What Does It Mean to Successfully Age?: Multinational Study of Older Adults' Perceptions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Successful aging is a mainstay of the gerontological literature, but it is not without criticism, including the often-limited way that it is studied and measured as well as the exclusion of older adults' voices in its formulation and understanding. This study sought to address these issues through a qualitative investigation across multiple countries. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, exploratory study using an online survey. Nations that received the survey included Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the Unites States. Participants aged 65 and older were asked to describe what successful aging means to them in an open-ended survey item. Summative content analysis was utilized to examine the responses. RESULTS: Successful aging was defined by 1,994 participants, and 6 themes along with 20 subthemes were found. In contrast to conception that successful aging is solely or predominantly related to the absence of disease and decline, the most prominent theme in this study was "active, independent, and engaged" as the hallmark of success. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Although health and health maintenance were present in other themes, these findings support a multidimensional definition of successful aging that promotes the perspectives of older people. Future research should seek to further investigate the ways in which person-in-environment factors influence definitions of successful aging, including culture, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.

Goal setting in later life: an international comparison of older adults' defined goals.

BACKGROUND: Studies of goal setting in later life tend to focus on health-related goal setting, are pre-determined by the researcher (i.e., tick box), and/or are focused on a specific geographical area (i.e., one country). This study sought to understand broader, long-term goals from the perspective of older adults (65 + years) from Australia, New Zealand (NZ), United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Canada, and the United States of America (USA). METHODS: Through a cross-sectional, online survey (N = 1,551), this exploratory study examined the qualitative goal content of older adults. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, and bivariate analyses were used to compare thematic differences between regions and by participants' sex. RESULTS: Over 60% of the participants reported setting goals, and participants from the Australia-NZ and Canada-USA regions were more likely to set goals than the UK-Ireland region. The following six overarching themes were identified from the 946 goals reported: health and well-being; social connections and engagement; activities and experiences; finance and employment; home and lifestyle; and attitude to life. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports previous research that demonstrates that older adults can and do set personal goals that are wide ranging. These findings support the need for health professionals to consider different methods for elucidating this important information from older adults that builds rapport and focuses on aspects viewed as more important by the older adult and therefore potentially produces improved health outcomes.

Risk and Protective Factors of Loneliness among Older Adults: The Significance of Social Isolation and Quality and Type of Contact.

Loneliness has a significant impact on the health and well-being of older people, including an increased risk of mortality. This cross-sectional study explored possible risk and protective factors that can help explain loneliness and emotional and social loneliness in a sample of community-dwelling older adults (N = 477). The survey incorporated a standardized scale of loneliness and items to assess type and quality of contact with others, community support, social isolation, physical health, cognitive health, and functional ability. Bivariate and multivariate analyses explored the factors that contributed to loneliness, emotional loneliness, and social loneliness. Results indicated overall quality of contact with others, use of phone contact, and social isolation was significant in all three regressions; other significant variables were different for each analysis. The findings support social work and public health recommendations for addressing loneliness, particularly within the current climate of "social distancing" under the COVID-19 pandemic.

What attributes of successful aging are important to older adults? The development of a multidimensional definition of successful aging.

Older adults' experiences and perspectives have been missing in the quest to develop a unified definition of successful aging. Through an online survey using convenience sampling, respondents (N = 477) were asked to report how important 25 specific attributes of successful aging, originating from published literature that examined successful aging from the perspective of older adults, were to them as they age. Over 90% of respondents reported 11 attributes as important or very important to them as they age, which included "remaining free of chronic diseases" and "feeling good about myself." A factor analysis (N = 462) resulted in four dimensions explaining 57.06% of the variance: Adaptation and Coping; Being Healthy; Self-Determination; and Social Relationships and Interactions. The findings revealed older adults' definition of what is important to them as they age is multidimensional, with having access to affordable health care and remaining alert and mentally active as critical elements followed by elements of self-determination, coping, and physical and social health. Future research should replicate the study with diverse populations to continue to refine a definition of successful aging that could influence program development and intervention approaches in health and social services.

How Do Older Adults Define Successful Aging? A Scoping Review.

Successful aging is a prominent theory that describes the aging process and the expected activities and behaviors older adults should engage in or exhibit to age successfully. Although this theory is used to gauge the extent to which older adults are aging successfully, older adults' experiences and perspectives of what successful aging means to them are missing from the theory. A five-step scoping review framework was used to explore and synthesize the existing research that investigated older adults' perspectives on successful aging. Twelve main themes were found and ranged from the importance of social relationships and interactions to having a good death. Findings indicated older adults do not define successful aging as strictly as is found in the literature. Old age and the aging process from the views of older adults provide future directions for theory development and research.

How stereotypes and attitudes toward older adults are challenged through intergenerational contact: Young people explain the process.

There is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of intergenerational contact in challenging stereotypes and attitudes, particularly when applying the four conditions of Allport's contact hypothesis. Despite this, little is known of how change actually occurs, particularly among young people. Individual interviews with twelve young people (age 11-12 years) were conducted to determine the extent and process by which their stereotypes and attitudes toward older adults (aged 65+) changed through intergenerational contact based on the contact hypothesis. Data analysis revealed five themes and 12 subthemes that illustrate this process. The findings support the contact hypothesis, explain how change occurs, and point to the need for further research on the change process.

Stereotypes and attitudes toward older people among children transitioning from middle childhood into adolescence: Time matters.

Ageism is fueled by stereotypes and negative attitudes about aging and older adults, which can lead to individual-level prejudice and discrimination. Through survey methodology, this study explored stereotypes and ageist beliefs of youth transitioning from middle childhood into adolescence (age 11-13 years) (N = 69) in the southwest of England. The results indicate that positive more than negative stereotypes were acknowledged, and more positive stereotyping was positively correlated with more positive attitudes toward older adults. Contact with older adults and age that one considers "old" were significant in predicting attitudes toward older people. The results suggest that time matters, in terms of contact with an older adult and time to reach "old age" in shaping youths' attitudes and stereotypes. Intergenerational and educational programs that seek to address aging myths and increase contact between youth and older adults are discussed as ways to improve attitudes amongst youth transitioning from middle childhood into adolescence.

Why do I dread looking old?: A test of social identity theory, terror management theory, and the double standard of aging.

Outward appearance is one of the means by which age is determined, and fear of looking old may stem from fears about social identity and death. This study explored how social identity theory and terror management theory may help to explain the dread of looking old. University students from the United States, England, and Australia (N = 1,042) completed a questionnaire regarding their attitudes about aging and older adults. Results indicated that sex, age, beliefs about personal aging, and death anxiety explained 30.4% of the variance for participants' dread of looking old. Theoretical hypotheses were supported by our findings.

Key processes, ingredients and components of successful systems collaboration: working with severely emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children and their families.

Systems collaboration has repeatedly been cited as a component of successful social service delivery. Through qualitative data, this study explored the process involved in inter-agency collaboration when providing Integrative Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) for families with severely emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children. Data were collected through a series of eight focus groups with 26 agency collaborators across 11 counties in Ohio. Data analysis revealed two emergent phenomena: the process of developing collaboration, consisting of making initial contact, a trial period and developing trust; and the key ingredients of collaboration, focusing on interpersonal and professional qualities. Implications of each theme are discussed.

Exploring smoking prevalence, quit attempts, and readiness to quit cigarette use among women in substance abuse treatment.

Client questionnaires from 38 gender-specific substance abuse facilities throughout Ohio were analyzed to explore smoking prevalence, quit attempts, and readiness to quit cigarette use. The analysis revealed 79.7% of women used cigarettes at the time of the survey, 33.5% of current smokers had made at least one quit attempt within the past 12 months, and 55.2% of current smokers reported either contemplating or preparing to make a quit attempt. A multinomial logistic regression revealed that clients who experienced a past quit attempt were more likely to be in the contemplation and preparation stages and clients who smoked 30 out of the past 30 days were least likely to be in the preparation stage. Clients who reported smoking between 10-15 cigarettes a day were more likely to be in the contemplation stage than those who reported smoking <10 cigarettes a day. A three-pronged approach that examines the physiological, emotional, and social components of addiction is recommended.