Inventory of Youth Adaptation to Loss (IYAL): Psychometric Testing of a New Instrument for Bereaved Youth to Assess Social Support and Coping.

The Inventory of Youth Adaptation to Loss (IYAL) was developed to understand the feelings and social supports experienced by bereaved youth to develop an evidence-base for bereavement interventions. The sample included 400 youth ages 9-17, permitting robust psychometric testing of the IYAL. To evaluate the reliability of the IYAL, the sample framework was national in scope, encompassed a range of different types of youth bereavement programs, and purposively sought diversity in the sample. Exploratory factor analysis identified five factors with distinct sub-scales indicating that the IYAL is a valid and reliable assessment instrument of youth coping with grief and their social support relationships.

A scoping review to characterize bridging tasks in the literature on aging with disability.

BACKGROUND: Bridging involves improving knowledge sharing and collaboration across different fields, such as aging and disability. The objectives of this review were to describe: 1) the contexts where bridging has occurred in relation to delivery of health services for adults aging with neurological or developmental conditions; and 2) characterize and map bridging tasks, stakeholders involved, and outcomes discussed in peer-reviewed literature. METHODS: Seven databases were searched around the core concepts of "bridging," "aging," and "disability." In total, 10,819 articles were screened with 49 meeting the inclusion criteria of discussing aging with developmental or neurological disability, explicitly describing bridging tasks, published in English and a peer-reviewed publication. Bibliographic information, sample characteristics, and data on bridging was extracted and included in the qualitative synthesis. RESULTS: Intellectual and/or Developmental disabilities were the most studied population (76% of articles), and most articles were published in the United States (57%). Twenty-two bridging tasks were identified, and categorized into three domains: health and social service delivery (e.g., care coordination tasks), policy (e.g., policy change), and research and training (e.g., mentoring). Stakeholders involved ranged from health care professionals to policy makers and organizations in aging and disability services. CONCLUSIONS: The resulting matrix will assist in the specification of bridging in research and practice. Future work should evaluate specific models of bridging and their effects on health service delivery.

Consolidated Measures of Activity among Older Adults: Results of a Three Data Set Comparison.

This study explores the potential to consolidate a broad range of activity items to create more manageable measures that could be used in statistical modeling of multi-activity engagement. We utilized three datasets in the United States: Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Health and Retirement Study, and Midlife in the United States. After identifying activity items, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used to empirically explore composite activity measures. Findings suggest that discrete activity items can be consolidated into activity domains; however, activity domains differ across datasets depending on availability of activity items. Implications for research and practice are further discussed.

The impact of the low-income housing tax credit on children's health and wellbeing in Georgia.

Housing instability is a risk factor for child abuse and neglect (CAN). Thus, policies that increase availability of affordable housing may reduce CAN rates. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the largest affordable housing policy initiative in the country. This study used fixed-effects models to estimate the relationship between LIHTC units and county-level CAN reports in Georgia from 2005 to 2015, controlling for county demographic characteristics. One-way fixed-effects models (including only county fixed-effects) demonstrated significant negative associations between number of LIHTC units and substantiated cases of CAN and total reports of sexual abuse. In two-way fixed-effects models (including county and year fixed-effects), LIHTC units were not associated with any of the outcomes. The findings are subject to limitations, including voluntary provision of CAN data, suppressed data for counties with < 10 CAN cases, and no assessment of the quality of LIHTC neighborhood. LIHTC may be a promising prevention strategy, but more research is needed.

Consistency of participation over time among persons aging with physical disability as measured by a tool designed for use among community-based organizations.

BACKGROUND: Community participation measures for persons aging with disability were developed and evaluated to support community-based organizations (CBOs) with efficient assessment of change in participation and need for supports/services to facilitate participation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a set of nine activity domain measures to broadly assess community participation and change in participation over time. METHODS: A community-based sample (N = 323) of persons ages 45-65 responded to a survey with repeated measures three times annually (T1, T2, T3) between 2019 and 2022. Nine activity domain measures were developed based on extant research and evaluated with assistance from community-based support service providers. Statistical analyses employed T-tests and chi-square tests to assess change in participation over time, perceptions of participation satisfaction, and assistance needed to facilitate participation. Participants were asked if they thought changes were attributable to aging, the COVID-19 pandemic, or other factors. RESULTS: Findings showed varying levels of participation across the nine activity domains, with the lowest participation rate for employment and the highest participation rates for personal leisure and managing medications across T1, T2, and T3. Change in participation over the three-year period was limited; most change was reported as activity reduction. In general, respondents indicated that reduction was due to their aging or the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal assistance, transportation, environmental modifications, and improved health were identified as factors needed to help increase participation levels. CONCLUSION: The activity domain measures demonstrated efficiency in identifying participation rates and change. CBOs may deem them useful for assessing support and service needs to facilitate participation.

The Relationship of Exercise, Psychosocial Factors, and Social Participation Among Adults Aging With Long-Term Physical Disability: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationships among exercise engagement, psychosocial factors, and social participation for adults aging with physical disabilities (AAwPD). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study within a community-based cohort study of participation among AAwPD was conducted. SETTING: A comprehensive survey was administered online or via telephone. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 474 individuals between the ages of 45-65, primarily living in the Midwestern United States, who reported living with a physical disability for at least 5 years. METHOD: Survey questions created based on prior consolidation of activity domains assessed exercise engagement. Psychosocial health and social participation were measured using the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Chi-square tests, t-tests, and a general linear model were used to examine differences between exercisers and non-exercisers. RESULTS: Participants who exercised reported less pain (P < .001), fatigue (P < .001), and depression (P < .001) and greater self-efficacy for management of chronic conditions (P = .002), satisfaction with participation in social roles and activities (P < .001), and ability to participate in social roles and activities (P < .001) compared with non-exercising participants. CONCLUSIONS: AAwPD who exercised reported fewer secondary conditions and greater social participation. Although causal relationships cannot be drawn, and the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise were not examined, this study lays important groundwork for future research to determine the health and participation benefits of exercise for AAwPD. Future studies should also focus on the development of exercise interventions to support successful aging with disability.