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Late Life Transitions in Social Context

• Ageing well in older couples
• Resilience to stress in adulthood
• Retirement, health and well-being
• Social interactions, social engagement and personality traits over the lifespan
• Transitions in late life - The TRAILL project
• Psychological aspects of driving and driving cessation
• The effect of spousal/partner bereavement on thinking skills (cognition) in older adults

 

Ageing well in older couples

The Ageing Well Together study includes a sample of over 100 couples aged 55+. This study will investigate social-cognitive characteristics of ageing well, and will provide new insights into the importance of social context for promoting health, well-being and social engagement in later life. 

For more information, see Ageing Well Together.

 

Resilience to stress in adulthood

Theories of lifespan development indicate that the importance of different social and psychological resources for promoting well-being will vary over the adult lifespan. Researchers in the ARU are using PATH data to investigate the different extents to which protective factors buffer against the negative effects of life stressors on psychological well-being in young, midlife and older adults. 

 

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Prevalence and standard errors of common mental disorders amongst men, as a function of age group and labour-force status.

 

Retirement, health and well-being

This project explores the relationship between labour-force status and mental health amongst older Australians, with particular attention on retirement. The research considers the impact of retirement on mental health and wellbeing, and how the experience of common mental disorders may influence decisions about retirement and labour-force participation. The project also examines the personal and contextual factors that may moderate and mediate these effects.

 

Social interactions, social engagement and personality traits over the lifespan

Involving the PATH project, this examines various aspects of change in social relations and personality, in particular control, motivation and approach-avoidance tendencies, which occur over the adult lifespan, and the implications of these changes for well-being. Another new area of development is in the measurement of resilience – as we are increasingly interested in how some people avoid mental health problems despite difficult life circumstances. We have also focused on issues related to social engagement and productivity in older adulthood, including a recent study of the relationship between volunteer activity and well-being.

 

Transitions in late life - The TRAILL project

Led by Dr. Windsor, the ARU has recently procured funding from the Australian Research Council to conduct studies around two important later life transitions, residential relocation and retirement from the workforce. The TRAILL project will begin in 2009, and will be based around longitudinal investigations of the role of different personal and psychosocial resources in promoting successful adaptation to transition, and relationships of relocation and retirement with changes in social relations and psychological well-being.

 

Psychological aspects of driving and driving cessation

Retirement from driving in older adulthood can bring about a major negative impact on quality of life. Driving cessation can also result in negative psychological outcomes such as an increase in depressive symptoms. Researchers in the ARU have focused on the associations of relevant psychological factors such as perceived control over driving, self-regulation and optimism bias, with self-reported driving behaviour. An additional focus is on identifying personal characteristics and resources that could reduce the negative psychological impact of driving cessation, and to inform the development of interventions for older ceased drivers. 

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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Results from the PATH Through Life project indicate that moderate levels of volunteer activity relate to high levels of life satisfaction. However an intensive commitment to volunteer work during retirement could have adverse implications for psychological well-being.

 

The effect of spousal/partner bereavement on thinking skills (cognition) in older adults

Barbara Boyer (Masters Candidate)

This research examines the associations between spousal bereavement, cognitive change and depression in older Australians. Data from the 60+ cohort at Wave 1 and 2 are being analysed from the PATH through life project.

 

ARU staff and students working on Late Life Transitions in Social Context

• Professor Kaarin Anstey
• Dr Peter Butterworth
• Dr Tim Windsor
• Ms Barbara Boyer

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