Suchergebnisse

Transgender older adults have been subject to life-long stigma and marginalization, resulting in significant social and health consequences. Despite these challenges, this population commonly reports thriving in later life. In order to attend to nuanced experiences of older transgender adults, theoretical models of successful aging must reflect complexities presented by gender minority status. In order to address theoretical gaps, a systematic qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted to summarize findings across the body of qualitative transgender aging research. Findings indicated that transgender older adults conceptualize successful aging through the process of embracing gender identity. Themes were identified to conceptualize successful transgender aging such as gender expression, shedding internalized stigma, and championing a resilience mindset. Implications for social work practice are provided, suggesting a more comprehensive understanding of both challenges and resilience factors amongst the aging transgender population.

Much can be learned about the nature and meaning of close relationships by studying language use. This qualitative study explores the process of defining relationships and choosing partner reference terms among an understudied population—living apart together (LAT) couples in older adulthood. Twenty‐five men and women aged 60 years and older were interviewed about their LAT relationships. Grounded theory analyses demonstrated that participants chose terms by trial and error through a process of meaning making. Terms associated with youth culture (e.g., girlfriend, boyfriend) were spurned, although they were commonly used for lack of age‐appropriate alternatives. Participants defined LAT by drawing contrasts to dating and marital relationships. Practical implications and future directions for research are discussed.

Due to dramatic changes in the U.S. population's aging demographic, family life educators have begun offering more programming for midlife and older adults. This shift began in the early 1990s, after several family scholars and practicing professionals urged the National Council of Family Relations to revise its Framework for Life Span Family Life Education to include "later adulthood" as a fourth age‐group categorization. Since this revision, family life educators and family scholars alike have gradually expanded their programming and scholarship efforts to address the challenges and concerns associated with midlife and older adulthood. In this article, we review best practices in family life education (FLE) programming for midlife and older adults, including programming needs, program design preferences, and contextual variation. To conclude, we suggest future directions for research on best practices in FLE for midlife and older audiences and recommend using the life course perspective as a complement to the Framework when planning and designing FLE programming to meet the needs of the heterogeneous aging population.

ObjectiveTo increase the awareness and support for family scientists' engagement in public scholarship.BackgroundWithout appropriate dissemination efforts, important research findings may remain solely in academic journals without reaching the public. Grounded in a social justice perspective, we argue that family scientists are, and should be, on the frontlines of direct social change and activities related to broader impacts.MethodIn this call to action, we articulate the utility and praxis of public scholarship, or the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge for and with communities to create social change for the public good.ResultsAvenues to engaging in public scholarship as a means of disseminating family science research are presented. These avenues include collaborating with individuals who serve in complementary roles, hosting a research press conference to disseminate key findings, and writing for local outlets such as community newspapers. Mechanisms to implement (e.g., resources for developing press releases, infographics, or visual abstracts) and document (e.g., in promotion and tenure materials) these activities are outlined.ConclusionThis information can help academic family scholars achieve broader impacts of their science activities that illustrate the relevance of family science research in people's lives.ImplicationsBy shifting academic cultures and engaging in public scholarship, family scholars can increase their reach and contribute to the enfranchisement of marginalized populations, while also enhancing the visibility of findings, building their scholarly networks, and growing public support for family science.

End-of-life caregiving is a highly stressful experience often fraught with conflict and tension. However, little is known about the ways family conflict manifests for informal caregivers of home hospice patients (IHCs). Framed by relational dialectics theory, the purpose of this study was to provide nurses and other health care professionals with an empirical understanding of how IHCs experience family conflict and tensions associated with caregiving. A second aim was to determine what strategies IHCs use to manage these family conflicts. Data used in this qualitative secondary analysis were originally collected as part of a randomized clinical trial of an IHC support intervention. Based on thematic analysis of data from 25 IHCs who reported family conflict, a conceptual model of caregiver resilience was developed from the themes and categories that emerged during the coding stage. Autonomy was identified as a central tension. IHCs used several strategies to address family conflict including communication, formal support, and emotional self-care.

The difficulties of caring for a family member with advanced cancer are well documented. Support from a caregiver's social network—especially other family—is vital to reducing caregiver burden and psychological distress. However, the family environment is not always supportive as reports of family conflict and dissatisfaction with support are common. Despite knowing that family relationships are complex, little is known about the types of family stress that caregivers of advanced cancer patients face in their daily lives. To address this gap, researchers applied concepts from the double ABCX model to conduct a reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with 63 caregivers of cancer patients receiving outpatient palliative care. Four themes of family stress were identified: failed support, relational tensions, denial, and additional care work. Findings inform clinical assessment and caregiver intervention development by revealing the importance of measuring the mundane machinations of family life for caregivers of adult cancer patients.

Older adults who live alone are at risk for problems (e.g., falling, sudden illness). To maintain themselves safely at home they may benefit from planning to prevent problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intervention designed to train family members or friends as to how to help older adults who were living alone make plans to maintain independence safely in their homes and to make behavioral and household changes to enhance safety. Support network members of 19 older adults randomly assigned to the intervention group were taught to use multiple segment vignettes to assist the older adults in creating plans for living safely. Older adults in the control group ( n = 21) were asked to engage in an unstructured discussion about home safety with their network members. Older adults in the intervention group developed safer plans and made more household and behavioral changes than did control group adults.