Psychology

Introduction: Individuals often grapple with questions regarding how to accomplish their major life goals. In fact, selecting which goals to pursue is an important developmental task in emerging adulthood 1. Personality traits have been shown to be associated with which major life goals adults pursue 2. Little research, though, has examined whether these associations are present among the proximal goals emerging adults pursue. Methods:  The influence of personality traits on goal pursuit of emerging adults was examined, using data from 716 emerging adults (M = 19.32, SD = 1.25) who completed measures regarding proximal goals (e.g., health, socioemotional, spiritual/religious, and cognitive) and the Big Five personality traits. Results: Using SEM, the model fit the data well, χ2 (17, N = 716) = 99.10, p < .001.  The overall omnibus model showed that higher neuroticism, openness to experience, and agreeableness contributed to the number of proximal goals emerging adults are current...

Older adults' preferred partners for collaborative everyday problem solving and the types of everyday problems solved alone and with others were examined in a sample of community dwelling older adults ( N = 112, M age = 71.86 yrs., SD = 5.92 yrs.). Family members (i.e., spouses, adult children) were the most frequently nominated partners for collaborative everyday problem solving, but friends, neighbors, and church members also were nominated. Older adults reported that they solved numerous types of problems, including finance, house repair, and health, in collaboration with others. These problems were also prominent when older adults reported the problems that they consulted others for advice on how to solve and the problems they solved alone. Together the results suggest new directions for research on collaborative everyday problem solving in terms of the types of interpersonal relationships and problems to be investigated. Implications of the findings for researchers and prac...

During emerging adulthood, lesbian and gay (LG) adults must develop an identity within the social context of heterosexist discrimination. Our specific aims were to examine differences by sexual orientation in depressive symptomatology and self-esteem and explore the role of personal resources in explaining these aspects of psychological well-being. Data were analyzed on 306 participants in emerging adulthood who completed an online survey. LG individuals experienced higher depressive symptomatology and lower self-esteem than heterosexuals, and variations in well-being were explained by personal mastery and social support. The instability which characterizes emerging adulthood is likely compounded by the developmental challenges posed by heterosexism. The formation of social relationships, coupled with personal mastery, appear to serve as protective resources during emerging adulthood.

Objective. Our aim was to examine how the relations among known predictors of physical activity, such as age, sex, and body mass index, interact with future time perspective (FTP) and perceived functional limitation to explain adults ' engagement in physical activity. Method. Self-report data from 226 adults (range 20-88 years) were collected to examine the hypothesis that a more expansive FTP is associated with engagement in physical activity. Results. Results indicated a good fi t of the data to the model χ 2 (4, N = 226) = 7.457, p = .14 and accounted for a moderate amount of variance in adults ' physical activity (R 2 = 15.7). Specifi cally, results indicated that perceived functional limitation (β = − .140) and FTP (β = .162) were directly associated with physical activity. Age was indirectly associated with physical activity through its association with perceived functional limitation (β = − .264) and FTP (β = .541). Discussion. Results indicate that FTP may play an important role in explaining engagement in health promoting behaviors across the life span. Researchers should consider additional constructs and perhaps adopt socioemotional selectivity theory when explaining adults ' engagement in physical activity.

Self-rated health (SRH) predicts service use, morbidity, and mortality. Additionally, SRH has been associated with indices of psychological well-being. Purpose: The main focus of the study was to investigate important differences among the lower spectrum of SRH (ie, fair and poor) on indices of well-being. Methods: In-person interviews collected data from 207 (M age ¼ 75.8) older rural adults. Data were used to examine differences between those reporting poor, fair, and good or excellent SRH on measures of demographics, and physical and psychological health. Results: Significant differences emerged between levels of SRH in relation to measures of physical and psychological health. Specifically, individuals with poor SRH were significantly more likely to have (1) illnesses, (2) problems with basic and cognitive tasks of daily living, and (3) depressed affect than individuals reporting good or excellent health. Individuals with poor SRH were significantly more likely to have problems with basic and cognitive tasks of daily living than individuals with fair SRH. No significant differences were found between people reporting fair and good or excellent SRH on illnesses and depressed affect. Conclusions: Results suggest that future research should investigate the expansion of the lower-end of the SRH measure to more accurately assess SRH among vulnerable, rural older adults. Such efforts would better inform health care providers, practitioners, and policy makers in rural areas as to how SRH affects the well-being of vulnerable older adults.

This study investigates functional disability among some of the nation's most vulnerable older adults: rural Medicaid recipients. Data were provided by 221 older adults (mean age ¼ 75.9 years; 82% women) who were receiving community-based long-term care services through Medicaid. Participants self-reported functional ability involving the completion of six basic activities of daily living (BADLs), three cognitive instrumental activities of daily living (IADLS), and four physical IADLs. Self-reports of depressed affect and the number of physical health conditions were also obtained. Path analysis was used to examine all of the associations among age, gender, number of chronic health conditions, depressed affect and functional disability. The tested model was significant [v 2 (DF = 3, n ¼ 221) ¼ 5.052, p ¼ 0.168; TLI ¼ 0.945; CFI ¼ 0.992; RMSEA ¼ 0.056] and explained 45.1% of the variance in BADL disability. Depressed affect significantly predicted disability in cognitive IADLs and physical IADLs, which predicted disability in BADLs. Age and gender had indirect effects on BADL, through their association with cognitive IADLs and physical IADLs. The number of chronic health conditions exerted both indirect and direct effects on BADL disability. Results are discussed within the context of the growing literature that suggests the importance of psychological variables as predictors of functional disability. Moreover, we discuss whether community-based long-term care is appropriate for older adults with high levels of functional disability.

The current study sought to clarify the effects of social support on the psychological well-being of rural elders. Data were provided by 180 older men and women (mean age = 73.6 years) living in Northern Appalachia. Similar to the demographic profile of this region, most (97.2%) of the participants were Caucasian. Although mean differences in perceptions of emotional support did

Engagement in health-promoting behaviors plays an important role in successful aging and may delay the onset and progression of disability in later life. The current study examined a model of health promotion using age, perceived functional limitation, and affective beliefs (e.g., positive affect and negative affect) as predictors of health-responsibility behaviors. Participants were 122 adults between the ages of 40 and 88 who completed measures via an online survey. Results indicate that perceived functional limitation both directly and indirectly, through its association with positive affect, influence health-responsibility behaviors. Adults who perceived more severe functional limitations and experienced greater positive affect reported engagement in more health-responsibility behaviors. This finding suggests that positive affect may be an underlying mechanism by which functional limitation influences engagement in health-promoting behaviors. These results may also have important clinical implications for the use of positive affect as an indicator of health functioning among middle-aged and older adults with chronic illness.

The influence of sexual attitudes on sexual activity and expression has been relatively understudied in older populations. In the current study, we sought to understand the role sexual attitudes have on sexual well-being among middle-aged and young-old adults. Using a diverse sample of participants over the age of 45 ( N = 384), a path model was analyzed to determine whether sexual attitudes contributed to sexual well-being. The model was then compared by gender. Results indicated: a) only age-relative sexual attitudes significantly contributed to sexual well-being; and b) the model was equally robust for both men and women, even though women held slightly more positive age-relative sexual attitudes than men. Therefore, among middle-aged and young-old adults, sexual well-being may be reduced by harboring negative ageist sexual attitudes. Efforts should be made to reduce stigma surrounding continued sexual activity and expression among the aged.

It was with both gratitude and a hefty sense of trepidation that I stepped into the position of editor of the International Journal of Aging and Human Development (IJAHD) on July 1. The three emeriti editors have each brought increasing strength to the journal and I am indebted to their good efforts. Most recently under the leadership of Greg Smith and Ann Bowling, the IJAHD was ranked in the top 30 gerontology journals. Since its days under the leadership of Bert Hayslip, its impact factor has continued to rise. The successes of the journal are also due to the joint contributions of an expert Editorial Board, diligent reviewers, engaged contributors, and active readers. During this period of transition, some long-term members of the Editorial Board have rotated off and others have joined. In addition, my own editorial team is rather lean, with the assistance of two comanaging editors: Amy Knepple Carney and Abigail Nehrkorn. As we finalize some of the changes mentioned below, we will expand our editorial team. But for now, thank you to all who make the journal successful. It is my hope that as we work together, we can continue to expand the journal's relevance for those who use and produce knowledge related to adult development and aging around the world. As we move into this next phase of the journal's development, some notable changes are co-occurring. First and foremost is our move to Sage Publishing and the ScholarOne system. I warmly invite you to log in to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijahd and upload your very best work. Please be sure to use the most concise keywords possible-my editorial team is currently working on cleaning up that part of the system. As you prepare your manuscripts, please consult the scholarship previously published in the IJAHD and be sure to incorporate findings from outside North America. In addition, please nominate three to five content experts who are qualified to review your work. Feel free to make use of the experts on the Editorial Board and the authors whose work you cite. To avoid the instance of or appearance of conflict of interest and to maintain the highest levels of peer review integrity, your suggested reviewers should not include recent coauthors or colleagues who are currently working at your institution. Several other changes are currently in the works, as well. We recently added a reviewer-in-training option for manuscript reviews so that you may invite junior colleagues into the peer review process. Materials related to how to write a

The past year has seen significant growth and change for the International Journal of Aging and Human Development (IJAHD). The journal continues to increase its influence in the field, retaining a place in the top 30 journals in the field of aging and gerontology and being listed in the top 70 journals in developmental psychology. The five-year Impact Factor is 1.1. In terms of steady growth across the past few years, Figure 1 shows the increase in Impact Factor over the last 3 years. With the support of the Editorial Board and ad hoc reviewers, we continue to improve the speed and thoroughness of the peer review process. Although it may take about 6 months' time from initial submission to acceptance, first decisions are rendered in about 48 days. This double issue of the journal also represents a change. As we move into 2018, the journal volume numbers will better correspond to the calendar year. We will continue to publish more than 800 pages of scholarship each year. Thus, we appreciate your highest quality submissions. Thank you to the authors, readers, reviewers, and staff who have contributed to these positive benchmarks. I encourage you to continue to contribute to and cite the scholarship disseminated in the IJAHD.

Socioemotional selectivity theory positis that when we feel our time as limited, when a person ages, emotion based goals become a priority (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). Although previous studies have shown that all age groups benefit from a connection to nature (CN; Bisceglia, Perlman, Schaack, & Jenkins, 2009; Han, 2008; Mayer et al., 2009), there have been no studies conducted to determine if there are age differences in CN and how that relation contributes to positive affect. Analyses were conducted with a sample size of 152 participants with an average age of 37.55 years (SD = 15.64; Range 18 -89). Age was significantly positively associated with CN, r(151)=.16, p

Research shows that physical and mental health are closely linked (Ohrnberger, Fichera, & Sutton, 2017). Further, social role theory states that holding and enacting valued roles, such as grandparenting, can buffer the negative effects of health on depression (Reitzes & Mutran, 2004). Using data from 247 grandparents (Mean age = 66.5; range 42 to 90 years; 46.2% grandfathers), we examined whether grandparent role centrality and engagement with grandchildren altered the effects of physical health on depression. We then explored model differences between 164 custodial and 83 traditional grandparents. We found that for all grandparents the model was of sufficient fit: X 2 (DF = 12, N = 247) = 39.15, p < .001; R2 = .236; CMIN/DF = 3.26, TLI = .955, and RMSEA = .068. Inspection of the individual regression paths showed that among the full sample, significant main effects for Role Centrality (= .699***) and Activities (=-.768***) on Depression were detected. However, significant main effects for Subjective Health (=-.034) did not emerge. All interactions were significant in predicting depression, the three-way interaction term Subjective Health, Role Centrality, and Activities additionally accounted for depression variance (=-1.062***). We then examined whether the paths were moderated by custodial status. The model accounted for 25.7% of depression among traditional grandparents, however, no paths emerged as significant. The model accounted for 36.8% of depression among custodial grandparents, and all paths were significant. Among custodial grandparents, there were significant effects on Depression from Subjective Health (= .439***), with main effects for Role Centrality (=-.635**) and Activities (=-.711**). Moreover, each interaction term also emerged as significant with the 3-way interaction of Health, Role Centrality, and Activities accounting for additional variance in depression (=-.445*). Custodial grandparents in poorer health who valued the grandparent role and those in poorer health who engaged with their grandchildren experienced fewer depressive symptoms than grandparents who do not engage with grandchildren. Results are discussed in terms of the need to examine the differences of family/social contexts in grandparent populations.

Evidence suggests that positive emotions may broaden and build our emotional and physical health, and cognitive resources (Fredrickson, 2001). A growing literature shows that happiness and joy can be powerful means for growth. In contrast to happiness, which pushes one to expand and accommodate, research suggests that awe, that feeling of being in the presence of something immense or transcendent, prompts the urge to assimilate. Although promising, few examinations have included older adults and a limited range of positive emotions have been examined. Thus, we sought to address this gap in the literature by assessing the influence of age and awe on emotional well-being. Data from 180 adults (M age ~ 38; range 18 – 89) were used to examine the main effects of age and dispositional awe (Shiota et al., 2006), and their interaction, on emotional well-being. Only 12% of the variance was explained [X2 (DF = 9) = 344.27, p &lt; .001]. Awe was positively associated with emotional well-being...

Background: Pediatric sleep-disordered breathing is known to negatively impact cognitive development. While a theoretical basis has been proposed for the developmental effect of pediatric sleep-disordered breathing on executive function specifically, this had not been directly examined among preschool-age children. This population may be particularly vulnerable if school-readiness is compromised. The purpose of the current study was to use a multi-dimensional approach to assessing executive function among preschool-age children at risk for sleep-disordered breathing. Methods: Thirty-nine preschool children were administered executive function tasks assessing the dimensions of inhibition, working memory, and planning as part of a larger study. A parent or guardian completed a validated questionnaire concerning the child's snoring and other behaviors indicating risk for sleep-disordered breathing. Results: After controlling for age in a series of regressions, higher parent-reported risk for sleep-disordered breathing was associated with substantially lower performance on each executive function dimension. In comparing the group means of children at high and low risk for sleep-disordered breathing, the single snoring frequency item also showed that children who snored frequently or almost always had lower performance on each executive function dimension. Conclusions: The results suggest that sleep-disordered breathing may be associated with impaired executive function in preschoolers, with its strongest impact on the inhibition dimension, further emphasizing the importance of early intervention for sleep-disordered breathing in this early age group.