Social inequalities and exercise during adulthood: toward an ecological perspective

Grounded in ecological theory, this study examines the association among participation in regular vigorous exercise and social status, aspects of prominent life settings, interactions between life settings, and more proximal individual resources and processes using data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (N = 3,032). Among women, a higher level of earnings was associated with more vigorous exercise, yet those women with more education had a steeper decline in exercise across adulthood. Among men, those with the lowest level of education had the steepest decline in physical activity across adulthood, and earnings did not affect exercise patterns. Less participation in vigorous exercise among blacks, in contrast to nonblacks, was explained by their tendency to live in less safe neighborhoods and having more functional health problems. Finally, contextual factors from multiple domains were independently associated with participation in regular exercise. Consistent with ecological theory, these results suggest that interventions to promote exercise habits among adults need to consider the independent and interactive effects of multiple contextual factors.     

Panel discussions

Objective.?To determine (a) the relationship between life satisfaction, anxiety, depression and ageing in the male community and (b) to identify the impact of vulnerability factors, personal and social resources on life satisfaction and distress.

Design.?A stratified random sample of the German male population (N?=?2144) was investigated by standardized questionnaires of life satisfaction (FLZ^M), depression, anxiety (PHQ), resilience (RS-11) and self-esteem (RSS).

Results.?No age-related change was found regarding overall life satisfaction. Satisfaction with health decreased in midlife (51–60 years), while the importance of health increased. Importance of and satisfaction with partnership and sexuality were only reduced in the oldest group (70+). Anxiety was highest around midlife (51–60 years), accompanied by reduced resilience and self-esteem. No clear age-related change was found regarding depression. Life satisfaction was strongly associated with resilience, lack of unemployment, the presence of a partnership, positive self-esteem, a good household income, the absence of anxiety and depression and living in the Eastern states.

Conclusions.?Personal and social resources and the absence of anxiety and depression are of crucial importance for the maintenance of life satisfaction in ageing men. There is also evidence for a crisis around midlife manifested by health concerns, anxiety and reduced resilience.     

Symbolic Interaction with Consumer Products: An Affect Control Theory Approach

Symbolic interactionism is one of the few social psychology perspectives that recognizes the important role of physical artifacts, including consumer products, in social life. Consumer products are artifacts people can use to maintain the expressive order within social life – the order that is embedded within the shared meanings of a culture. As a formal theory of symbolic interactionism, affect control theory emphasizes culturally shared affective meaning, the impressions produced within social events, and identity processes that rely on those cultural meanings and social events. We contend that affect control theory provides a framework for understanding and researching how consumer products influence people's social experience and interaction. First, we specifically explore how affect control theory's concepts of affective meaning, identity modification, and impression management can be applied to understanding consumer products. Building on this foundation, we then consider how affect control theory might also contribute to three new research directions: social interaction with consumer products, affective design of consumer products, and the prosumer identity created from consumer products. Our conclusion is that affect control theory provides sociologists with a means of exploring the important and fascinating questions that emerge when we consider people's symbolic interaction with consumer products.     

The psychological consequences of midlife men's social comparisons with their young adult sons

I examine how midlife men (N= 542) compare their work and family lives with those of their young adult sons, and how these comparisons affect the fathers’ self‐evaluations. Analyses are based on quantitative and qualitative data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Fathers who rate their work lives as more successful than their sons’ have elevated self‐esteem only when they also report being very close with their children. Open‐ended interviews reveal that men derive pride from financially supporting their families, yet normative and economic constraints of the “good provider” role prevented them from pursuing their own career aspirations and from maintaining close parent‐child ties. Intergenerational social comparisons highlight the distinctive work and family constraints felt by the midlife fathers.     

“At My Age … ”: Defining Sexual Wellness in Mid- and Later Life

Sexual wellness is integral to quality of life across the life span, despite ageist stereotypes suggesting sexual expression ends at midlife. However, conceptualizing sexual wellness in mid- and later life is complicated by a dysfunction-based narrative, lack of a sex-positive aging framework, and existing measures that are age irrelevant and limited in scope. This study aimed to address these limitations by providing a conceptualization of sexual wellness grounded in definitions from midlife and older adults. A sample of 373 midlife and older adults (M = 60, SD = 5.84) in the United States provided a definition of sexual wellness. Using thematic analysis, multiple researchers coded qualitative responses, and results suggested a biopsychosocial-cultural framework. Findings reflect that midlife and older adults provide multifaceted definitions inclusive of various behavioral experiences, including disengaging from sex. They are also keenly aware of physical and psychological limitations and strengths, and emphasize mutual experiences and synchronicity. Midlife and older adults also reflect on age, drawing comparisons to different phases of life and often displaying adaptability in adjusting expectations. When conceptualizing sexual wellness in this population it is imperative to capture this multidimensionality, include those who are not actively engaging in sex, and be aware of the influence of ageist and dys/function narratives.     

Women making sense of midlife: Ethnic and cultural diversity

Within social gerontology and the sociology of ageing there has been a tendency to focus on ageing and midlife as a period characterised by adaptation, consumption and commodification of the body (e.g. Biggs, S. (1997). Choosing not to be Old? Masks, bodies and identity management in later life. Ageing and Society 17: 553–70; Featherstone, M., & Hepworth, M. 1996. The midlifestyle of ‘George and Lynne’: Notes on a popular strip. In The Body: Social Process and Cultural Theory, edited by M. Featherstone, M. Hepworth and B. Turner. London: Sage). This has highlighted the extent to which an ageing appearance might impact on the formation of identity and self during midlife. However, a limitation of this focus is a lack of attention to the significance of ethnic and cultural diversity on how midlife is experienced and enacted. In this paper it is argued, such theorisations tend to overlook the complex meanings attached to midlife and how these are often bound up with past, current, and future ethnic and cultural belief systems and values. Based on empirical research with women from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, this paper seeks to examine the different meanings women attach to midlife. It considers the extent to which current theories of ageing have neglected experiences of midlife that are not structured around Western concerns and priorities. The main argument is that women's priorities throughout midlife differ significantly in relation to cultural and ethnic affiliation and background.     

Work and Family Issues After Injury: Do Female and Male Client Perspectives Differ?

Role demands weigh differently on men and women and the balance of role demands shifts when adult family members sustain injuries that compromise their physical capacity. Clients with orthopaedic and soft tissue injuries (N = 53) who were settling insurance claims or currently in litigation were assessed using the Life Roles Inventory (Values and Salience Scales), a Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (structured interview), and measurements of physical capacity, perceived exertion, and functional ability. Findings from this exploratory study suggest that although commitment to the major life roles does not change following injury, levels of participation and role value for working and home/family roles do change. The disruption of social networks is likely related to the working role for women in professional and skilled occupations. Financial concerns, strain in personal relationships, level of independence in self care, and pain on activity significantly affect performance and satisfaction.     

Social Integration,Work‐Family Conflict and Facilitation,and Job and Marital Quality

This paper examines relationships between 2 dimensions of social integration (community participation and affective community resources) and job and marital quality. Data from the 1995 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (n= 1,816) indicate that the level of community participation is unrelated or negatively related to job and marital quality, whereas affective community resources show positive associations with job and marital quality. Relationships between community participation and affective community resources and job stress are partially mediated by work‐to‐family conflict and facilitation. Family‐to‐work conflict and facilitation partially mediate relationships between affective community resources and marital satisfaction and risk. The study takes a beginning step in establishing relationships and exploring processes that make up the work‐community‐family interface.     

IDENTITY DILEMMAS OF CHRONICALLY ILL MEN

Chronic illness frequently comes to men suddenly with immediate intensity, severity, and uncertainty. Because men contract more serious and life-threatening chronic illnesses than women, experiencing illness causes men different identity dilemmas. This paper explores men's identity dilemmas by studying how men experience chronic illnesses and by looking at how assumptions about masculinity affected their identity. The paper explores four major processes: (1) awakening to death after a lifethreatening crisis, (2) accommodating to uncertainty as men realize that the crisis has lasting consequences for their lives, (3) defining illness and disability and (4) preserving self to maintain a sense of coherence while experiencing loss and change. The data are derived from forty in-depth formal interviews of twenty men, informal interviews with these men, and an extensive collection of published and unpublished personal accounts. The data were analyzed through the strategies of grounded theory.     

Notes on Leader Disclosure in Self Analytic Groups1

A discussion of personal disclosures on the part of leaders of educationally oriented self analytic groups is presented in the context of group social structure and group members’relationships with authority. The discussion includes an examination of the significance of asymmetric relationships between leaders and members in the early phases of group development, the implications for the group of disclosures, and differential meanings of personal disclosure for men and women. The notion of sexual and aggressive components of disclosures is also considered along with a brief statement about the nature of group leadership and its relation to individual temperament and adopted life style.     

Life stress, anger and anxiety, and delinquency: an empirical test of general strain theory

General strain theory (Agnew 1992) departs from traditional strain theories by emphasizing the role of the individual's affective responses to negative life experiences in fostering deviant behavior. In this analysis, we examine the central hypotheses of general strain theory using data from a three-wave panel study of high school youths in the Boston metropolitan area (N = 939). Covariance structure models reveal that anger and hostility in response to negative life events do play a causal role in fostering more aggressive forms of delinquency, but are not significantly related to either nonaggressive delinquency or marijuana use. Furthermore, the conditional effects predicted by general strain theory, in which the impact of strain on delinquency varies by youths' personal and social resources, are inconsistent. Discussion centers on the prospect of increasing the utility of general strain theory by further imbuing it with concepts and perspectives from the sociology of mental illness.     

Crisis communication: The mediating role of cognitive and affective empathy in the relationship between crisis type and crisis response strategy on post-crisis reputation and forgiveness

This study seeks to contribute to the growing body of research in crisis communication by exploring how two types of empathy; cognitive empathy and affective empathy, affect organizational reputation and publics’ forgiveness for an organization that is in a crisis. An online three (crisis type: victim vs. accidental vs. preventable) × two (response strategy: rebuilding vs. denial) between-subjects experiment was conducted with 648 participants (N = 648) recruited through Amazon’s research tool MTurk. The results of the study reveal that crisis type affects both cognitive and affective empathy and people are more likely to feel empathetic toward an organization that uses rebuilding strategies than an organization that denies the existence of a crisis. Theoretical and practical implications of empathy on corporate reputation and forgiveness are discussed.     

Health-life agreement: Conceptualization of a new construct and measurement

Health-life agreement (HLA) is the ability to meet demands in three life domains (i.e. work, family, and self) to the level of personal satisfaction without experiencing emotions that can affect the self or the others negatively. In this study, the authors developed a scale to measure the construct of HLA. The results of the k-means cluster analysis revealed four different profiles of HLA (i.e. harmonious, carefree, exhausted, and nonharmonious). The authors found that harmonious people scored highest in positive outcomes (i.e. health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and life satisfaction) and nonharmonious group scored highest in negative outcomes (i.e. turnover intention and aggression in relationships).     

Marital Quality,Gender, and Markers of Inflammation in the MIDUS Cohort

Marital quality is an important factor for understanding the relationship between marriage and health. Low‐quality relationships may not have the same health benefits as high‐quality relationships. To understand the association between marital quality and health, we examined associations between two indicators of marital quality (marital support and marital strain) and two biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin‐6 and C‐reactive protein) among men and women in long‐term marriages using data from the Survey of Midlife in the United States (N = 542). Lower levels of spousal support were associated with higher levels of inflammation among women but not men. Higher levels of spousal strain were weakly and inconsistently associated with higher levels of inflammation among women and men; the effects were diminished with the addition of psychosocial and behavioral covariates. These findings suggest marital quality is an important predictor of inflammation, especially among women.     

“And then AIDS came along”: A life course turning point and sub-cohorts of older gay men

Research on life course turning points focuses on heterosexuals. Scholars acknowledge that the early AIDS epidemic was a period of crisis for current older gay men, and that this period has shaped and will likely continue to impact their lives. However, few studies have considered the range of early AIDS-related experiences within this group. In this article, I use a life course perspective and in-depth interviews with 40 gay men (60+) in Atlanta to address the following questions: (1) How did current older gay men's experiences vary during the AIDS years? (2) What social factors shaped this variation? I identified three AIDS-related sub-cohorts, which were defined by how participants' social and spatial relationships to urban gay communities influenced their experiences of personal loss, community loss, personal support, and community support between 1981 and 1996. The results suggest that scholars and service providers interested in how early life experiences impact later life should consider the divergent early AIDS-related experiences within the group “older gay men.”     

British identity and 'the people's princess'

This article treats the popular response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, as a manifestation of the cultural public sphere , by which is meant a symbolic space for affective communication and an emotional sense of democratic participation. The Diana phenomenon neither produced a 'revolutionary moment' nor, however, was it insignificant. Rather, it represented a vehicle for public debate on British identity, the role of the monarchy and, more diffusely, the conduct of personal relations. New Labour and feminist appropriations of Diana are examined in detail and related to a general consideration of the diverse and contested meanings of her life and death.     

Investigating Gender Differences in the Meaning of Household Chores and Child Care

This study examines factors related to the affective meanings (evaluation, potency, and activity) that spouses and cohabitors (N= 309) attach to child care, baby care, and 9 household chores. Gender is related to about a third of these task meanings. Consistent with the feminine care hypothesis, women consider baby care and laundry especially good, potent, and active and consider meal preparation particularly powerful, although contrary to this hypothesis women evaluate washing dishes less positively than men. Consistent with the masculine care hypothesis, men consider auto work and yard work especially good and powerful. When paid and unpaid work patterns are controlled, however, 9 of the 12 gender differences become nonsignificant and 4 new gender differences are identified, suggesting that work patterns both mediate and suppress some gender differences in task meanings. Gender also moderates the relationship between work and 12 task meanings. In several of these equations, women's proportion of nonmasculine work is negatively related to the goodness or the power they associate with a nonmasculine task.     

Age and embodied masculinities: Midlife gay and heterosexual men talk about their bodies

This article integrates critical gerontology and masculinities theories to examine how midlife gay and heterosexual men experience their bodies in relation to cultural discourses of aging. Analyses of in-depth interviews with 15 gay and 15 heterosexual men ages 40–60 reveal that while both groups of men describe their bodies as deteriorating or declining in terms of functionality and are often distressed by these changes, midlife gay men also articulate a concern with a perceived decline in bodily appearance. Both gay and heterosexual midlife men frame their bodies as fundamentally different from women's, possibly in an attempt to protect a masculine identity in response to the threat that aging bodies pose to that identity. We argue that midlife men's embodied experiences are shaped by a discourse of midlife decline as well as inequalities between gay and heterosexual men. We also discuss the implications of embodiment for midlife men's well-being.     

The eudemonic and hedonic role of happiness in a population with high levels of life satisfaction / El rol eudemónico y hedónico de la felicidad en una población con altos niveles de satisfacción con la vida

The hedonic perspective of happiness focuses on studying positive emotions and life satisfaction, while the eudemonic perspective prioritizes a meaningful life which leads to high functioning and the development of individual talents. It was hypothesized that well-being will be positively related to the domains associated with family and affective satisfaction and negatively associated with issues related to economic and physical security, and that the structure of happiness would primarily be comprised of elements of hedonic happiness. Measurements from a national survey (BIARE, 2014) were used, and the sample size was 39,274 men and women between the ages of 18 and 85. Via confirmatory factor analysis techniques, a model was confirmed with two factors which correlated negatively, one of which consolidates eudemonic elements while the other refers to negative affect. The findings contribute to explaining why the population of Mexico, the subject of this study, shows high levels of happiness even though it ranks below the average on almost all the quality-of-life indicators.     

An analysis of how children adapt to residential care

This research analyses the personal, social and educational adaptation of 74 children, aged between 6 and 18, under measures of protection in residential care centres. The Autoevaluative Multifactorial Child Adaptation Test (TAMAI) was applied to evaluate the children's level of adaptation. The study also aims to determine the relationship between the different levels of competence and/or functioning in the different areas of adaptation. The results indicate that institutionalised children show a high level of failure to adapt in both personal and social aspects. The fact that children show dissociative maladjustment, negative thoughts and mechanisms for escaping from reality (dreaming, negative opinion of self and undervaluing) is confirmed. There is evidence of the negative effects of neglect on children's perceptions, especially a poor opinion of self and inadequate self esteem. Worthy of note are a maladjusted opinion of self and of reality which makes them pile the tension, fear and uneasiness they live through upon their own shoulders, something which can lead to undervaluing. An inability to adapt to school life manifests itself in a low work level and low motivation to learn and a general dissatisfaction with their schooling situation.