Variety Of Well-being Outcomes Research Articles

Exploring Well-Being Outcomes Among Persons Living with Dementia: Self-Reports Versus Caregiver Proxy Reports

Literature documents positive effects of religion and spirituality on health including improved cognitive function, quality of life, and well-being. Extant research suggests that persons living with dementia (PWD) are more likely to have spiritual needs and rely on others to support their spiritual well-being than those without dementia. However, spiritual care is absent or minimally present in dementia care. To effectively address spiritual needs of PWDs, accurate screening and assessment is critical. We conducted an integrative review of the current literature on measures of religion and spiritualty for PWDs by searching five databases (ATLA Religion, CINAHL, PsychInfo, PubMed, and SocIndex) and identified 14 studies that were peer-reviewed original research articles focusing on assessment of religion/spirituality among PWDs and published between 2000-2020 in English. Most were conducted in Europe (n=7), included PWD in mild stage (n=68) from various settings, and were cross-sectional in design (n=8). Of a total of 17 measures identified, 6 were originally developed for the general population and then adapted for PWD, and only 3 were validated for PWD. A majority of the studies were limited in sample size, generalizability, methodological rigor, and measure validation. More research is needed using diverse samples and rigorous study designs to develop valid screening and assessment tools for this population. Improving religious and spiritual measures could greatly impact public health by improving quality of life for millions of individuals suffering from dementia and their caregivers who carry a heavy burden.

Mattering Mediates Between Fairness and Well-being.

Research has suggested a fundamental connection between fairness and well-being at the individual, relational, and societal levels. Mattering is a multidimensional construct consisting of feeling valued by, and adding value to, self and others. Prior studies have attempted to connect mattering to both fairness and a variety of well-being outcomes. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that mattering acts as a mediator between fairness and well-being. This hypothesis was tested through Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) using multidimensional measures of fairness, mattering, and well-being. Results from a Latent Path Analysis conducted on a representative sample of 1,051U.S. adults provide support to our hypothesis by revealing a strong direct predictive effect of mattering onto well-being and a strong indirect effect of fairness onto well-being through mattering. Results also show that mattering is likely to fully mediate the relationship between fairness and multiple domains of well-being, except in one case, namely, economic well-being. These findings illustrate the value of a focus on mattering to understand the relationship between fairness and well-being and to provide future directions for theory, research, and practice. Theoretical implications for the experience of citizenship and participation, along with cross-cultural considerations, are also discussed.

"Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being": Correction.

Reports an error in "Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being" by Clare M. Stocker, Megan Gilligan, Eric T. Klopack, Katherine J. Conger, Richard P. Lanthier, Tricia K. Neppl, Catherine Walker O'Neal and K. A. S. Wickrama (Journal of Family Psychology, 2020[Mar], Vol 34[2], 175-185). In the original article, the df value is incorrect in the following sentence in the first paragraph of the Predictors of Individual Differences in Older Adults' Sibling Relationships section of the Results: "The global F-statistic for warmth was significant (F = 16.55, df = 3, 632, p < .001)." The correct value is "df = 3, 601." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2019-46911-001). Researchers have documented associations between family relationships and a variety of well-being outcomes. Yet, sibling relationships, the longest lasting relationships in most people's lives, have received very little research attention beyond young adulthood. The goals of the current study were to: provide descriptive information about sibling relationships in later adulthood, investigate predictors of individual differences in sibling relationship quality, and examine associations among sibling relationship quality, loneliness, and well-being in later adulthood. The sample included 608 older adults (329 men, 279 women) who were 64.6 years old (SD = 4.58) on average. Participants provided self-report data about their relationships and well-being. Results showed that older adults reported high levels of sibling warmth and low levels of sibling conflict and parental favoritism. Sister-sister pairs had warmer sibling relationships than other gender-compositions. Sibling conflict and parental favoritism were positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, hostility, and loneliness. Sibling warmth was negatively associated with loneliness. Loneliness partially mediated the associations between sibling relationship quality and well-being. Results from this study highlight the importance of sibling relationships in older adults' health and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being.

Researchers have documented associations between family relationships and a variety of well-being outcomes. Yet, sibling relationships, the longest lasting relationships in most people's lives, have received very little research attention beyond young adulthood. The goals of the current study were to: provide descriptive information about sibling relationships in later adulthood, investigate predictors of individual differences in sibling relationship quality, and examine associations among sibling relationship quality, loneliness, and well-being in later adulthood. The sample included 608 older adults (329 men, 279 women) who were 64.6 years old (SD = 4.58) on average. Participants provided self-report data about their relationships and well-being. Results showed that older adults reported high levels of sibling warmth and low levels of sibling conflict and parental favoritism. Sister-sister pairs had warmer sibling relationships than other gender-compositions. Sibling conflict and parental favoritism were positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, hostility, and loneliness. Sibling warmth was negatively associated with loneliness. Loneliness partially mediated the associations between sibling relationship quality and well-being. Results from this study highlight the importance of sibling relationships in older adults' health and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychosocial Factors Promoting Personal Growth Throughout Adulthood

Personal growth is essential in the lives of adults of any age and is associated with a variety of well-being outcomes. Building on previous research on psychosocial factors associated with personal growth, the present study aimed to investigate whether and how psychosocial factors (including working, generativity, positive interpersonal relationships, and spirituality) could affect aging adults’ personal growth longitudinally. Using three waves of Midlife in the United States data from adults with baseline ages of 20–75, two-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses were conducted to examine the effects of psychosocial factors as well as age and gender on levels and trajectories of personal growth over the span of nearly two decades. All the factors predicted levels of personal growth while positive relationships and generativity had larger effects relative to the others. In addition, some of the effects were moderated by baseline age or passage of time (i.e., aging). Particularly, the moderated effects involving positive relations were multifaceted. Among those with less positive relationships, older people’s levels of personal growth remained lower than younger people over time. However, among those with more positive relationships, older people reported lower growth initially but the age difference was no longer confirmed two decades later. In other words, having positive relationships appeared to become increasingly important for aging adults to maintain higher personal growth. These findings suggest shifts in life priorities that could influence personal growth among aging adults, and the implications can be informative for future research and practice.

The Well-Being Effects of Self-Expressiveness and Hedonic Enjoyment Associated with Physical Exercise

This study develops and tests a model that explains how satisfaction of self-expressiveness and hedonic needs associated with physical exercise affect a variety of well-being outcomes (i.e., healthy eating, BMI, satisfaction with health, and subjective well-being). We conducted a survey of college students at universities in three countries: the U.S.A., France, and South Korea. The results indicate that self-expressiveness associated with physical exercise (exercise practiced routinely and with high frequency) is much more predictive of healthy eating than hedonic enjoyment. Healthy eating was also shown to be associated with other personal positive outcomes such as low body mass index, increased satisfaction with personal health, and increased subjective well-being. Managerial and policy implications are discussed.