Although research has shown that the complex constructs of intelligence and personality are necessarily intertwined, studies exploring this issue in elderly individuals are rare. The importance attached to this interface in older adults becomes particularly clear in light of the debate over the cause and extent of age-related decrements in cognitive performance as well as whether such losses can be ameliorated or not, especially given societal shifts toward increased life expectancies. The present study explored the basis for shifts in personality-ability relationships in adulthood by comparing two samples of older adults, one of which was assessed in 1975 (N = 102, M age = 68.4), and the second of which was assessed in 1995 (N = 100, M age = 72.0), and a sample of younger adults (N = 100, M age = 21.8), also assessed in 1995. Each participant was administered the Holtzman Inkblot Technique and the Gf-Gc Sampler, a measure of crystallized (Gc) and fluid (Gf) abilities. LISREL analyses of both age-related and historical shifts in personality-ability relationships suggested that not only were such shifts associated with cohort differences as reflected in factor loading (lambda) differences between the older samples and the younger sample, as well as between each of the older samples, but also that such connections were weaker among younger adults. These findings are important in revealing that sociocultural shifts in opportunities for continued cognitive growth influence the impact of noncognitive (personality) factors on intellectual functioning in later life. Limitations of the current study, implications of the results, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Frailty in older adults is characterised as a vulnerable state, which predicts a range of health outcomes (e.g., injurious falls, institutionalisation, and mortality). The physiological and practical outcomes of frailty are recognised, but the psychosocial processes are largely unexplored so they were the focus the thesis. The overall aim of the thesis was to advance the understanding of frailty in older adults and its relationship with ageing perceptions. Three studies were conducted to achieve this aim. The first piece of work was a systematic review that investigated the association between older adults’ perceptions of ageing, broadly defined, and their health and functioning. The review showed that negative ageing perceptions were associated with poor health and functioning across a variety of health domains relevant to understanding frailty including: self-rated health; comorbidities; disability; memory; quality of life; mortality. However, conclusions from the review were limited by the quality and cross-sectional nature of the studies. Consequently, the second piece of work analysed data from a large longitudinal sample to test the relationship between older adults’ ageing perceptions and frailty explicitly. Older adults with more negative perceptions of ageing were more likely to be frail after adjusting for age, sex, depression symptoms, and socioeconomic status. However, ageing perceptions were found to be a weak predictor of frailty six years later. To investigate the mechanisms of the relationship between ageing perceptions and frailty, a qualitative exploration of older adults’ understanding of frailty and their beliefs concerning its progression and consequences was conducted as the third piece of work. Twenty-nine participants participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using a Grounded Theory approach. An understanding of frailty as a negative identity and the strategies by which self-identification “as frail” occurs and is resisted were developed. Participants believed that the consequences of self-identifying as frail were poor health and functioning, disengagement from physical and social activities, depressive thoughts, negative affect, stigmatisation, and discrimination. Most participants actively resisted the identity, and they used a variety of resistance strategies. Collectively, the findings from this project indicate that older adults’ ageing perceptions are related to the development and progression of frailty. Ageing perceptions are associated with older adults’ health and how they view themselves – whether they identify as frail and the different strategies they may use to resist identification. Whilst additional research is needed, the results of this research suggest an influential psychosocial aspect to frailty. Accordingly, a new model of frailty and its relationship with older adults’ ageing perceptions is offered. The model has implications for the way frailty is identified, supported and treated.

Losing a loved one – a child or a spouse –is described as one of the most stressful or negative experience of a person’s life. Aging is associated with a higher risk of the death of close family members, yet few studies have investigated the impact of such losses on different health outcomes either by type of loss or by the combined loss of both a child and a spouse. This thesis is based on three studies examining the effect of bereavement on the health of older adults who have lost a child, spouse, or both and whether the different losses were associated with Life Satisfaction (LS) or mortality. The sample was collected from the Swedish National Study of Aging and Care (SNAC). The results showed that the loss of a child, spouse or both was experienced as among the three most important negative life events in the bereaved groups. About 70% of those bereaved of a child or a spouse mentioned these losses as among their three most important negative life experiences. In the child-and-spouse-bereaved group, 48% mentioned both losses while 40% mentioned only the loss of a child or a spouse, but not both. However, only marginally effects on LS and mortality after child, spouse or child-spouse bereavement in older adults was found. Longer time since the loss was associated with higher LS and lower mortality risk, and type of loss did not seem to determine LS or mortality. Gender differences were found: child-, spouse and child-and-spouse-bereaved men had lower LS than the corresponding groups of bereaved women, and furthermore, child-bereaved men had an increased mortality risk compared to child-bereaved women. Finally, significantly more women in the child-and-spouse-bereaved group compared to the men in this group, mentioned the loss of their child but not the spouse, among the three most important negative life events.

This research is focused on the experiences of older adults participating in an innovative visual arts program at a long-term care facility in Victoria, British Columbia. The program offers participants an opportunity to explore their creativity and identity as artists. Conceptually, the study draws from Tornstam’s gerotranscendance framework (Tornstam, 2005) and the theory of meaning (Frankl, 1963). A narrative inquiry approach was used with data collected through face-to-face interviews and observations of 10 residents and three staff involved in the visual arts program. Findings indicate that the program fostered a sense of community among participants and enhanced their quality of life. The public exhibition of their artwork at a community-based art exhibit validated the merit of their work and gave meaning and purpose to their participation in the program. Findings contribute to a greater understanding of the importance of arts programs that foster creativity in later life and resonate with Tornstam’s (2005) argument that older people living in institutions can experience multiple dimensions of the self through individualized forms of expression. This study concludes by highlighting the need to increase access to arts programs for older people living in residential care. / Graduate / lyciar@yahoo.com

Thesis advisor: Kevin J. Mahoney / Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults in the U.S. face disproportionate risk of increased health and mental health problems as compared to their non-LGBT counterparts. Experiences of harassment, discrimination, and violence due to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) contribute to the chronic stresses associated with being a sexual and/or gender minority. LGBT older adults may avoid or delay needed services in later life, rendering them invisible to health care providers (HCPs) if they do not disclose SOGI and if providers do not ask. This three-paper dissertation explored LGBT older adults' invisibility and outness in aging services. Paper 1 investigated gerontological social workers' biopsychosocial assessment practices to understand how they became aware of clients' SOGI; assessment forms were analyzed and qualitative interviews with social workers were conducted, showing that social workers did not have a systematic way of learning about clients' SOGI. Paper 2 was a quantitative analysis of survey data from 129 LGBT older adults that showed an association between experiences of SOGI-based discrimination/violence after age 50 and not disclosing SOGI to HCPs and having avoided using aging services for fear of coming or being out. Paper 3 was a qualitative analysis of interviews with 22 LGBT older adults that sought to understand how they disclosed SOGI to HCPs. Those who disclosed did so without being asked, because of health conditions, after having sought out an LGBT /LGBT-friendly provider, or after being asked about their sex and/or love lives. Paper 3 findings offered practice and environmental changes that could increase LGBT older adults' SOGI disclosure to HCPs. This dissertation provides suggestions for social work policy, practice, and research aimed at supporting gerontological social workers in learning about their clients' SOGI in an effort to address health disparities among LGBT older adults / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / This research examines social support transfers, social support networks and psychological well-being among older adults (aged 60+) in five countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. It is based on the following three research questions: 1) How is network structure associated with the receipt of financial and instrumental support among older adults in Latin America?; 2) What motivates the provision of financial or instrumental support to older adults in Latin America?; and 3) Do support transfers from kin and non-kin differently affect psychological well-being among older adults in Latin America? These questions are answered using data from the Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE), which includes information on over 7,000 older adults living in private homes in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico) or Montevideo (Uruguay). Additionally, the study examines data on over 50,000 members of older adults' household and family networks. Findings confirm the importance of network structure for the receipt of both financial and instrumental support among older adults in Latin America. They also suggest a dynamic perspective of support provision throughout the region, where members of older adult's networks jointly navigate a mix of motivating factors to provide support to older adults in need. Lastly, results highlight the importance of kin support for the psychological well-being of older adults throughout the region. The findings presented in this dissertation provide an important first step in understanding elder support and psychological well-being in Latin America, and offer a strong foundation for future assessments throughout the region. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Kathleen McInnis-Dittrich / A vast amount of caregiving literature focuses on the well-being of caregivers of older adults, and is primarily focused on the experiences of caregiving women who have traditionally assumed this role. However, the number of male caregivers is growing related to the increase in the number of older adults requiring care, as well as changing sex roles in the family. It is important to examine the impact caregiving has on men to determine the similarities or differences from women in order to inform social work policy and practice. This dissertation begins to answer the question of whether or not there are differences between male and female caregivers through the completion of a secondary data analysis using the Caregiving in the U.S. Study, 2009, conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP, and funded by the MetLife Foundation. Women are included in the analyses as a comparison group to the male caregivers to identify what similarities or differences exist in the caregiver's well-being. Ordered logistic regression and logistic regression analyses were used to test if caregiver's age and employment status predicted the well-being of caregivers. Moderation analysis was employed to determine what factors moderated the relationship between the predictors and well-being. Seemingly unrelated regression and Chow tests were used to determine if the impact of caregiving on men was unique or the same as female caregivers. Some key findings included that low-income group caregivers reported greater odds of higher financial hardship and physical strain. Caregiving men reported decreased emotional stress, physical strain, and negative impact on social interaction with others since beginning caregiving compared to females. Caregiving men also sought help from unpaid help (e.g., family and friends) more than female caregivers. With several provisions under the Patient and Protection Affordable Care Act of 2010 centered on addressing caregiver needs, it is an appropriate time to consider how to meet the needs of underserved caregivers. Based on the findings in this dissertation, social work policy and practice recommendations are suggested to address specifically low-income and male caregiver needs. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Thesis advisor: Susan A. Michalczyk / For my thesis I not only looked at the research that has been done on the topic of homelessness, but I also used my first-hand experience from volunteering at Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter in Boston's South End. Although I focused more specifically on the older homeless population, I also looked at how society perceives the homeless in general. I realized that the homeless are constantly looked down upon by the more fortunate members of society, and that they are seen as some how deserving of their situation. I came to the conclusion that before we can eradicate homelessness, we, as a society, must change out attitudes and perceptions of the homeless. We must view the homeless as individuals, as human beings. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

Thesis advisor: James E. Lubben / Productive aging is a new and evolving conceptual model that emphasizes the antecedents and consequences of productivity in later life. Proponents of productive aging claim that productive activity in later life is associated with a number of benefits for individuals, communities, and societies, but this assumption has not been widely tested at the country level. In the context of an adapted model of productive aging, the present study identifies the cross-national predictors of and relationship between one form of productivity (viz., labor force participation) and one aspect of well-being (viz., longevity) among older adults. Random effects models with pooled cross-sections and path analysis were used to analyze potential relationships with data from several international data sources. The complete cross-national longitudinal dataset consists of variables measured at five time points or during intervals centered at these time points (i.e., 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000) for each of thirty countries that belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The present study makes one particularly important and new contribution to the cross-national literature on productivity and longevity; the study suggests that work in later life strongly influences life expectancy among older adults, but that some important gender differences should be noted. The present study also suggests that public policy plays a very important role in country level labor force participation rates and life expectancy. More specifically, higher levels of public spending on social issues are associated with lower rates of labor force participation and higher life expectancies. Finally, the present study confirms that the adapted model of productivity provides a solid foundation for cross-national analyses of labor force participation and life expectancy, but highlights the importance of analyzing male and female behavior and outcomes separately. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Background: With life expectancies continuing to rise and more people living beyond the age of 65, health services are under increasing pressure to provide effective care for an ageing population. Increased life expectancy increases the risk of long-term conditions like Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease that require self-management – something that poses a challenge for many people, and for older adults there may be additional barriers. Identifying modifiable factors that impede self-management is an ongoing focus in the literature; and in recent years increasing attention has been paid to the impact of individuals’ attitudes to their own ageing. Aims: The first part of this thesis portfolio is a systematic review of the literature that aims to answer the question “Are lower expectations regarding ageing associated with lower levels of physical activity in older adults?” The second is an empirical study that aims to explore the relationships between attitudes to ageing, executive function, glycaemic control and selfmanagement adherence in older adults with Type 2 Diabetes. Method: A systematic literature search was undertaken to identify studies reporting quantitative analyses of the relationship between expectations regarding ageing and physical activity. Methodological quality of the studies was appraised and synthesized, and clinical and research implications discussed. In the empirical study; 77 older adults completed self-report measures of attitudes to ageing and self-management adherence, and two brief measures of executive function. HbA1c; a biological measure of glycaemic control was also recorded for each participant. Correlations and multiple linear regressions tested the relationships between attitudes to ageing, EF, self-management and glycaemic control. Results: 8 studies (derived from 9 papers) were eligible for the systematic review, and were in consensus in their support of lower expectations regarding ageing being associated with lower levels of physical activity. The findings of the empirical study indicated that more negative attitudes to ageing in relation to physical changes predicted poorer self-management; and more negative attitudes to ageing in relation to psychosocial loss predicted poorer glycaemic control. Conclusion: The current findings are in line with an emerging evidence base supporting a relationship between attitudes to ageing, and physical health outcomes and behaviours; with more negative attitudes and perceptions of old age acting as a barrier to health promoting behaviours. Therefore, interventions targeting those cognitions could help to promote better health outcomes for older populations, as well as promoting healthy ageing and valuing older people – a current focus in policy and strategy.