Suchergebnisse

AbstractThis review of research on close relationships in old age is informed by principles of life span developmental psychology and life course theory in sociology. It begins with an elaboration of life span and life course concepts as applied to relationships and an analysis of the multiple forms that caring can take. The discussion continues with presentation of research on the effects of sociohistorical contexts on relationships in old age and studies of the effects of personal development and life events on relationships as well. A section examining problems in late‐life close relationships is followed by examples of new directions for research on the intersections of personal development and close relationships.

Nearly every family is affected by aging issues, whether of parents, grandparents, partners, siblings, in-laws, or other family members. The ravaged economy, issues with Medicare and Social Security, longer life spans, and complications related to failing health and dementia are creating more families living together with elders. Understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges of aging and family dynamics is more important than ever before

The literature on immigrants punctuates their difficulties with language acculturation and communication. Minimal attention has been given to the diversity of immigrant family communication issues in relation to the receiving communities in which they have lived, and research has not assessed immigrant families' strategies for minimizing communication breakdown. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 immigrant mothers and their adult daughters, we examine language acculturation and communication experience within the context of characteristics of the receiving community. The findings demonstrate the previously hidden complexity of language acculturation and communication experiences within mother-daughter dyads and highlight the variety of problem-solving strategies they employ to maintain strong ties despite language difficulties.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the constraining and facilitating effects of social structural position (age, sex, race, class, financial sufficiency, and number of friends) on opportunities for friendship. We hypothesized that the greater the number of people who share a given social structural location and the more access they have to situations where it is possible to meet new people, the less likely they are to have problematic friendships. The sample comprised 53 male and female community residents aged 55 to 84 years who enjoyed fairly good health. Logistic and multiple regression procedures revealed outcomes opposite to our predictions: those who were supposedly more social structurally advantaged actually reported greater numbers of problematic friendships. Potential interpretations include the possibility that these people are more critical than others of their friend relationships or more willing to acknowledge problems, that the norms regarding commitment to friends are weaker among these individuals, or that they learn to acquire friends but not to avoid and solve problems in their relationships. Apparently, people with more friends are not more likely than others to terminate problematic friendships or to redefine them as mere associations.