Functional Independence of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in China and South Korea

ABSTRACT

Population aging is occurring at an unprecedented pace in China and South Korea. This study intended to identify and compare factors associated with older adults’ functional status in China and South Korea using data from 2 national surveys. The study sample consisted of adults aged 65 to 79 years old drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2005; n = 4,898) and the Korean Longitudinal Study on Aging (2006; n = 4,152). The outcome variable, functional status, was defined as dependence in self-care tasks. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to assess the explanatory contributions of sociodemographics, health conditions, and health behaviors and activities to functional status. These Asian older adults shared certain commonalities in maintaining functional independence in their communities, and absence of diseases and higher cognition were associated with functional independence in both countries. Rural residence and outdoor activity were significant for Chinese older adults; for their South Korean peers, gender, employment status, drinking, and exercise were important. This study adds to a slowly growing body of knowledge of ways to improve the functional independence of community-dwelling older persons in these 2 Asian countries and beyond. More research is needed to identify cross-cultural and/or cross-country differences.     

Age Differences in Stressors,Coping Resources,and General Well-Being Among Korean Immigrants

ABSTRACT

 This study explored 346 Korean immigrants living in California to examine: a) differences in stressors, coping resources, and general well-being (anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, vitality, and general health) between younger (18–64 years old) and older (65–96 years old) Korean immigrants; and b) differences in associations of stressors and coping resources with general well-being in the 2 groups. Results revealed that the older immigrants experienced higher levels of socioeconomic stressors and psychological/physical problems. In addition, English-language problems, low education, and financial difficulties were more consistently associated with lower levels of general well-being in the older immigrants than in the younger immigrants. Social support, religious practice, and spiritual coping were more likely to alleviate the detrimental consequences of stressors on general well-being in the older immigrants than in the younger immigrants. To improve the general well-being of older Korean immigrants, the results suggest: a) emphasis of social and health care services with bilingual capability; b) improved social support systems; and c) utilization of spiritual assessments and interventions. Future research should extend the current study with longitudinal data of a more generalizable sample of Korean immigrants.     

Body Mass Index,Demographic and Socioeconomic Risk,and Protective Factors of Type 2 Diabetes Among Six Groups of Foreign-Born Asian Americans

ABSTRACT. This study examined the association of body mass index (BMI), demographic variables, and self-reported type 2 diabetes among Chinese, Filipino, South Asian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese adults. A sample of 3,204 Asian American respondents born outside of the United States was selected from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression was used to estimate the relationships between BMI, age, sex, marital status, education, poverty level, years in the United States and self-reported type 2 diabetes. The findings revealed that Koreans had the lowest prevalence for type 2 diabetes and South Asians had the highest. Type 2 diabetes had a statistically significant association with BMI and demographic variables but varied across ethnic groups. Due to sampling variations, no meaningful results were found in the Filipino and Japanese samples. BMI and older age are common risk factors for type 2 diabetes among Asians, but whether sex, marital status, education, and years in the United States are risk factors varies among ethnic groups. Culturally specific prevention programs for type 2 diabetes are important for Asian Americans. Given the diversity of cultures and demographic and socioeconomic factors across the Asian American populations, future research should not combine all ethnic Asian groups into 1 sample.     

Validation of multidimensional scale of perceived social support in middle-aged Korean women with diabetes

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to validate the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) among middle-aged Korean women with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Data were collected from 123 middle-aged Korean women with diabetes. Construct and concurrent validity were examined using factor analysis. Results: Factor analysis extracted three factors: spouse, family, and friends. The MSPSS had relatively good concurrent validity (r = .66, p < .0001), construct validity, and strong reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .90). Conclusion: We concluded that the MSPSS is a simple and well-established instrument to measure social support in middle-aged Korean women with diabetes.     

Turning Doctoral Students into Faculty in Gerontological Social Work: The AGESW Experience

ABSTRACT

Developing faculty interested in aging may help social work meet the needs of our growing aging population. However, doctoral students need a variety of supports to complete PhDs and become gerontological social work faculty. This study explored one program’s role in supporting the development of social work doctoral students to faculty in gerontology. An e-mail invitation was sent to all former participants (2010–2016 cohorts) of the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program (PDFP). The 38-question online survey consisted of Likert-type scales, multiple answers, and one open-ended question per section about the program’s impacts on their academic career development in teaching, research, mentoring, and support. Forty-five respondents, representing all six cohorts, completed the survey. More than half reported that the PDFP contributed to their ability to publish their research (64.4%, n = 29), grow their professional network (86.7%, n = 39, and teach (55.5%, n = 25). Doctoral programs provided different experiences than the PDFP, including mentoring, methodological training, professional development, networking, and peer support. Results suggest the PDFP provides content recipients value that supplements instruction received in their institutions. The program’s ability to connect students to each other and to national leaders enhances their career development and socialization into academic roles.     

Cultural differences in maternal emotion control values and children's expressive flexibility

Expressive flexibility is the ability to express or suppress one's emotions to meet the demands of the situation. Recent work suggests that expressive flexibility is associated with better adjustment. However, few studies have focused on expressive flexibility in children. In addition, there is a dearth of research on possible correlates, such as culture, parental emotion socialization, and socioeconomic status, that may be associated with expressive flexibility competencies in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate cultural differences in children's expressive flexibility, maternal emotion control values (ECVs), and their relations to family socioeconomic status (SES) during middle childhood in a sample of European American (N = 31, M age = 9.61 years; 54.8% males), Korean American (N = 38, M age = 9.16 years; 55.3% males) and South Korean children (N = 77, M age = 9.74 years; 51.9% males). Mothers reported on demographics and their emotion control values. Children's expressive flexibility ability was assessed using a lab-based observational measure. Multivariate analyses of covariance controlling for SES, child age, and gender suggested significant cultural differences in expressive flexibility, with the U.S. children (both European and Korean Americans) scoring higher on expressive flexibility compared to their South Korean counterparts. Results also suggested significant cultural differences regarding maternal ECVs; Korean Americans were more similar to South Koreans, both scoring higher on ECVs than European Americans. Socioeconomic status, but not maternal ECVs, were associated with children's expressive flexibility, independent of child age, sex, and culture.     

The Productive Aging Concept and Social Work Students’ Perceptions Toward an Older Population

Social work curriculum that offers an optimistic perspective on aging has the potential to help social work students go on to practice in a nondiscriminatory way with older adults. This study introduces social work students to the productive aging concept, an optimistic view to social potential in later life, in lecture format and assesses postlecture changes in their perceptions of older adults. Seventy-two students (16 BSW; 56 MSW) were recruited from a large university in the southeast United States to participate in a lecture on productive aging. A one-group pretest–posttest design was used, and a paired samples t test (n = 72) was used to analyze changes in social work students’ perceptions toward older adults. Negative attitudes toward older adults decreased and positive attitudes toward older adults increased among students following their participation in the lecture on productive aging. This finding suggests the productive aging concept may favorably influence student perceptions of older adults. Future research should aim to investigate ways in which these changes in perception at the college level can translate and self-sustain in social work practice for social work students postgraduation.     

Participation in Income-Generating Activities and Help-Seeking for IPV in Bangladesh – Results from a National Survey of Women

Abstract

The present study examined whether there was an association between microfinance participation (i.e. microentrepreneurship) and help-seeking social networks and employment and help-seeking social networks of women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh. The study is a secondary analysis of a subsample of 805 women (24.1% of the representative sample) who experienced IPV from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) between the ages of 16 and 49?years. Results indicate that among the subsample of 805 respondents, 29.3% sought help for IPV. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that women who were employed all year round were significantly more likely and microfinance participants were marginally more to seek help for IPV than women who were not engaged in income-generating activities. Implications are discussed.     

The Effects of Marketization of Long-term Care Services for Older Adults in Korea

To cope with the rapid increase in aging population, the South Korean government introduced new long-term care insurance in 2008 by using the market forces and mechanisms of competition and choice. The study explored the effect of the marketization of long-term care (LTC) services on the provision of services under the Korean long-term care insurance (LTCI) system. By adopting qualitative semi-structured in-depth interview methods, the experiences of 17 home visiting service provider managers were examined. The study results suggest that the marketization of LTC services faces several challenges. Some of the stakeholders in the field, such as home visiting service providers, care workers, and older clients, appear to employ unlawful activities or unprincipled behaviors to maximize their individual interests. The results also suggest that the unprincipled behavior, unlawful activities, and financial problems that service providers face contribute to low quality care services. Future studies should explore these issues using larger samples of service users and providers.     

An intervention strategy for improving social adaptation among female North Korean refugees

This study investigated the effect of TSL (Thank you, Sorry, Love) family therapy on social adaptation and health among female North Korean refugees in South Korean society. A quasi-experimental design was used to test the programme's effects as measured by changes in female North Korean refugees' scores on a test of social adaptation and in SDNN (Standard Deviation of heart rate Normal-to-Normals) scores. Results suggest that the programme intervention for the treatment group caused a significant increase in social adaptation, relative to a comparison group. Health improvements were also observed as changes in SDNN scores were significant.     

Regionalism,urbanism, and participation in the ministry: Blacks in the southern United States in the early twentieth century

This study examines Blacks’ participation in the ministry in the U.S. South during the early twentieth century. Analyses of Census data reveal that the odds of southern Blacks’ participation in the ministry were exceptionally high. These odds were lowest in the hinterlands of the Deep South, where Blacks’ socioeconomic disadvantages were greatest, and highest in the South's largest cities, where Blacks had established urban communities. The results suggest that support for Blacks’ participation in the ministry was intensified by urbanism in the South's major cities.     

Pathways to age-friendly communities in diverse urban neighborhoods: Do social capital and social cohesion matter?

ABSTRACT

Using a social capital and social cohesion lens, we reposition the concept of civic engagement among older adults to examine pathways for building age-friendly communities. We analyzed data drawn from a Community-Based Participatory Research study in the Southern U.S. that explored lived experiences of older adults, age 55 and above, who participated in individual interviews (n = 15) and six focus group discussions (n = 45) to examine their perceptions of social identity, social connectedness, and civic engagement geared toward an age-friendly city. Findings indicated that several older adults had access to social networks and socially invested resources, thereby having opportunities for civic engagement and building age-friendly neighborhoods. However, social, cultural, linguistic, and structural barriers were more evident among certain diverse ethnic populations. Marginalized low-income minorities and immigrants, such as Hispanic participants, felt the lack of social cohesion among the larger society limited their ability to give back, thus decreasing their civic engagement activities. In contrast, Caucasian and African-American older adults were able to contribute to the political process through more civic participation activities. We provide implications for examining the role of social capital and social engagement to bolster civic engagement among older adults in building age-friendly communities.     

Assessing the Effects of an Asset-Building Program in Resource-Constrained Households: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT

Using a survey that was administered individually to respondents at set locations, this study examines the effects of participation in an asset-building program in resource-constrained households in rural Ghana (n = 120 in the experimental group and n = 120 in the comparison group). Results suggest the program is effective in reaching the most economically vulnerable households. We also learned that program participation was related to ownership of social assets, as well as psychosocial and financial well-being. Program characteristics, including trust among members and time spent on program-related activities, were related to enhanced social and financial assets, respectively. A number of implications emerge from this study. Given that the program, although effective in reaching the most economically vulnerable households, did not produce significant outcomes in such households, attention may be devoted to understanding ways to enhance the welfare of vulnerable program participants. A targeted approach may be a viable option. With respect to policy, consideration could be given to incorporating microfinance models in poverty alleviation strategies. Continued research using more rigorous design is needed to explore the relationship between microfinance and the welfare of vulnerable participants.     

Senior Citizens Centers

Abstract

This study extends exploration of what senior centers offer, who participates, and what they gain. Center staff surveyed 856 participants in 27 senior centers regarding personal characteristics, program participation, and acquisition of vital information. Although senior centers are considered conduits for group activities and enrichment for older citizens, this investigation indicates that personal characteristics of participants exert a notable influence on the experience and perceived benefits of activities engaged in at senior centers. These findings should interest providers of aging services and advocates who view the senior center as an important vehicle for enhancing independent living for older adults.     

Informed consent comprehension among vulnerable populations in Ecuador: video-delivered vs. in-person standard method

The informed consent comprehension process is key to engaging potential research subject participation. The aim of this study is to compare informed consent comprehension between two methods: standard and video-delivered. We compared the in-person and video-delivered informed consent process in the Familias Unidas intervention. We evaluated comprehension using a 7-item true/false questionnaire. There were a total of 152 participants in the control group and 87 in the experimental. General characteristics were similar between both groups (p > 0.05). First-attempt informed consent comprehension was higher in the intervention group but was not statistically significant (80% and 78% respectively p = 0.44). A video-delivered informed consent process did not differ from the standard method of informed consent in a low educational and socioeconomic environment.     

Poverty Among Korean Immigrant Older Adults: Examining the Effects of Social Exclusion

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have shown that elderly Asian immigrants face greater risks for living in poverty compared with their native contemporaries. Particularly, Korean immigrant older adults are reported to be most likely to experience poverty among many Asian immigrant groups. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which demographic, human capital, and social exclusion factors contribute to such economic vulnerability among Korean immigrant older adults. Adding to previous research, this study broadly conceptualizes social exclusion and tests for its additive effects on poverty using nationally representative public data of Korean immigrant older adults. From the 2008–2010 Public Use Microdata Sample of the American Community Survey, this study extracts a sample that consists of individuals aged 65 years and older whose national origin is Korean, who were not born in the United States, and thereafter immigrated to the United States (N = 3,820). The findings indicate that 3 dimensions of social exclusion—exclusion from social and civic life, exclusion from asset building, and exclusion from the labor market—contribute significantly to Korean immigrant older adults’ odds of living in poverty. The study concludes with practice implications for socially inclusive workforce development as a way to ameliorate economic afflictions among Korean immigrant older adults.     

The Third-Age African American Seniors: Benefits of Participating in Senior Multipurpose Facilities

This article examines the contexts and benefits of African American seniors' participation in multipurpose facilities. Using qualitative data from 15 in-depth participant interviews and 6-month on-site participant observations as well as a survey result, research revealed the physical, emotional, and social benefits that African American seniors reported as a result of their participation in various activities offered in a multipurpose senior center in Atlanta Georgia. The study presents a social context in which African American seniors constructed their new third age identities that is different from the wide-spread negative images depicted by the mainstream about this minority group. Findings from this study increase the knowledge about African American seniors' participation in multipurpose facilities and provide a better understanding for the diverse socio-economic backgrounds of African American seniors. Study results will have policy implications for a better development of senior centers for minority population in the United States for the promotion of productive and successful aging.     

A Qualitative Exploratory Study on the Service Delivery System for the New Long-Term Care Insurance System in Korea

ABSTRACT

To cope with the rapid growth in its aging population, the Korean government introduced a new social long-term care insurance (LTCI) system for elderly people beginning in July 2008. This study aims to understand how National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) staff and home-visiting service providers experienced and evaluated the new service delivery system. A total of 26 semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with NHIC staff primarily responsible for the functional assessment of the elderly and the home-visiting service providers responsible for providing direct services to elderly clients. In summary, interviewees had negative experiences with the new service delivery system such as difficulties in carrying out their roles. The findings suggest that Korea's new LTCI service delivery system faces challenges and that a more active role for the Korean government, especially regarding the introduction of a proper care management system, is needed to address the issues. Future research with larger sample sizes is needed to examine and understand the issues in detail.     

Linking neighbourhood safety and children's internalizing and externalizing problems: Mediating role of maternal depression

This study examined the relationship among neighbourhood safety, maternal depression and child behaviour problems among Korean children in South Korea. Using the 2019 Panel Study on Korean Children (N = 1127), we found that residing in less safe neighbourhoods was associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, results from mediation analysis showed that the relationships between neighbourhood safety and internalizing and externalizing problems were significantly mediated by maternal depression in South Korea. These findings suggest that maternal depression may be an important mechanism linking unsafe neighbourhoods to South Korean children's behaviour problems.     

A Pilot Study About the Needs of Older Gays and Lesbians

Abstract

In a pilot study, a population of gay and lesbian elders were surveyed to determine what types of long term plans they have made in preparation for their old age, what types of information they feel service providers need to know to better meet their long-term needs, and what is their perception of aging. The results of this pilot study demonstrated that almost three-fourths of the total sample have started to make plans for growing old. The respondents reported that social workers needed to be more knowledgeable about gay lifestyles and the importance of their partners. It was also found that the views of aging became more positive as the gay and lesbian individuals grow older.