Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
A high level of resilience is positively related to successful aging. However, interventions to increase resilience in older adults are not yet available. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of community participation in the relationship between resilience and successful aging. Data from 284 individuals aged 60 years and above were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. The pathways among resilience, community participation, and successful aging were statistically significant after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, depression, disability, and chronic disease. The analysis revealed a partial mediating effect of community participation (unstandardized estimate = .01, p < .01), explaining 16.4% of the total effect of resilience on successful aging. Promoting community participation may be beneficial for enhancing successful aging in community-dwelling older adults. Further studies to examine the causal relationship between community participation and successful aging and to develop community services are recommended to use community resources as means to support successful aging.
Social Isolation and Loneliness in a Population Study of Cognitive Impairment: The MYHAT Study
Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
In this study, we examined associations of social isolation and loneliness with cognitive impairment among older adults from a Rust Belt region in Southwest Pennsylvania. We used data from the population-based Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) study. We found that (a) 11 items combined into two reliable composites of social isolation and loneliness; (b) unique to this study, providing unpaid help to others was an indicator of reduced social isolation; (c) social isolation and loneliness were positively associated with cognitive impairment; and (d) these associations were appreciably attenuated by general health and physical functional status and depressive symptoms, respectively. We concluded that social isolation and loneliness are differentially associated with older adults’ cognitive health, and that their effects might operate through separate pathways. Approaches to address social isolation and loneliness should consider the community context and its implications for older adults’ cognitive health.
In this study, we examined associations of social isolation and loneliness with cognitive impairment among older adults from a Rust Belt region in Southwest Pennsylvania. We used data from the population-based Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) study. We found that (a) 11 items combined into two reliable composites of social isolation and loneliness; (b) unique to this study, providing unpaid help to others was an indicator of reduced social isolation; (c) social isolation and loneliness were positively associated with cognitive impairment; and (d) these associations were appreciably attenuated by general health and physical functional status and depressive symptoms, respectively. We concluded that social isolation and loneliness are differentially associated with older adults’ cognitive health, and that their effects might operate through separate pathways. Approaches to address social isolation and loneliness should consider the community context and its implications for older adults’ cognitive health.
Perceived cognitive impairment is related to internalizing psychopathology but unrelated to objective cognitive performance among nongeriatric adults presenting for outpatient neuropsychological evaluation
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Clinical Reflections and Treatment Adaptations for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Case Study
Clinical Case Studies, Ahead of Print.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a serious eating disorder, characterised by problematic eating habits that cause significant nutritional deficiencies. Having only been recently acknowledged as a distinct category, there is little research regarding best practice guidelines, especially among the adult population. In addition, ARFID often coexists with autism, and very little is known about how the diagnoses affect each other, further complicating treatment options. This case study reflects on the treatment of a young autistic woman with ARFID within an inpatient eating disorder setting. Using principles of food exposure, food trials were introduced as a way to increase food variety as well as overall nutrition. Results are promising, with the patient reaching a much safer weight and being able to increase her repertoire of food. While results are not generalisable to a wider population, it is hoped that similar approach could be used with other individuals who have ARFID and autism when aiming to increase nutrition and variety.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a serious eating disorder, characterised by problematic eating habits that cause significant nutritional deficiencies. Having only been recently acknowledged as a distinct category, there is little research regarding best practice guidelines, especially among the adult population. In addition, ARFID often coexists with autism, and very little is known about how the diagnoses affect each other, further complicating treatment options. This case study reflects on the treatment of a young autistic woman with ARFID within an inpatient eating disorder setting. Using principles of food exposure, food trials were introduced as a way to increase food variety as well as overall nutrition. Results are promising, with the patient reaching a much safer weight and being able to increase her repertoire of food. While results are not generalisable to a wider population, it is hoped that similar approach could be used with other individuals who have ARFID and autism when aiming to increase nutrition and variety.
Neuropsychologists’ perspectives of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
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The Dimensions of Spirituality Inventory
Archive for the Psychology of Religion, Ahead of Print.
The Dimensions of Spirituality Inventory (DSI) is a 50-item quantitative assessment of spirituality. Whereas “spirituality” has seemed to some to be too vague for research purposes, the DSI follows earlier qualitative research in showing that usage of the word points to an intelligible conceptual structure. Instead of defining spirituality and then operationalizing it, as most extant instruments do, the DSI defines and operationalizes 21 relatively uncontroversial elemental components of spirituality, so the overall interpretation of spirituality can only emerge after factor analysis. Just as an alphabet flexibly expresses words and sentences, so the 21 DSI dimensions permit the discovery of latent constructs corresponding to cultural packages of spirituality at the present time. The DSI avoids culturally parochial formulations of items, thanks to intense multidisciplinary engagement among social scientists, scholars of religion, and psychologists of religion, and thus is suitable for cross-cultural application. This paper reports on a study based on a participant pool recruited for ExploringMyReligion.org, in part from Prolific (N = 820, after culling unreliable responses). The DSI is interpreted and validated in relation to several other relevant measures, and the factor analysis is strongly resonant with prior qualitative studies. The psychometric properties of the DSI make it usable as an overall spirituality scale as well as a sensitive inventory of types and configurations of spirituality.
The Dimensions of Spirituality Inventory (DSI) is a 50-item quantitative assessment of spirituality. Whereas “spirituality” has seemed to some to be too vague for research purposes, the DSI follows earlier qualitative research in showing that usage of the word points to an intelligible conceptual structure. Instead of defining spirituality and then operationalizing it, as most extant instruments do, the DSI defines and operationalizes 21 relatively uncontroversial elemental components of spirituality, so the overall interpretation of spirituality can only emerge after factor analysis. Just as an alphabet flexibly expresses words and sentences, so the 21 DSI dimensions permit the discovery of latent constructs corresponding to cultural packages of spirituality at the present time. The DSI avoids culturally parochial formulations of items, thanks to intense multidisciplinary engagement among social scientists, scholars of religion, and psychologists of religion, and thus is suitable for cross-cultural application. This paper reports on a study based on a participant pool recruited for ExploringMyReligion.org, in part from Prolific (N = 820, after culling unreliable responses). The DSI is interpreted and validated in relation to several other relevant measures, and the factor analysis is strongly resonant with prior qualitative studies. The psychometric properties of the DSI make it usable as an overall spirituality scale as well as a sensitive inventory of types and configurations of spirituality.
An Illustration of an IRTree Model for Disengagement
Educational and Psychological Measurement, Ahead of Print.
Low-stakes test performance commonly reflects examinee ability and effort. Examinees exhibiting low effort may be identified through rapid guessing behavior throughout an assessment. There has been a plethora of methods proposed to adjust scores once rapid guesses have been identified, but these have been plagued by strong assumptions or the removal of examinees. In this study, we illustrate how an IRTree model can be used to adjust examinee ability for rapid guessing behavior. Our approach is flexible as it does not assume independence between rapid guessing behavior and the trait of interest (e.g., ability) nor does it necessitate the removal of examinees who engage in rapid guessing. In addition, our method uniquely allows for the simultaneous modeling of a disengagement latent trait in addition to the trait of interest. The results indicate the model is quite useful for estimating individual differences among examinees in the disengagement latent trait and in providing more precise measurement of examinee ability relative to models ignoring rapid guesses or accommodating it in different ways. A simulation study reveals that our model results in less biased estimates of the trait of interest for individuals with rapid responses, regardless of sample size and rapid response rate in the sample. We conclude with a discussion of extensions of the model and directions for future research.
Low-stakes test performance commonly reflects examinee ability and effort. Examinees exhibiting low effort may be identified through rapid guessing behavior throughout an assessment. There has been a plethora of methods proposed to adjust scores once rapid guesses have been identified, but these have been plagued by strong assumptions or the removal of examinees. In this study, we illustrate how an IRTree model can be used to adjust examinee ability for rapid guessing behavior. Our approach is flexible as it does not assume independence between rapid guessing behavior and the trait of interest (e.g., ability) nor does it necessitate the removal of examinees who engage in rapid guessing. In addition, our method uniquely allows for the simultaneous modeling of a disengagement latent trait in addition to the trait of interest. The results indicate the model is quite useful for estimating individual differences among examinees in the disengagement latent trait and in providing more precise measurement of examinee ability relative to models ignoring rapid guesses or accommodating it in different ways. A simulation study reveals that our model results in less biased estimates of the trait of interest for individuals with rapid responses, regardless of sample size and rapid response rate in the sample. We conclude with a discussion of extensions of the model and directions for future research.
Implementation of exergaming for people with dementia: facilitators, barriers, and recommendations
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Body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors: A systematic review of observational studies
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Engagement in health-promoting behaviors has been argued to be dependent on psychological factors in addition to simply having knowledge or access to resources. We systematically reviewed the evidence for the association between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors using six electronic databases and supplementary manual searches in the current study. To be included in the review, studies had to be empirical, in any language, and examined the potential link between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening. Findings from the final 16 quantitative and 12 qualitative studies generally suggest that people who were more satisfied or less dissatisfied with their bodies were more likely to engage in health screening. This review also highlighted key gaps in the literature such as the limited studies that included men as participants and the lack of examination of the underlying mechanisms and contingencies of the relationship between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors.
Engagement in health-promoting behaviors has been argued to be dependent on psychological factors in addition to simply having knowledge or access to resources. We systematically reviewed the evidence for the association between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors using six electronic databases and supplementary manual searches in the current study. To be included in the review, studies had to be empirical, in any language, and examined the potential link between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening. Findings from the final 16 quantitative and 12 qualitative studies generally suggest that people who were more satisfied or less dissatisfied with their bodies were more likely to engage in health screening. This review also highlighted key gaps in the literature such as the limited studies that included men as participants and the lack of examination of the underlying mechanisms and contingencies of the relationship between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors.
Evaluating the mental health status, help-seeking behaviors, and coping strategies of Canadian essential workers versus non-essential workers during COVID-19: a longitudinal study
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