Intergenerational Ambivalence, Loneliness, and Well-Being Among Older Adults in the United States

Abstract Intergenerational relationships are important sources of informal social support for older people to maintain their emotional well-being. Previous research has extensively investigated the relationship between intergenerational support and older adult’s psychological well-being. However, the existing research has not adequately examined intergenerational ambivalence – mixed or contradictory feelings toward a family member in another generation or explored the mechanism that links intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being. Further, most studies are cross-sectional, which prevents us from establishing causality. This study utilized data from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 waves of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a national representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and more (N= 8,017). Structural equation models were used to examine the longitudinal relationship between intergenerational ambivalence, loneliness, depression, and life satisfaction. The final model indicated very good fit (χ2 = 113.31, p < .0001, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = .05). The results revealed that ambivalence in older parent-adult child relationships predicted higher subsequent loneliness (β = 0.21, p < .0001), which in turn predicted depressive symptoms (β = 0.25, p <.0001) and life satisfaction (β = -0.30, p < .0001). The results demonstrated that loneliness mediated the relationship between intergenerational ambivalence and depression, and life satisfaction. Multiple group analysis was performed to test whether the study relationships varied by gender. Gender differences were found. Findings have implications for prevention and intervention initiatives targeting improving relationships between parents and children, thereby protecting against mental problems.


DAILY PERCEPTIONS OF AGING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR STRESS REACTIVITY
Bethany Wilton-Harding, and Tim Windsor, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Awareness of one's own aging has received increasing attention in the field of gerontology over the last decade.This study examines the role awareness of age-related change (AARC) may play in the association between daily stressors and well-being.Recently, individuals' awareness of both age-related gains and age-related losses has been shown to vary on a day-to-day basis (Neupert & Bellingtier, 2017).We expected that increases in daily AARC-losses may be associated with increased emotional reactivity to daily stressors, whereas increases in AARC-gains may be associated with decreased reactivity.Data were collected in a daily diary study from a community-based sample of 152 Australian participants aged 53 to 86 (M = 69.18,SD = 5.73).Participants completed daily assessments of AARC, stressors and emotional affect (positive and negative) on their smartphones for 10 consecutive days.Analysis of within-person coupling using multilevel models indicated that daily increases in AARC-losses were associated with increased reactivity to daily stressors (represented by high negative affect and low positive affect).On the other hand, daily increases in AARCgains were associated with decreased reactivity to daily stressors (represented by low negative affect).Results indicate that even short-term fluctuations in perceptions of aging may be an important factor to consider when investigating associations between daily stressors and well-being in older adulthood.Specifically, greater daily AARC-losses may contribute to lower emotional well-being, whereas an appreciation of positive age-related changes (AARC-gains) may play a role in mitigating emotional reactivity to daily stress experiences in older adulthood.

DIFFERENCES IN SELF-RATED MEMORY BY RACE/ ETHNICITY
Yujin Franco, 1 Joseph Saenz, 2 Yuri Jang, 2 and Jessica Ho, 2 1.University of Southern California, University of Southern California, California, United States, 2. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States Self-rated memory is an important dimension of well-being among older adults that has also been linked to cognitive impairment over the long term.However, few studies based on nationally-representative samples have examined differences in self-rated memory by race/ethnicity.This study explores differences in self-rated memory across non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic older adults in the United States.Data were drawn from the 2011 wave of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS).The sample consisted of older adults aged 65 and older (N=4,753 non-Hispanic Whites, N=1,442 non-Hispanic Blacks, and N=388 Hispanics).Logistic regression was used to examine the association between having poor/fair self-rated memory and race/ethnicity, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education level, income, and marital status), chronic conditions (heart attack, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and depressive symptoms), objective memory status, functional limitations (activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living), and other social and cultural factors (economic vulnerability, religious practice, and limited English proficiency).I find that non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics have significantly higher odds of reporting poor/ fair self-rated memory than non-Hispanic Whites.Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks and Hispanics had 33% and 56% higher odds of reporting poor/fair self-rated memory, respectively, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, chronic conditions, objective memory status, functional limitations, and social and cultural factors.These results provide evidence that understanding differences in self-rated memory across racial/ethnic groups may have important implications for health professionals, particularly in relation to conducting and interpreting cognitive screening assessments.

INTERGENERATIONAL AMBIVALENCE, LONELINESS, AND WELL-BEING AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES
Xiaoyan Zhang, 1 and Merril Silverstein, 2 1. Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States, 2. Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, New York, United States Intergenerational relationships are important sources of informal social support for older people to maintain their emotional well-being.Previous research has extensively investigated the relationship between intergenerational support and older adult's psychological well-being.However, the existing research has not adequately examined intergenerational ambivalence -mixed or contradictory feelings toward a family member in another generation or explored the mechanism that links intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being.Further, most studies are cross-sectional, which prevents us from establishing causality.This study utilized data from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 waves of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a national representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and more (N= 8,017).Structural equation models were used to examine the longitudinal relationship between intergenerational ambivalence, loneliness, depression, and life satisfaction.The final model indicated very good fit (χ2 = 113.31,p < .0001,CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = .05).The results revealed that ambivalence in older parent-adult child relationships predicted higher subsequent loneliness (β = 0.21, p < .0001),which in turn predicted depressive symptoms (β = 0.25, p <.0001) and life satisfaction (β = -0.30,p < .0001).The results demonstrated that loneliness mediated the relationship between intergenerational ambivalence and depression, and life satisfaction.Multiple group analysis was performed to test whether the study relationships varied by gender.Gender differences were found.Findings have implications for prevention and intervention initiatives targeting improving relationships between parents and children, thereby protecting against mental problems.

SOCIOCULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN ACCEPTING TECHNOLOGY FOR OLDER ADULTS BETWEEN SOUTH KOREA AND THE UNITED STATES
Jeungkun Kim, 1 and Suk-Young Kang, 2 1. Kangnam University, Republic of Korea,2. Binghamton University,State University of New York,Binghamton,New York,United States In recent years, Western-originated technology products for older adults are rapidly spreading in Korea, but discussions on technology acceptance taking into account the socio-cultural characteristics of older adults in Korea are relatively insufficient.The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the socio-cultural characteristics of Korean older adults on their intention to use technology compared to the United States.Due to Covid-19, a telephone and non-face-to-face survey was conducted for older adults aged 65-95 residing in New York State in the U.S. and the metropolitan area of South Korea from September 2020 to January 2021(N=155 in South Korea, N=180 in the U.S.).In this study, the expanded technology acceptance model for older adults was conceptualized, and socio-cultural factors were used as mediators or modulators.Results show that Korean older adults had higher expectations that technology use would have a positive impact on their lives, and their product purchase intentions were higher than those in the United States(p<0.001).The main reason was that Korean older adults were less anxious about the leakage of personal information, had higher national trust and were relatively less resistant to robots than American older adults.In addition, Korean older adults were more confident that they could receive help in case of problems with technology products than their counterparts in the United States.This study suggests practical and policy alternatives for securing technology acceptance of older adults, taking into account the social and cultural factors of Korea and the United States.

VARIATION IN SUBJECTIVE AGING AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER LGBTQ+ PEOPLE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
Harry Barbee, and Tara McKay, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States Studies suggest that women and men have different experiences of subjective aging-including interpretations of age norms, timing of life course stages, and aging anxietiesbut few have addressed variation within sexual and gender diverse communities.Drawing on a sample of middle-age and older LGBTQ+ people from Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee (n=923), we analyze how four dimensions of subjective aging (age-related self-perceptions, generalized views of aging, aging bodies, and aging anxieties) vary within the LGBTQ+ population by comparing gay and bisexual cisgender men (GBCM), lesbian and bisexual cisgender women (LBCW), and transgender, gender nonconforming, and non-binary (T/GNC/NB) people.Using multivariate regression models, we find that LBCW reported younger ideal ages, more elongated perceptions of the life course, more negative predictions of prospective health, and less aging anxiety compared to GBCM.Regarding self-perceptions and generalized views of aging, T/GNC/NB people reported younger ideal ages and more condensed perceptions of the life course compared to GBCM.Regarding perceptions of aging bodies, T/GNC/NB people reported more positive views of physical changes within the last five years and more negative predictions of prospective health compared to GBCM.Finally, T/GNC/NB people were less anxious than GBCM about future sex lives but were more anxious about not being able to support other people in the future.Overall, while some results align with studies of the general population, we find that sexual and gender diverse people may have different subjective aging trajectories, and thus experience differential physical and mental health outcomes, compared with cisgender heterosexual adults.The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of our lives, but the population most at risk are older adults.Canadians over the age of 60 account for 36% of all COVID-19 cases but 95% of the deaths, and over two-thirds of ICU admissions.Older adults with chronic health conditions are especially at risk.Prior to COVID-19, family caregivers (FCGs) for older adults were managing their caregiving duties at the limits of their emotional, physical and financial capacity.As such, FCGs need special consideration during these times of uncertainty to support them in their role and enable the continuation of care for their older adult family members.