{"title":"Death of a Family Member and Self-Perceptions of Aging Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults.","authors":"Shu Xu","doi":"10.1177/01640275241306702","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The death of a family member is one of the life's most emotionally distressing experiences, yet its impact on self-perceptions of aging remains understudied. This study examines the relationship between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging among middle-aged and older adults using data from the 2014-2016 <i>Health and Retirement Study</i> (<i>n</i> = 11,416). Four types of family death (father death, mother death, spousal death, and child death) were analyzed. Linear regression models with Generalized Estimating Equations were estimated to examine the association between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging, as well as the moderation effect of gender. Results indicated that the death of a mother or a spouse is associated with less positive self-perceptions of aging compared to those not bereaved. No significant gender differences were observed in the association between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging. Interventions and support are necessary to help the bereaved navigate the bereavement process and maintain a positive outlook on aging in the face of loss.</p>","PeriodicalId":47983,"journal":{"name":"Research on Aging","volume":" ","pages":"1640275241306702"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Research on Aging","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275241306702","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The death of a family member is one of the life's most emotionally distressing experiences, yet its impact on self-perceptions of aging remains understudied. This study examines the relationship between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging among middle-aged and older adults using data from the 2014-2016 Health and Retirement Study (n = 11,416). Four types of family death (father death, mother death, spousal death, and child death) were analyzed. Linear regression models with Generalized Estimating Equations were estimated to examine the association between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging, as well as the moderation effect of gender. Results indicated that the death of a mother or a spouse is associated with less positive self-perceptions of aging compared to those not bereaved. No significant gender differences were observed in the association between the death of a family member and self-perceptions of aging. Interventions and support are necessary to help the bereaved navigate the bereavement process and maintain a positive outlook on aging in the face of loss.
期刊介绍：
Research on Aging is an interdisciplinary journal designed to reflect the expanding role of research in the field of social gerontology. Research on Aging exists to provide for publication of research in the broad range of disciplines concerned with aging. Scholars from the disciplines of sociology, geriatrics, history, psychology, anthropology, public health, economics, political science, criminal justice, and social work are encouraged to contribute articles to the journal. Emphasis will be on materials of broad scope and cross-disciplinary interest. Assessment of the current state of knowledge is as important as provision of an outlet for new knowledge, so critical and review articles are welcomed. Systematic attention to particular topics will also be featured.
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