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PubMedDate not supplied

[Reminiscence and the relationship between the young and elderly].

In order to analyse the function of reminiscence in old age, group discussions were conducted with old people in order to ascertain collective points of orientation and shared knowledge. The points of orientation prompted by the discussion reveal that old people relate to their own past in a diverse set of ways closely bound up with the way they orientate themselves with respect to the concept of youth. A stereotyped recollection of one's youth is associated with a feeling of contempt towards the young generation of today; a more balanced recollection of one's own youth is bound up with an intergenerational orientation, while the complete absence of a need for reminiscence is bound up with an exclusive orientation towards one's own age-group and everyday cares.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The experience of being a grandmother who is the primary caregiver for her HIV-positive grandchild.

BACKGROUND: The number of grandparents assuming care for their grandchildren is increasing, and this affects grandparents both positively and negatively. The current study builds on an earlier study of the effects of social support, stress, and level of illness on caregiving of children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) that identified both positive and negative effects of caregiving. OBJECTIVES: To identify the lived experience of African American and Latino grandmothers as the primary caregivers for their grandchildren who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected or have AIDS and to identify the similarities and differences between the two groups. METHODS: Using Van Manen's method for hermeneutical phenomenological research, the lived experiences of 10 African American and Latino grandmothers who were the primary caregivers for their HIV-positive grandchildren were investigated. Additionally, the similarities and differences between the two groups were studied. RESULTS: Four themes identified were (a) upholding the primacy of the family, (b) living in the child-centered present, (c) being strong as mature women, and (d) living within a constricting environment. Twelve subthemes expanded and clarified the meaning of these themes. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were differences related to family structure and cultural backgrounds, the grandmothers were more alike than different.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

Ageism and death: effects of mortality salience and perceived similarity to elders on reactions to elderly people.

The present research investigated the hypotheses that elderly people can be reminders of our mortality and that concerns about our own mortality can therefore instigate ageism. In Study 1, college-age participants who saw photos of two elderly people subsequently showed more death accessibility than participants who saw photos of only younger people. In Study 2, making mortality salient for participants increased distancing from the average elderly person and decreased perceptions that the average elderly person possesses favorable attitudes. Mortality salience did not affect ratings of teenagers. In Study 3, these mortality salience effects were moderated by prior reported similarity to elderly people. Distancing from, and derogation of, elderly people after mortality salience occurred only in participants who, weeks before the study, rated their personalities as relatively similar to the average elderly person's. Discussion addresses distinguishing ageism from other forms of prejudice, as well as possibilities for reducing ageism.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The transgenerational transmission of holocaust trauma. Lessons learned from the analysis of an adolescent with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This paper outlines an attachment-theory based model of transgenerational trauma inspired by the successful psychoanalytic treatment of a severely disturbed adolescent with obsessive-compulsive disorder who was the first child of the first daughter of a holocaust survivor. It is proposed that the transmission of specific traumatic ideas across generations may be mediated by a vulnerability to dissociative states established in the infant by frightened or frightening caregiving, which, in its turn, is trauma-related. Disorganized attachment behaviour in infancy may indicate an absence of self-organization, or a dissociative core self. This leaves the child susceptible to the internalization of sets of trauma-related ideation from the attachment figure, which remain unintegrated in the self-structure and cannot be reflected on or thought about. The disturbing effect of these ideas may be relatively easily addressed by a psychotherapeutic treatment approach that emphasizes the importance of mentalization and the role of playful engagement with feelings and beliefs rather than a classical insight-oriented, interpretive approach.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

The importance of grandparents in extended-kin caregiving to black children with sickle cell disease.

This study examined support and care the black extended-kin system provided to 34 chronically ill black children with sickle cell anemia. Findings show that grandparents played important roles in helping provide support to the sick children's primary caregivers and to the children themselves. Grandparents provided support that complemented that of fathers, and they remained in the system of care longer than any other relative in the family. The data indicate a need to design family interventions for sick children and their parent to include grandparents.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

Schizophrenia: problems of separation in families.

BACKGROUND: In the past, family relationships of people with schizophrenia have mainly been investigated from a clinical viewpoint. The perspective of family development has generally been overlooked in this area of research. AIM: This paper reports a study exploring problems of development and detachment in families with an adult child with schizophrenia. METHOD: Using in-depth interviews, 51 parents of people with schizophrenia were questioned about their living situations and relationships with patients. FINDINGS: Spatial separation from the family home was often complicated or even prevented entirely, with patients permanently living in their parents' household or in the same neighbourhood. Many patients remained dependent on their parents' emotional, practical and financial support. Typically, the parent-child relationship was re-intensified, often with a concurrent loss of social contacts outside the family. From a biographical point of view, schizophrenia often caused problems for families by making parenthood permanent and lifelong parental support necessary. Many parents had to revise their expectations of both their ill child's development and their own personal plans. CONCLUSION: From the viewpoint of family psychology, schizophrenia is a serious obstacle to development that affects both patients and their parents. Family-related support should increasingly take into account the issue of the difficult detachment of patients from their parents.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1994

Shared stories of the grandparent-grandchild relationship.

This research examined the storytelling that oftentimes characterizes interaction between grandparent and grandchild. Close to 120 individuals (college students) audiotaped an interaction with one of their grandparents. They were asked to have their grandparent first "tell a story that captures the meaning of life" for them. In addition, the grandparent was asked to complete the phrase, "To me, life is like ." the students were asked to tell their grandparent "a story that captured the essence of their life at this time in their life." Students were divided into similar numbers of same and mixed sex grandparent-grandchild relationships. The audiotaped interactions were content analyzed. A major assumption of this investigation is that the story which each individual chooses to share with their relational partner reveals to some extent the definitional nature of their relationship. Results of the storysharing interaction across relations revealed some gender differences in the types of stories grandparents share with their grandchildren. The implications of the shared stories upon the relational dynamics of the grandparent-grandchild relationship are discussed. In addition, the metaphors used by the grandparents to describe life in the presence of their grandchildren are analyzed.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Attitudes toward aging: a comparative analysis of young adults from the United States and Germany.

Social and cultural attitudes toward aging provide a framework for assessing one's own aging experiences as well as one's attitudes toward older men and women. Ageism, or prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory practices toward older adults (Butler, 1980), has been found to be widespread around the world. This study focuses on a comparative analysis of the attitudes of young adults from Germany and the United States. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to evaluate similarities and differences in the anxiety associated with four measurable dimensions associated with ageism: fear of old people, psychological concerns associated with aging, concern over changes in physical appearance as a result of aging, and fear of losses associated with aging. The second purpose of this study was to evaluate the age at which young adults from these two countries might consider themselves to be "old." The findings indicate significant country and gender differences across the dimensions. German participants tended to view aging much more negatively than American participants did. However, Americans considered themselves to be "old" at a much younger age than Germans. Gender differences indicated that women in both countries were more concerned with age-related changes in their physical appearance than were men. Analyses of the results are discussed in relation to the influence of ageism and negative cultural stereotypes of aging on people's self-image across the life span.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Dimensions of family rituals across two generations: relation to adolescent identity.

Family rituals are considered part of a generational process that fosters a sense of identity for individual members and is reflective of the family's shared belief system. The symbolic significance attached to family rituals is considered central to the force of family rituals. Three questions were addressed in the study: (1) Are the dimensions of family rituals viewed similarly across generations?; (2) Is level of ritualization related to adolescent identity?; (3) If there is disagreement about the relative level of ritualization in a family, is there a negative relation to adolescent identity? A total of 77 families with an adolescent member completed the Family Ritual Questionnaire, and the adolescents completed a measure of self-esteem. Results of a factor analysis demonstrated shared representation of family rituals across two generations, with one factor loading on the symbolic qualities of family rituals and the second factor loading on the routine aspects of family rituals. Positive relations were found between adolescent identity and the family's report of symbolic significance and affect associated with family rituals. A negative relation was found between mother-adolescent disagreement about family rituals and adolescent feelings of belonging. Distinguishing between meaning and routine aspects of family rituals is discussed as well as clinical implications.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Generativity and moral development as predictors of value-socialization narratives for young persons across the adult life span: from lessons learned to stories shared.

Little research so far has examined storytelling as a channel of value socialization. In the present study, 129 adults from 3 age groups (18-26, 28-50, 60-75) were asked to tell stories for adolescents about 2 of their past value-learning experiences. Generative concern (D. P. McAdams & E. de St. Aubin, 1992) and moral reasoning stage level were also assessed. Stronger generative concern was predictive of a greater sense of having learned important lessons from these past events, of stronger adult value socialization investment, and of more engaging narratives for adolescents as judged by a panel of uninstructed raters. Higher levels of moral reasoning were positively related to generative concern and to a stronger sense of past lessons learned. Generativity appears important to the project of value socialization across the adult life span.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

(Re)constructing relationships with grandparents: a turning point analysis of granddaughters' relational development with maternal grandmothers.

This study explores how granddaughters account for the development of their relationships with their maternal grandmothers. The retrospective interviewing technique was used to elicit turning points in their relational histories. Analysis of the turning point content revealed several different types of turning points that reflected both normative and idiosyncratic events. Increases in relational closeness resulted from decreases in geographic separation, engaging in shared activities, deaths or serious illnesses in the family, and family disruptions. Decreases in closeness were associated with negative experiences with the grandmother, increases in geographic separation, and the transition to college. Granddaughters reported that turning points related to death or serious illness and participation in shared activities were the most significant ones in their relationships with maternal grandmothers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Generativity in midlife and young adults: links to agency, communion and subjective well-being.

Three questions stimulated by Erik Erikson's theory of generativity were addressed: 1) Is generativity associated with greater subjective well-being? 2) Are agency and communion additive or interactive predictors of generativity? 3) Does generativity play a distinct role during the midlife period? Among ninety-eight midlife adults, generativity was positively related to positive affectivity, satisfaction with life, and work satisfaction. Generativity was independently predicted by agentic (masculine) and communal (feminine) traits. Among fifty-eight young adults, generativity predicted positive affect at home. Generativity was independently predicted by agentic (power) and communal (love) interpersonal orientations. Using event-contingent recording of agentic and communal behavior at work, agency was a stronger predictor of generativity for young adult men, and communion was a stronger predictor for young adult women. The studies demonstrate that generativity has similar relations to agency and communion in young and midlife adults; however, generativity may be a stronger predictor of subjective well-being in midlife adults.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

The role of family systems in severe and recurrent psychiatric disorders: a developmental psychopathology view.

Family systems theory has been highly influential in the study of recurrent psychiatric disorders. This review examines two interrelated domains: research on expressed emotion (EE) attitudes among relatives (criticism, hostility, or emotionally overinvolvement) and relapses of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and randomized trials of family intervention in these populations. The literature is discussed in terms of contemporary systems theory and concepts from developmental psychopathology research. Several conclusions are drawn: (a) levels of EE are correlated with caregivers' attributions regarding the controllability of patients' behaviors; (b) EE attitudes are associated with bidirectional, mutually influential cycles of interaction between relatives and patients; and (c) family psychoeducational therapy, when combined with pharmacotherapy, is associated with lower rates of relapse in schizophrenia and bipolar illness. Underlying disturbances in family systems may emerge in response to illness symptoms in a family member, but also have recursive effects on the developmental course of the illness once manifest. The nature and stability of these recursive effects will depend on dynamic processes in the patient, the relative, and their relationship. Future research should elucidate mediating and moderating variables in the pathways from EE to patients' outcomes, and the conditions under which family treatments bring about favorable outcomes of psychiatric disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Time? Money? Both? The allocation of resources to older parents.

We provide estimates of a reduced-form model of the allocation of household time and money resources. We consider four demands for these resources: time spent working, time spent providing care for noncoresident elderly parents, time spent performing housework, and monetary transfers to noncoresident elderly parents. We focus on the effects of wage rates and parental characteristics on the allocation decisions of adult children and their households concerning these four demands. We find that households with individuals earning high wages rely relatively more on cash transfers and relatively less on time transfers than do lower-wage households. We also find evidence consistent with an unmeasured tendency of some families to provide multiple sources of support.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

[Aging, family relations and life course].

Integration of sociological research findings into the study of late life individual development is attempted. The human lifecourse is presenting itself as de-standardized and individualized. Phases of renewed learning and selfmanaged changes become requirements for fulfilment in late life. The labor market and technological change contribute to the fragmentation of the life course. More attention has to be payed to train for a learning of re-learning, and for the capacities of the self to respond creatively to changes in the biography. One important element in increased endeavour in this context is the attempt to face intergenerational differences and to learn to grow with conflict even in old age.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1993

Generativity among young, midlife, and older adults.

Generativity is conceived as a configuration of psychosocial features constellated around the goal of providing for the next generation. This study used a stratified random sampling of young (ages 22-27), midlife (ages 37-42), and older (ages 67-72) adults to examine age-cohort differences in 4 generativity features: generative concern, commitments, actions, and narration. Although prevailing views on generativity (e.g., Erikson, 1963) predict a peak in midlife and decline thereafter, support for this developmental hypothesis was mixed. Midlife Ss scored higher than young and older Ss on concern and actions in a second administration of measures, but not in the first. Generative commitments and narration showed high scores for both midlife and older Ss and relatively low scores for young Ss. Generative concern, assessed with the Loyola Generativity Scale, was positively associated with life satisfaction.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1992

Adult grandchildren and their grandparents: the enduring bond.

This article presents findings from a national survey of 208 adult grandchildren concerning relationships with their "closest" grandparent. Levels of contact and perceptions of closeness are two indices used to evaluate the strength of the bonds between the cross-generations. The evidence suggests that along these two dimensions, grandchild/grandparent relationships are significant and meaningful. Although there is diversity among the respondents, interaction levels are high for the majority of the sample. Additionally, most respondents report that their relationships with their grandparents are close and enduring. A comparison of ranked means suggests that several factors are related to the strength of the grandchild/grandparent bonds: age, lineage, geographical proximity, the child/parent relationship, and the parent/grandparent relationship. This research provides a new understanding of a significant family role, that of adult grandchild.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

An imperfect refuge: life in an 'old folk's home' for younger residents with psychiatric disorders.

Residents under age 65 comprise a small, but not insignificant, segment of the US nursing home population--a segment about which very little is known. This article explores the meaningful constitution of nursing home experience among younger, psychiatrically disabled residents of an urban nursing home. Residents' "behavior problems", the difficulties imposed by institutional life, and American age norms emerged as key dynamics in residents' understandings of nursing home life. In addition to these factors, the nursing home was evaluated in relation to previous life experiences, perceived alternatives, and expectations of personal freedom. Ultimately, most younger residents found the nursing home to be a refuge, albeit an imperfect one.

Adult↗