Women and Positive Aging : An International Perspective

327 Pages·2016·4.305 MB·English

by  Dykema-Engblade, Amanda, Hollis-Sawyer, Lisa

WOMEN AND POSITIVE AGING
WOMEN AND
POSITIVE
AGING
AN INTERNATIONAL
PERSPECTIVE
Lisa Hollis-Sawyer
Amanda Dykema-Engblade
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ISBN: 978-0-12-420136-1
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“On Aging” from AND STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou, copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.
Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC.
All rights reserved. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited.
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On Aging
“When you see me sitting quietly, like a sack left on a shelf,
Don’t think I need your chattering. I’m listening to myself.
Hold! Stop! Don’t pity me! Hold! Stop your sympathy!
Understanding if you got it, otherwise I’ll do without it!
When my bones are stiff and aching and my feet won’t climb the stair,
I will only ask one favor: Don’t bring me no rocking chair.
When you see me walking, stumbling, don’t study and get it wrong.
‘Cause tired don’t mean lazy and every goodbye ain’t gone.
I’m the same person I was back then, a little less hair, a little less chin,
A lot less lungs and much less wind.
But ain’t I lucky I can still breathe in.”
–Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978).
Authors
Dr. Lisa Hollis-Sawyer is an Associate Professor
in the Psychology department and Coordinator of
the Gerontology program at Northeastern Illinois
University. She received her doctorate in Industrial
Gerontology from The University of Akron and
conducted postdoctoral aging-related training at
Boston University. Her research interests range
from eldercare to aging workforce issues, espe-
cially focusing on aging women’s issues within
these roles. Dr. Hollis-Sawyer has coauthored three
textbooks and authored/coauthored 24 scholarly
articles.
Dr. Amanda Dykema-Engblade is an Associate
Professor in the Psychology department and
Vice Chair at Northeastern Illinois University.
She earned an MA and PhD in Applied Social
Psychology from Loyola University (Chicago).
Her research interests include small group perfor-
mance/decision-making, the psychology of food,
and women’s studies. Dr. Dykema-Engblade has
authored/coauthored 10 scholarly articles.
xiii
Preface
The focus of this book is about important topics related to women
positively aging across many different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
Related to this aim, the book’s sections and chapters cover topics encompass-
ing a “holistic” model of women’s aging and will range in focus from the
physical and psychological experiences of women’s aging to societies’ percep-
tions of older women in many different cultures. All topics related to the focus
of contemporary issues with aging women are presented and discussed.
In addition to incorporating timely research on aging women’s issues,
each chapter provides readers with engaging stories and activities to fur-
ther reinforce their learning of this content. By design, the content of each
book chapter is tailored to offer both theoretical and practical perspectives
in how to best support and optimize the aging of women. For example,
testimonies and advice from self-identified successfully aging women
(Words of Wisdom) are presented in select chapters.
The topics discussed in this book are helpful for both women experienc-
ing aging issues across the life span and/or those involved in their care.
Many of the issues examined in this book, of course, have implications
toward all individuals who are navigating the complex, sometimes unantic-
ipated “journey” of aging. The aim of this book is to discuss both women’s
universal experiences of aging and their unique experiences within specific
cultural, historical, and genetic contexts of human development over time.
This book is meant as a helpful guide for all women experiencing the
aging process from birth onward, as well as those involved in their lives (eg,
significant other, caregiver). The main “message” from the contents of this
book is that women should find ways to live their lives to the fullest and to
embrace the many different challenges and transitions that aging offers. To
effectively adapt in such a way requires a conscious, ongoing self-examina-
tion of changing personal capabilities (eg, physical strength), environmental
resources (physical, social, and living), and support services, which need to
be optimized in combination (ie, best “fit”) for women’s aging. This book
offers advice to achieve positive aging for women, as well as anyone aging
across the life span. In addition to the content within the chapters, please
review the supplemental attitude scales (Appendix A) and national and
international support resources (Appendix B) presented in this book.
Dr. Lisa Hollis-Sawyer
Gerontology Program Coordinator,
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, United States
xv
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to give a heartfelt “thank you” to the people who
helped and supported them throughout the book writing process. Both
authors would like to thank Linda Rada, Marta Bartasiute, and Wendy De
Leon for their invaluable help in both conducting and summarizing the
interviews of wise older women from many different cultural backgrounds
for this book. Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, would also like to thank Tom, Josh, and
May for their wonderful support and understanding during this busy
time. Amanda Dykema-Engblade, would like to thank David, Zeke, and
Evelyn for their equally wonderful support and understanding over the
many months of writing and editing this book. Without their help and
support, this book would not have been possible!
xvii
S E C T I O N I
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
WOMEN’S AGING
Relevant chapters
1 Older Women and Their Mental Health Needs 3
2 Women’s Resiliency and Psychological Adaptation
to Aging 27
3 Aging Self-Acceptance for Women 51
4 Aging Women and Mental Aerobics 71
The first section of the book examines issues related to
aging women’s health on psychological, physical, cognitive,
and social bases. In order to ensure positive aging for women
from a societal perspective, it is vital to understand the factors
that precipitate and impact a woman’s aging trajectory over
time. The purpose of this section of the book is to introduce
many foundational research ideas and practical issues related
to women’s aging from a diversity perspective. A cross-cultural
and individual-differences examination of aging women’s
issues is important in order to identify both “universal” and
unique experiences of aging. Across chapters in this section,
person-environment “fit” issues are discussed in different
ways as they relate to women’s positively aging over time.
C H A P T E R
1
Older Women and Their Mental
Health Needs
Global Fact: Unipolar depression is projected to be the second leading cause of
global disability burden by the year 2020, and aging women are twice as likely
to report this condition.
—World Health Organization (n.d.)
Across everyone’s life span, people are faced with a variety of life situ-
ations which require adaptive coping reactions and a healthy mental atti-
tude. The process of getting older is one of those significant life situations
to be positively adapted over an extended time period. An understanding
of realistic aging processes is a vital factor underlying effective personal
adaptation. Before reading this chapter further, please take the Facts of
Aging quiz in Appendix A to assess your knowledge about aging-related
facts and associated adjustment issues. What did you learn? Apply what
you learned from taking the quiz to the proceeding discussion of aging
women’s mental health and psychological adjustment.
What factors underlie positive aging attitudes and adaptation? Myint
et al. (2011) suggested that many life events significantly impact an older
adult’s ability to successfully adapt and achieve positive quality-of-life
outcomes. Being both actively engaged in daily activities and open to new
experiences (eg, learning new information or skills) are two examples of
conducive events promoting positive and adaptive responses to aging-
related changes. Aging can be a challenging experience for most people,
especially within certain living circumstances (eg, community-dwelling
older adults; Akincigil et al., 2011).
Aging research started to turn its attention to issues of positive aging
and adjustment from a woman’s perspective over 30 years ago (eg, Levy,
1981). Whether older women are truly different than their male coun-
terparts in terms of mental health characteristics, as well as predictive
factors, needs further examination (eg, Pachana, McLaughlin, Leung,
Byrne, & Dobson, 2012). It is interesting to note that although older men
Women and Positive Aging.
3
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-420136-1.00001-3 © 22001164 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
4
1. OldER WOMEN ANd THEiR MENTAl HEAlTH NEEds
and women are very similar in many ways, their patterns of mental
health diagnoses show some differences within different cultures (eg,
South Korean culture; Lee & Lee, 2011) and life situations (eg, stressful
role responsibilities; Darling, Coccia, & Senatore, 2012).
Is it possible that older women are inherently different in aging-related
attitudes or coping reactions? Or, is this perception more an outcome of
“double jeopardy” bias regarding stereotyped perceptions of women (eg,
emotionality) and their aging (eg, decrement and loss)? This concept of
“double jeopardy” (eg, Hollis-Sawyer & Cuevas, 2013) is important to
explore because this stereotype may have a significant influence on wom-
en’s positive aging potential. In certain cultures and societies, older women
may be at a social disadvantage in terms of financial viability, social power,
and associated support resources. Exploring this idea from a positive aging
perspective, women who are empowered and supported in their social
roles will be better able to cope and proliferate when faced with aging.
Financial resources are important for women’s later-life adaptation and
personal growth. The concept of “feminization of poverty” speaks toward
this issue (Minkler & Stone, 1985), emphasizing the need for society to better
understand lifespan issues of workforce participation, participation inter-
ruptions (eg, caregiving role demands), and an associated gender dispar-
ity in earned income (eg, wage gap and pension acquisition) significantly
impacting women’s social status and living situations over a life span.
WOMEN AND HARMONIOUS AGING
Positive aging as applied to mental health is analogous to Liang and
Luo’s (2012) examination of the concept of “harmonious” aging. Brennan
et al. (2012) emphasized the idea that there needs to be an examination
of positive mental health perspectives to better understand and identify
coping factors that assist in later-life adjustment. Grafova, McGonagle,
and Stafford (2006) suggested that there is a very important link between
older adults’ feelings of positive well-being and their associated func-
tional status in conducting activities of daily living.
The delicate “balance” between mental health and functional status is
a vital issue to examine with women who are faced with balancing many
roles and responsibilities across a life span (Byles, Gallienne, Blyth, &
Banks, 2012). The impact of the caregiver role within a woman’s life
cannot be understated because of its broad range of role demands and
responsibilities within the family system. Further, being a caregiver can
have a significant impact upon an aging person’s mental and physical
health (Hoffman, Lee, & Mendez-Luck, 2012; Neysmith, & Reitsma-Street,
2009; Nordtug, Krokstad, & Holen, 2011). Financial and other support
I. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN’S AGING