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Hospitalization is a stressful event that may lead to deterioration in older adults' mental health. Drawing on the stress-buffering hypothesis, we examined whether family support during hospitalization would moderate the relations between level of independence and in-hospital depressive symptoms. This research was a secondary analysis of a cohort study conducted with a sample of 370 hospitalized older adults. Acutely ill older adults reported their level of independence at time of hospitalization and their level of depressive symptoms three days into the hospital stay. Family support was estimated by a daily report of hours family members stayed with the hospitalized older adult. Independent older adults whose family members stayed longer hours in the hospital had fewer depressive symptoms than independent older adults with shorter family visits. Relations between depressive symptoms and family support were not apparent for dependent older adults, even though their family members stayed more hours. This study partially supports the stress-buffering hypothesis, in that social support ameliorated depressive symptoms among hospitalized independent older adults. Assessing depressive symptoms and functional ability and creating an environment conducive to family support for older adults may be beneficial to hospitalized older adults' mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research to date has addressed the language socialisation of transnational children during global movement with their parents. The aim of this study was to explore the complexity of language socialisation for a transnational child experiencing a multilingual environment both at home and in preschool. This transnational English – and Spanish-speaking girl was immersed in two novel languages, Hebrew and Arabic, in a bilingual Hebrew- and Arabic-speaking preschool in Israel. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's human ecology theory, the research questions were as follows: (1) What is the role of this child's social information processing during socialisation in her novel languages? (2) What is the role of peers and teachers in the child's socialisation in her novel languages in the multilingual classroom environment? A qualitative methodology was applied to collect and document data using ethnographic methods such as fieldnotes, video-recorded observations, and semi-structured interviews with teachers during one academic year. The study reveals the uniquely complex situation of this multilingual transnational child, who was in the challenging position of having to develop social skills and simultaneously make progress in learning her novel languages. The study highlights the role of peers and classroom teachers as anchors in this girl's complex language socialisation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the associations between mothers' predisposition to show rejection sensitivity and children's cognitions regarding peer rejection and their social self-perceptions. It also explored whether these associations were mediated by mothers' behaviors in situations that might suggest their children were rejected by peers. Participants were 122 Jewish Israeli mothers and their kindergarten children (50.82% female; M Child age in months = 67.52, SD = 6.35). Mothers completed the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire and reported their likely behaviors in scenarios suggesting the rejection of their children by peers. Children were interviewed using the response evaluation scale for the rejection stories in the Social Information Processing Interview–Preschool Version and the peer acceptance subscale of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. Results revealed indirect links between mothers' rejection sensitivity and children's maladaptive response evaluations and lower social self-perceptions, through fewer supportive maternal behaviors. These findings highlight the need to consider parents' dispositions and behaviors in the context of their children's peer interactions for a more complete understanding of the development of children's social competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background low mobility of hospitalised older adults is associated with adverse outcomes and imposes a significant burden on healthcare and welfare systems. Various interventions have been developed to reduce this problem; at present, however, their methodologies and outcomes vary and information is lacking about their long-term sustainability. This study aimed to evaluate the 2-year sustainability of the WALK-FOR (walking for better outcomes and recovery) intervention implemented by teams in acute care medical units. Methods a quasi-experimental three-group comparative design (N  = 366): pre-implementation, i.e. control group (n  = 150), immediate post-implementation (n  = 144) and 2-year post-implementation (n  = 72). Results mean participant age was 77.6 years (± 6 standard deviation [SD]) and 45.3% were females. We conducted an analysis of variance test to evaluate the differences in primary outcomes: number of daily steps and self-reported mobility. Levels of mobility improved significantly from the pre-implementation (control) group to the immediate and 2-year post-implementation groups. Daily step count: pre-implementation (median: 1,081, mean: 1,530 SD = 1,506), immediate post-implementation (median: 2,225, mean: 2,724. SD = 1,827) and 2-year post-implementation (median: 1,439, mean: 2,582, SD = 2,390) F  = 15.778 P  < 0.01. Self-reported mobility: pre-implementation (mean:10.9, SD = 3.5), immediate post-implementation (mean: 12.4, SD = 2.2), 2-year post-implementation (mean: 12.7, SD = 2.2), F  = 16.250, P  < 0.01. Conclusions the WALK-FOR intervention demonstrates 2-year sustainability. The theory-driven adaptation and reliance on local personnel produce an effective infrastructure for long-lasting intervention. Future studies should evaluate sustainability from a wider perspective to inform further in-hospital intervention development and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore from a cross-national perspective three motivations in adult children to provide help to older parents: affectual solidarity, parental need for care, and filial norms. The sample is 1,055 adult children from Norway, Spain, and Israel, countries selected because they represent different family cultures and welfare regimes. Affectual solidarity and parental need for care was found to influence amount of help in all three countries, whereas filial norms was found to have no effect. Country context had a differential impact. In Israel, affectual solidarity was more strongly associated with amount of help. In Israel and Norway, parents' need for care was related to amount of help; in Spain help provided was high, regardless of parents' need for care. We demonstrate the universality of motivations to provide help to older parents and the influence of cultural context on these motivations, taking into account within-country differences. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

We explore from a cross-national perspective three motivations in adult children to provide help to older parents: affectual solidarity, parental need for care, and filial norms. The sample is 1,055 adult children from Norway, Spain, and Israel, countries selected because they represent different family cultures and welfare regimes. Affectual solidarity and parental need for care was found to influence amount of help in all three countries, whereas filial norms was found to have no effect. Country context had a differential impact. In Israel, affectual solidarity was more strongly associated with amount of help. In Israel and Norway, parents' need for care was related to amount of help; in Spain help provided was high, regardless of parents' need for care. We demonstrate the universality of motivations to provide help to older parents and the influence of cultural context on these motivations, taking into account within-country differences. doi: 10.2190/AG.71.4.b

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2007.00541.x Byline: Ariela Lowenstein (1), Ruth Katz (2), Nurit Gur-Yaish (3) Abstract: This study explores the role of intergenerational exchange relationships in the life satisfaction of a cross-national sample of older people. Specifically, it replicates and extends the study by Lee, Netzer, and Coward (1995), which examined the effects of aid exchanged between generations-older parents and their adult children. Social exchange and equity theories serve as the theoretical frameworks for the present research. The current research is based on data collected in the OASIS cross-national five countries project from 1,703 respondents (75+) living in urban settings. The main results are that the capacity to be an active provider in exchange relations enhances elders' life satisfaction. Being mainly a recipient of help from adult children is related to a lower level of life satisfaction. Filial norms are negatively related to life satisfaction. The study also underscores the importance of the emotional component in intergenerational family relations to the well-being of the older population. Intergenerational family bonds reflect a diversity of forms related to individual, familial, and social structural characteristics. The research highlights the importance of reciprocity in intergenerational relations between older parents and their adult children. Author Affiliation: (1)The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel (2)The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel (3)The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel Article note: (*) Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ariela Lowenstein, Department of Masters in Gerontology, Center for Research and Study of Aging, Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel [e-mail: ariela@research.haifa.ac.il].

Objectives: Close family members or friends support hospitalized older adults in many countries. This support might act as a protective factor against the adverse consequences of hospitalization. However, individual differences might interfere with the ability to gain from this kind of support, especially if the patient in question is suffering from a high level of depression. This study explores how attachment predispositions shape the relationship between depression and informal support in the hospital setting. Methods: A short version of the attachment orientation questionnaire and the level of depression questionnaire were completed by 387, age M(SD) = 75.4(7.1) hospitalized older adults at admission. The number of hours informal caregivers stayed in the hospital and support received were collected for up to three consecutive hospitalization days. Results: Both attachment anxiety (t = −2.47, p =.01) and avoidance (t = −2.17, p =.03) moderated the relationship between depression and hours of support. Post hoc analysis revealed that older adults with high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance received fewer hours of support under conditions of high depression (t = −3.04, p =.003; t = −2.92, p =.004, respectively). There were no significant results for received support. Conclusions: The study results emphasize the relevance of attachment orientation to caregiving relations in health-related contexts and call for awareness of the effect that level of depression combined with attachment orientation can have during hospitalization. Clinical implications: Assessing attachment orientation and depression in hospitalized elders might be useful for identifying older adults at risk for insufficient informal support during hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to investigate habitual nightly sleep patterns in the context of daily accounts of relationships with bed partners utilizing the attachment theory framework. Negative exchanges with a spouse are stressful and presumably activate the attachment system. This will differently affect individuals with high and low levels of attachment avoidance and anxiety orientations, affecting their sleep patterns. Seventy-seven teachers in committed romantic relationships (mean age = 42.53 years, 89.3% married) participated. They first completed the Experience in Close Relationships–Revised instrument, indicating their attachment avoidance and anxiety orientations, and then participated in a 4-day diary study, reporting daily levels of negative exchanges with a spouse. They also wore an actigraph (activity monitor) during the nighttime to assess their sleep patterns. Mixed-model analyses revealed that respondents high in attachment avoidance had later bedtimes and shorter sleep duration following days high in negative behavioral exchanges with their spouses. In addition, respondents high in attachment avoidance had longer sleep latency and more waking episodes during the night, regardless of levels of negative exchanges. Individuals high in attachment anxiety had more waking episodes during the night after negative emotional exchanges with a spouse; the opposite pattern emerged for individuals low in attachment anxiety. Findings demonstrate the relevance of attachment orientations and the moderating effects of negative exchanges with a spouse on sleep patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents often guide the interactions of their young children with their peers. Identifying factors that may shape parents' behaviors in such situations is thus important. The objective of this study was to investigate whether maternal rejection sensitivity (RS) would be related to mothers' responses to challenges in their children's peer interactions. Specifically, we examined whether mothers' RS would be associated with their information processing of hypothetical events that may suggest rejection of their child by her/his peers. Two hundred nineteen mothers of preschool- and kindergarten-aged children completed an online survey. To assess RS, mothers completed the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire. Mothers were also presented with five ambiguous common scenarios that could be interpreted as peer rejection of their child. Mothers were asked about their attributions, emotions, and likely behavioral responses regarding each scenario. Maternal RS was associated with more attributions of intentional rejection of the child, more negative emotions, and more behavioral responses of avoidance and overinvolvement. Furthermore, the associations between mothers' RS and maternal responses of avoidance and overinvolvement were sequentially mediated by maternal attribution of intentional rejection followed by negative emotions. The study thus extends RS research to the context of parenting and suggests that practitioners working with families of young children should consider parents' RS disposition, as it might affect parents' responses to their children's peer interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]