastery and control made possible by recent innovations in information technology. The utopian theme underscores the technical outcomes of innovations and highlights their benefits for ameliorating social problems. By contrast, our work suggests that many of the social problems in contemporary society are a consequence of recent innovations in information technology. We argue that postindustrial theorists are correct in stressing mastery over certain technical problems but incorrect in slighting the destabilizing effect innovations have on organizations and the markets in which these organizations participate. These destabilizing effects complicate organizational strategies by increasing market risk and uncertainty. Since most organizations are risk aversive, social problems are created as organizations externalize their costs and pass along risk to other, more dependent actors. Illustrations from two institutions, politics and the economy, indicate that many postindustrial innovations are associated with heightened competition as well as greater risk and uncertainty across the institutional order. We conclude that postindustrial technology introduces no net gain in man aging the complexities of the social world. Risk and control are both integral to technological innovation and constitute the paradox of postindustrialization.     

Race, socioeconomic status, and psychological distress: an examination of differential vulnerability

Using data from a 1985 epidemiological survey of 2,115 adults in Florida, this research has two goals: it tests the proposition that race and SES jointly influence mental health, and it examines the contribution of undesirable life events and economic problems to psychological distress across SES groups. Using multiple indicators of SES and mental health, we found that the evidence for a model of joint influence of race and SES on mental health varied with the measures being used. The most general conclusion is that SES interacts with race to increase psychological symptoms of distress. Partitioning the sample into three SES categories (low, middle, high), we examined the contribution of stressors to the greater distress among lower-SES blacks compared to other blacks and lower-SES whites. Lower-SES blacks are more vulnerable than lower-SES whites to the impact of undesirable events, but they are less vulnerable than lower-SES whites to the impact of economic problems. Lower-SES blacks are more vulnerable than middle-SES blacks to the impact of both discrete events and economic problems. Limitations of the study indicate a need for future longitudinal studies with measures of coping resources and support networks to further our understanding of the race, social class and psychological distress relationship.     

In search of the highest attainable standard of mental health for children

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) may be a leading example of psychological jurisprudence. By its emphasis on promotion of the "child's sense of dignity and worth," the CRC offers a framework for comprehensive child policy in a manner that is consistent with the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental health problems.     

Well-Being Among Spanish Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual and Heterosexual Adults: Disclosure of Sexual Orientation to Family and Friends

Relevance of disclosure of minority sexual orientation on subjective (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) was analyzed. Participants were 236 men and 238 women self-identified as lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) or heterosexual. No differences in SWB were found between heterosexuals and LGBs. Heterosexual women showed greater environmental mastery than bisexual men and greater purpose in life than lesbian and bisexual women. Outcomes showed greater well-being among LGBs who disclosed their minority sexual orientation to parents later in life. Disclosing minority sexual orientation to parents was related with greater PWB. Further research that takes a differential approach to improve well-being for LGBs is needed.     

Life Space Over the Life Span

Much of the literature in gerontology has focused on the objective paramters of age, and the narrow causal links between behavior and environment. This has reduced the multi-layered experience of aging to stage-specific taxonomies of a disengagement process which depict behavioral units and overt operational actions, or alternately a developmental-biological paradigm that presents aging as a progressive deterioration of physical and cognitive copmetence. A more wholistic and open perspective of 'topophilia', or i.e., the relations, perceptions, attitudes, values and world view that affectively bond people and place was chosen. An oral history interview method was selected where elderly informants were invited to trace their environmental biographies over their life span. In this way the investigators were able to treat their informants' place memories as experiential data and analyzed the content of their remembrances for significant and recurring themes about space and place. This approach yielded importance insights into fundamental life themes of autonomy, privacy, environmental mastery, and sense of place.     

Initiating a Caregiving Relationship: Pregnancy and Childbirth Factors as Predictors of Maternal Sensitivity

The aim of this study was to investigate the relations between pregnancy and childbirth factors and subsequent quality of maternal interactive behavior in a sample of 116 full‐term infants and their mothers. Mothers reported on the conditions of childbirth when infants were 6–8 months of age, and their interactive behavior was observed during a home visit at 12 months. Results showed that mothers who did not report health problems during pregnancy and who had longer pregnancies, shorter hospital stays, natural deliveries, and infants with greater birthweight were found to be more sensitive during interactions with infants at 12 months. All these relations held after accounting for socio‐economic factors and maternal psychological distress, except for the effect of type of delivery. This pattern of results, however, was almost exclusively due to mothers who already had at least one other child. Very few such relations were found among primiparous mothers.     

Explaining Variance in Achievement Motivation Among LD Students in Regular Education Classrooms

Abstract

This qualitative study identifies individual and situational differences that might explain why some LD students acquire a greater sense of mastery in regular educational settings than do other LD students. The sample of six LD students was randomly selected from 148 LD students whose teachers enhanced their mastery orientation by creating an adaptive motivational pattern for them in the classroom. The researcher and assistants questioned the teachers of the six LD students about the learning experiences of those students in an achievement situation. Teacher responses suggest that several individual and situational differences have implications for social workers interested in bringing about correspondence in the cues teachers give and the ones LD students need to acquire a sense of mastery in an inclusive setting.     

Gay ging

This article explores three issues as they relate to adjustment of older gay males: (1) coming out, (2) support systems, and (3) sex role flexibility. The data for this study were generated from questionnaires filled out by 43 self-identified older gay men and follow-up intensive interviews with 25 of the respondents. While this sample suggests a sense of accelerated aging among some gay men, nevertheless a high level of personal adjustment was apparent. Contrary to stereotypes, the men in this sample maintained family as well as friendship support systems, found coming out to be instrumental in adjustment, and exhibited sex role flexibility which promoted more successful aging.     

Aging Well at Home: Evaluation of a Neighborhood-based Pilot Project to “Put Connection Back into Community”

There is growing interest, in the United States and globally, to transform communities to become more aging friendly. However, the majority of emerging initiatives lack a formal evaluation component, limiting our understanding of their effectiveness and the ability to replicate them. This study is an evaluation of a pilot project, the Aging Well at Home (AWAH) Program, which aimed to “put connection back into community” to support the psychological well-being of urban seniors who were aging in place. We examined AWAH's effect on stress, loneliness, and depression through interviews with 33 seniors at enrollment and at 9 months later. Findings revealed a significant decline in participants’ perceived stress (p < .001); however, AWAH was less successful in lessening loneliness (p < .09) and was not associated with any change in depression (p > .33). In self-assessments, the majority of participants reported a greater sense of self-efficacy and social connection as a result of AWAH participation. The study offers preliminary evidence of the utility of a neighborhood approach to improving older adults’ quality of life.     

Food insufficiency and physical and mental health in a longitudinal survey of welfare recipients

Food insufficiency is a significant problem in the United States, and poor African American women with children are at especially high risk. An inadequate household food supply can potentially affect the well-being of household members, but it is difficult to distinguish the effects of food insufficiency from risk factors for poor health that are also common among the food insufficient, such as poverty. We examined food insufficiency and physical and mental health among African American and white women (n = 676) who were welfare recipients in 1997. Controlling for common risk factors, women who reported food insufficiency in both 1997 and 1998 were more likely to report fair or poor health at the later date. Food insufficiency in 1998 was significantly associated with meeting the diagnostic screening criteria for recent major depression. Food insufficiency at both times and in 1998 only was related to women's sense of mastery. These findings add to growing evidence that household food insufficiency is associated with poor physical and mental health.     

“I'm still raring to go”: Successful aging among lesbian,gay, bisexual,and transgender older adults

While we know that minority status differentiates the experience of aging, little research has been done to examine the ways in which patterns of successful aging may differ in diverse subgroups of older adults. In this exploratory study, we investigated and described experiences of successful aging in a sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Directed by a community-based participatory research process, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 22 LGBT adults, age 60 and older. We took an inductive, grounded theory approach to analyze the taped and transcribed interviews. We coded respondent experiences in four domains: physical health, mental health, emotional state and social engagement. Four gradations of successful aging emerged. Very few in our sample met the bar for “traditional success” characterized by the absence of problems in all four domains of health. Most of the sample was coping to a degree with problems and was categorized in one of two gradations on a continuum of successful aging: “surviving and thriving” and “working at it.” A small number was “ailing”: not coping well with problems. Some of the experiences that respondents described were related to LGBT status; others were related to more general processes of aging. The research suggests that a successful aging framework that is modified to include coping can better describe the experiences of LGBT older adults. The modified conceptual model outlined here may be useful in future research on this population, as well as more broadly for diverse populations of adults, and may be adapted for use in practice to assess and improve health and well-being.     

Trauma screening in students attending a medical university

Clinicians seldom assess trauma history in patients who seek treatment for psychological problems, yet trauma exposure is often related to psychological distress. Assessing trauma history can provide valuable information for treatment conceptualization and provision, although patients may not spontaneously share their histories because of embarrassment, avoidance, or other concerns. The authors compared 73 students at a southeastern US medical university who sought counseling and psychological services and completed intake paperwork without a trauma screen with 130 students whose intake procedures included trauma screening. They found that (a) patients who were specifically asked about trauma history were more likely to report such events, (b) previous physical assaults with a weapon were related to current psychological distress, and (c) physical assaults with or without a weapon were related to clinically significant psychological distress. These findings suggest that screening for lifetime trauma history should be a standard part of mental health screenings in similar medical university counseling centers.     

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, JOB CONDITIONS, AND WELL-BEING: Self-Concept Explanations for Gender-Contingent Effects

Using data from a representative sample of adults age eighteen to fifty‐five who reside in Toronto, Canada, and are employed in the paid labor force, this study asks: Are the health benefits of education, income, job autonomy, and nonroutinized work different for women and men? If so, do mastery and self‐esteem contribute to those differences? Results show that women and men derive different personal benefits from socioeconomic status and job qualities: (1) education, job autonomy, and nonroutinized work are associated more positively with the sense of mastery among women, (2) job autonomy is associated more positively with self‐esteem among women, (3) education, job autonomy, and nonroutinized work are associated more negatively with depressive symptoms among women, and (4) job autonomy and nonroutinized work are associated more positively with global health among women. Moreover, the patterns in (1) and (2) explain the gender‐contingent effects in (3) and (4). In addition, unexpected suppression effects reveal that, among men, education is associated negatively with mastery and self‐esteem—but only after adjustment for job conditions. I interpret the findings in the context of the disadvantaged status thesis and speculate about status‐related social comparison processes.     

Mental Health and HIV Risk Among African American Adolescents

Summary

The family system is integral to adolescent mental health and HIV risk. However, few studies have addressed family variables and adolescent outcomes among African American families. This study tested a longitudinal model of parenting, adolescent mental health, and adolescent HIV risk, among a community sample of low-income, urban African American families from the Collaborative HIV prevention and AdolescentMental Health Project (CHAMP). Consistent with general adolescent population data, we expected less parental monitoring, greater psychological control and less positive parenting to increase risk for adolescent depression and conduct problems. We hypothesized that these variables would in turn increase rates of HIV risk. We followed one hundred and thirty-four African American youth and theirmaternal caregivers as part of the CHAMP project. Study variables included: positive parenting, parental monitoring, psychological control, adolescent distress, conduct problems, and recent HIV risk. We examined the relationship among these variables via longitudinal path analysis. Age was strongly associated with increased adolescent HIV risk. Contrary to hypotheses, more parental psychological control was marginally associated with less HIV risk, while positive parenting was marginally associated with greater HIV risk. Adolescent depression was associated with more conduct problems, but unrelated to HIV risk. Thus, parenting practices generally considered negative might actually be protective among some lower SES African American families. This underscores the importance of extending studies of family context and adolescent risk behaviors to diverse social and ethnic groups. Designing prevention programs for diverse groups will require articulating culturally specific effects for different parenting practice.