Progress 08/01/08 to 09/30/10
Outputs
(N/A)
Impacts
The purpose of this investigation was to produce a change of knowledge. Three main objectives were pursued: (a) examination of gender differences in psychosocial resources and health status outcomes; (b) identification of key predictors of health status outcomes; (c) assessment of pathways by which psychosocial resources influence the association between traumatic life events and health status outcomes. Relative to gender differences, three relevant findings emerged. First, centenarian men reported a significant greater average number of traumatic events compared to their female counterparts. In particular, men reported an average of 2.60 traumatic events, whereas women reported experiencing 1.88 traumatic events on average. In addition, centenarian women reported a higher average score indicative of neuroticism (e.g., anxiety, emotional instability) than their male counterparts (M = 25.60 vs. M = 22.02). Finally, centenarian men reported a greater average score relative to functional health capacity than centenarian women (M = 32.60 vs. M = 30.75). As a result, centenarian men report a greater average number of traumatic experiences, yet maintain greater emotional stability and better functional health capacity on average than centenarian women. Identification of psychosocial predictors (e.g., traumatic events, personality traits, perceived economic security, and social support) of health status outcomes (e.g., self-reported number of health conditions, functional health capacity, and nutritional risk) was also considered. Traumatic life events and neuroticism emerged as key predictors of self-reported health conditions. In other words, greater cumulative number of traumatic experiences (Beta = .19, p < .05) and greater neuroticism (Beta = .29, p < .01) were associated with greater number of self-reported health conditions among centenarians. In addition, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and perceived economic security were significant predictors of functional health capacity. In particular, it appears that greater neuroticism decreases functional health capacity (Beta = -.19, p < .05), whereas greater conscientiousness (Beta= .20, p < .05) and positive perceptions of economic security (Beta = .18, p < .05) increase functional health capacity among centenarians. No significant evidence emerged relative to the nutritional risk outcome. Examination of pathways in the association between traumatic life events and health status outcomes was given final consideration. Results from this project indicate that personality traits may lessen the noxious impact of traumatic life events on functional health capacity. In particular, it appears that greater degree of agreeableness (Beta = -.18, p < .05) and conscientiousness (Beta = -.17, p < .05) diminish the negative influence of traumatic life events on functional health capacity. In other words, centenarians who tend to be more agreeable and conscientious may be protected from the deleterious influence of traumatic life experiences.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The following activities have been completed relative to the project: N = 94 interviews completed; N = 25 proxy surveys completed; N = 24 awaiting interview scheduling in Tulsa area; N = 5 awaiting scheduling in Oklahoma City Metro area; and N = 3 awaiting scheduling in Enid, OK/Garfield County. The following events occurred relative to the project: Conducted three-day interview training session with new graduate research assistant hired to work on project for 2009-2010 academic year. Hired summer undergraduate research assistant for data collection and data entry and conducted three-day interview training. Attended the July 2009 Centenarian Celebration hosted by NEATS (Northeast Active Timers) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Services - No action taken at this time. Products - No action taken at this time. Dissemination: The following actions were taken in disseminating the project: Sent mailing and announcement of project to community retirement centers, assisted-living facilities, and long-term care facilities located in the Oklahoma City and surrounding area. January 30, 2009, Presentation at Annual FCS and 4-H Statewide In-service. June 13, 2009, Workshop Presentation at Calibrating Your Compass: Positive Aging in the Second Half of Life, First Presbyterian Church, Stillwater, Oklahoma. November 10, 2009, Presentation at Calibrating Your Compass (Wisdom and Saging membership group), Stillwater Public Library, Stillwater, OK. PARTICIPANTS: The following persons participated in the project: Alex Bishop, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Science, served as principal investigator. Dr. Bishop completed tasks associated with contacting and forming potential collaborators including Oklahoma State University Extension Services, communicating and announcing the study via local and state aging agencies and extension educators, establishing a press release for use by extension services, sample identification and recruitment, and scheduling and conducting on-site oral research interviews. Rebekah Campbell, graduate research assistant contributed to the project by mailing study announcements to Oklahoma City area retirement communities, assisted living homes, and long-term care facilities; phoning and contacting identified centenarians residing in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area; scheduling and completing on-site interviews with study participants, creating DVD interview tapes, revising and editing data codebook, updating participant identifier list; constructing dataset in SPSS 17.0; and coding and entering data. Katie Southard, summer undergraduate research assistant, contributed to the project by engaging in 3 hour training session, assisting with on-site interviews and data collection, organizing data files, and creating DVD interview tapes. Partner Organizations - No action taken at this time. Collaborators and contacts - The following collaborations and contacts have been established relative to consultation and/or sample identification and recruitment for the project: Rev. Richard Ziglar, Director of the NEATS program, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rev. Ziglar also oversees an Adopt-A-Centenarian program which serves Tulsa and surrounding communities in Northeast Oklahoma. Richard Armend, Director -St. Ann's Retirement Community, Oklahoma City, OK. Pam Cullen, Director of the Centenarian Club of Oklahoma City. Activity and Social Service Directors in assisted living and long-term care facilities. Residential Coordinators within senior retirement communities. Oklahoma Cooperative Extensions Service Educators. Dr. Linda Burks, Ph.D., and Dr. Pat Darlington, Ph.D. - Co-Founders of Calibrating Your Compass, Stillwater, OK. Training and professional development - No action taken at this time. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience served through recent recruitment and sampling efforts of the project included: Centenarians (persons 100 years of age and older); Family care providers and guardians of centenarians Old and very old adults residing in urban and rural population centers throughout Oklahoma; Retirement, assisted-living and long-term care centers and facilities within Oklahoma; Centenarians representing racial and ethnic minority groups; Community care providers including psychologists, licensed practicing counselors, nurses, physicians, and other geriatric professionals (e.g., CNA, activity directors, etc.). Efforts - No action taken at this time. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
No noteworthy outcomes/impacts at this time
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The following activities have been completed relative to the project: N = 48 centenarians identified in Tulsa and surrounding area for sample recruitment, N = 2 interviews completed and N = 7 interviews confirmed and scheduled for December. The following actions were taken in disseminating the project: Made public announcement of study and implications at October meeting of NEATS (Northeast Active Timers) in Tulsa. Made public announcement at Stillwater Project Heart Nutrition Site in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Posted announcement and met with administrative representative from four assisted-living/senior care facilities in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and three facilities in Cushing, Oklahoma. Sent e-mail announcement of study to all directors representing Area Agencies on Aging in Oklahoma. Study announcement and press release placed within Oklahoma State University Extension newsletter. Study announcement and press release placed on Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources website. Study announcement placed and press release placed on Oklahoma State University daily e-communication headlines. PARTICIPANTS: The following persons participated in the project: Alex Bishop, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Science, server as principal investigator. Dr. Bishop completed tasks associated with contacting and forming potential collaborators including Oklahoma State University Extension Services, communicating and announcing the study via local and state aging agencies and extension educators, establishing a press release for use by extension services, sample identification and recruitment, and scheduling and conducting on-site oral research interviews. Jessica Brophy, graduate research assistant contributed to the project by publically announcing the study at local Senior Nutrition Sites (e.g., Stillwater, Oklahoma and Cushing, Oklahoma), posting study announcements/flyers within various venues (e.g., senior activity centers, nutrition sites) frequented by older adults, devising a data codebook, and establishing a participant identifier list for purposes of accessing contact information of potential sample participants. Partner Organizations: No action taken at this time. Collaborators and contacts: The following collaborations and contacts have been established relative to consultation and/or sample identification and recruitment for the project: Rev. Richard Ziglar, Director of the NEATS program, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rev. Ziglar also oversees an Adopt-A-Centenarian program which serves Tulsa and surrounding communities in Northeast Oklahoma. Pam Cullen, Director of the Centenarian Club of Oklahoma City. Lance Robertson, Director of the Oklahoma Division of Aging Services Dr. Glenn Muske, Ph.D., Interim Associate Dean of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Services, Family and Consumer Sciences Oklahoma Cooperative Extensions Service Educators. Training and professional development: No action taken at this time. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience served through recent recruitment and sampling efforts of the project included: Centenarians (persons 100 years of age and older); Family care providers of centenarians; Old and very old adults residing in urban and rural population centers in Oklahoma; and Centenarians representing racial and ethnic minority groups. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The following represent problems or potential delays and may demand some changes within the recruitment protocol. The state of Oklahoma does not have a systematic or centralized database or mechanism by which to readily identify persons 100 years and older. The Centenarian Club in Oklahoma City has recently experienced financial difficulty and has relatively disbanded operations. This has delayed identification of centenarians living in and around the Oklahoma City. The HIPPA Privacy Act has presented some difficulty relative to identifying centenarians residing in assisted-living and long-term care facilities. We are awaiting approval from human subjects (IRB) for a recent modification which will involve sending an introductory letter to care facilities across the state and using a follow-up phone call for purposes of recruiting more participants. After a pilot test of the interview protocol, several minor changes were made and human subjects approval (IRB) was needed
Impacts
No noteworthy outcomes/impacts at this time
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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