{"title":"Older Adults' Understanding of COVID-19 and Successful Aging: An Application of CEMSA to Ghana and Uganda.","authors":"Faith Afua Otchere, Miriam Komuhendo, Lindsey Anderson, Drew T Ashby-King, Delight Agboada","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297318","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297318","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>COVID-19 heightened the uncertainty of aging, mainly because older adults were considered most vulnerable to the virus's effects. This study utilized the Communicative Ecology Model of Successful Aging (CEMSA) as a framework to understand the intersection of aging, COVID-19, and communication. In-depth interviews were conducted to explore the nuanced accounts given by fourteen eligible participants from Ghana and Uganda to understand their communicative practices about successful aging during COVID-19. Findings revealed that expressing optimism about aging, planning for future care needs, self-categorization as old, or attributing behavior to old age, and using emerging communication technologies to foster engagement with friends and loved ones are crucial aspects of older adults' communication around successful aging during the pandemic. The study also extended CEMSA to the African context and introduced faith as a new element that influenced how older adults communicate about successful aging that the model had not previously accounted for.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"25-47"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142606893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Communication, Contact, and Intergenerational Dynamics: Aging in Not-So-Normal Times.","authors":"Jake Harwood","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297347","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This Epilogue extends themes from the Special Issue, with a particular focus on how communication operates during times of social disruption. Three forms of disruption are discussed: societal-global disruption (manifested in the Covid-19 pandemic), individual-relational disruption (manifested in a dementia diagnosis), and societal progress (manifested in technological change). The Epilogue discusses how these disruptions affect the quality and quantity of intergenerational contact, and feed into hostile and benevolent forms of ageism. The conclusions discuss connections between disruptions and the Communication Ecology Model of Successful Aging, as well as links to societal segregation, thus suggesting the multiplicity of ways that communication serves as a platform for healthier approaches to aging in society.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"156-166"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142584744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dementia Caregiving and Dialectical Tensions During the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Meara H Faw, Kylie J Johnson","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297555","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297555","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia presents significant challenges which were amplified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, care partners were forced to navigate uncertain terrain as well as new and challenging relational tensions. This study investigated the experiences of dementia care partners and the relational tensions present as they managed the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic using Relational Dialectics Theory framework. By analyzing recorded support groups from the early days of the pandemic (April through June, 2020), we identified two chief tensions expressed by participants throughout their support groups: <i>connection-independence</i> and <i>gratitude-frustration</i>. Participants experienced these tensions in different ways, and they engaged in four tension management strategies (<i>selection</i>, <i>minimization</i>, <i>reframing</i>, and <i>venting and comradery</i>) through the support group. As the pandemic progressed, participants' tension management evolved, highlighting the complexity inherent in caring for a person with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"136-155"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tamara D Afifi, Charles E Burnham, Nancy Collins, Chloe Gonzales, Aria Ma, Allison Mazur, Erin E Naffziger, Kyle Rand, Yuval Rosen, Abdullah Salehuddin, Jennifer Stamps, Nikki Truscelli, Veronica Wilson
{"title":"Communicative and Methodological Challenges Related to Collecting Data with Older Adults with Dementia in Senior Living Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Tamara D Afifi, Charles E Burnham, Nancy Collins, Chloe Gonzales, Aria Ma, Allison Mazur, Erin E Naffziger, Kyle Rand, Yuval Rosen, Abdullah Salehuddin, Jennifer Stamps, Nikki Truscelli, Veronica Wilson","doi":"10.1177/00914150241300892","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241300892","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to researchers collecting data with older adults, particularly older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The goal of this article is to articulate the communicative and methodological challenges and lessons learned from collecting data with older adults in senior living communities with mild cognitive impairment and ADRD and their adult children (who were geographically separated) during the pandemic. Communication was much more than what we were studying; it was essential to the success and ethical implementation of our research. We were working with a vulnerable population during a pandemic where recruitment, consent, and data collection required heightened and adapted communication strategies to reduce confusion, promote safety, and ensure data could be collected in an effective manner. The way we communicated with the participants, their networks, and the senior living communities was crucial to establishing strong human connections and subsequently successful data collection.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"90-111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12149450/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142795956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Potential Harmful Behavior Toward Older Family Members: Applying a Double-ABCX Model to Examine Problematic Family Caregiving.","authors":"Mei-Chen Lin, David E Silva","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297331","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297331","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Grounded in Lin and Giles' communication model of elder abuse and neglect and McCubbin and Patterson's double-ABCX model of family stress, this study examined whether caregiver self-efficacy and perceptions of positive caregiving outcomes predicted caregivers' lowered tendency to engage in potential harmful behaviors (PHB) toward care receiver directly or indirectly through lowered reports of care receivers' problem behaviors and negative coping strategy (i.e., communication neglect coupled with expressed anger). These expectations were tested through structural equation modeling of survey responses of 339 family caregivers in the U.S. Model results identified \"negative coping strategy\" as a strong mediating variable for the effects of reports of care receivers' problem behaviors on PHB. A serial mediation path from higher caregiver self-efficacy to lowered reports of care receivers' problem behavior, to reduced use of \"negative coping strategy\" and finally to reduced PHB was significant. Perceptions of positive caregiving outcomes did not yield similar results.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"112-135"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142677084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"#PositiveAging: A Content Analysis of Positive Aging TikTok Videos.","authors":"R Amanda Cooper","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297895","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297895","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The communication ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA) proposes that the messages individuals receive from the social environment, and their own communication about aging, shape the communication ecology of aging, which in turn influences the degree to which individuals experience successful aging. This content analysis study provides insight into the communication ecology of aging by examining the messages about aging forwarded by positive aging TikTok videos. Two-hundred and seventy videos from the top five most viewed positive aging hashtags were coded. Messages about appearance and evaluations of aging appear more frequently than messages about ability or advice about aging. Overall, these videos presented aging in a positive light; however, messages about skin, cognitive ability, advice about aging, and the #agingwell hashtag represented aging in a more negative light. The majority of positive aging TikTok videos feature middle-aged and older adults. Implications for the CEMSA are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"48-67"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Who We Are and How We Talk About Volunteering: Older Adult Volunteers' Perspective.","authors":"Molly Han, Yan Bing Zhang","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297867","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297867","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Guided by the Communicative Ecology Model of Successful Aging (CEMSA), we conducted an interview study with 25 older adult volunteers (<i>M</i> = 71.8 years old, <i>SD</i> = 5.19) to explore how they discursively negotiated their identities and communicated about volunteering during the aging process. The conventional view of old age and aging tends to be negative, however, our findings from the older adult volunteers' accounts revealed positive themes regarding their self-categorization and volunteering experiences. These themes include: (a) positive representations of self and other older adult volunteers, (b) transcendence of negative perceptions of old age and aging through volunteering involvement, and (c) communication about engaging in selection, optimization, and compensation in managing volunteer work. Our findings carry significant theoretical and practical implications, underscoring how positive self-categorization and adaptive management of volunteering remarkably contribute to building an ecology of successful aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"68-89"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142630507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Theoretical Approaches to Communicative Practices in the Study of Intergenerational Communication and Aging.","authors":"Howard Giles","doi":"10.1177/00914150241297398","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150241297398","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intergenerational communication and aging is a thriving interdisciplinary, methodologically diverse field having significant implications for understanding the aging process. This opening article to the special issue provides a brief overview of this research domain, with particular attention to theoretical practices within it. Communication accommodation theory (CAT) is introduced given it has provided a foundation for other well-cited models of communication and aging. In so doing, a couple of the CAT principles are elaborated, based on recent work on age meta-stereotyping and intergroup felt understanding. CAT is also a component of the influential \"communication ecology model of successful aging\" and, after exploring some of its tenets, its visually schematic representation is elaborated as well as connections speculated regarding its relationship with the communicative lives of SuperAgers. Thereafter, highlights emerging from the articles in this special issue that follow are drawn out.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"3-24"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142630505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Associations of Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Levels Among Chinese Empty- and Non-Empty-Nesters: Exploring the Mediating Role of Residential Regions.","authors":"Xintong Zhao, Yalu Zhang, Meijun Wan","doi":"10.1177/00914150251352196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00914150251352196","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using panel data from the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we explored the impact of depressive symptoms on cognitive levels among middle-aged and older Chinese adults while considering the potential mediating role of residential regions in this relationship. Our findings consistently demonstrate a negative impact of depressive symptoms on cognitive levels, with variations among middle-aged and older adults in urban and rural areas of China. Mediation analysis indicated that residential regions altered the extent of influence exerted by depressive symptoms on cognitive levels, thus serving as a mediator. Specifically, our investigation into the relationships of residential regions, depressive symptoms, and cognitive levels among empty-nesters revealed more pronounced effects and stronger underlying mechanisms. Based on these results, we advocate targeted interventions and subsidies tailored to the specific needs of empty-nesters and socially isolated older individuals. These interventions should aim to mitigate and prevent cognitive decline in this vulnerable population.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"914150251352196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144486632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Racial Differences in Neighborhood Environmental Effects on Loneliness Among Older Adults.","authors":"Nan Zhou","doi":"10.1177/00914150251352198","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00914150251352198","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explores the relationship between neighborhood environment and loneliness among older adults of three racial groups: White, Black, and Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native (AA & NHPIs). Data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project 2015-2016 Wave 3 is analyzed using multiple linear regression for each group, with seemingly unrelated estimation used to assess differences between models. Findings indicate that higher neighborhood cohesion is linked to lower loneliness levels for Whites and Blacks, while higher perceived neighborhood danger correlates with increased loneliness for AA & NHPIs. The effect of cohesion is stronger for Blacks compared to the other groups, and the impact of neighborhood danger is greater for AA & NHPIs. These results highlight the significance of neighborhood environment in addressing loneliness among older adults and emphasize the need for interventions that consider racial differences.</p>","PeriodicalId":47878,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Aging & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"914150251352198"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144369414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}