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Objective South Korea had the second largest contingent of soldiers in the Vietnam War, but little is known about their adaptation, especially in later life. Previous work in a different sample found very high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 41%) among Korean Vietnam veterans (KVVs; Kang, Kim, & Lee, 2014), compared to 19-31% for American Vietnam veterans. We explored possible reasons for this high rate of PTSD, as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms, utilizing both vulnerability factors (e.g., war stressors) and protective factors (optimism, unit cohesion, and homecoming experiences). Method The sample included 367 male KVVs surveyed by mail (M age = 72, SD = 2.66). Using hierarchical regressions controlling for demographics, we examined the relative contributions of different types of war stressors and then the protective factors. Results Combat exposure was significantly associated with the three types of negative psychological symptoms, but their associations became nonsignificant when "subjective" war stressors (malevolent environments, perceived threat, and moral injury) were added. In the final models, malevolent environments were the strongest predictor for all three outcomes. In addition, moral injury was independently associated with PTSD symptoms, while perceived threat was marginally associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Among psychosocial factors, only optimism was negatively associated with the mental health outcomes. Conclusion KVVs had very high rates of combat exposure, but malevolent environments played a more important role in their mental health in later life. These findings suggest the importance of considering adverse environmental factors in understanding PTSD in future studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) has been found to consist of various subscales in U.S. Veterans. The current study replicated the dimensional structure of the PCL-5 a...

This article views adult development through the lens of daily life experiences and recent historical changes in these experiences. In particular, it examines whether theories that postulate general linear increases in well-being throughout adulthood still hold during times of less prosperity and more uncertainty. Descriptive analyses of the National Study of Daily Experiences chart show how stress in the daily lives of Americans may have changed from the 1990s (N = 1,499) to the 2010s (N = 782). Results revealed that adults in the 2010s reported experiencing stressors on 2% more days than in the 1990s, which translates to an additional week of stressors across a year. Participants in the 2010s also reported that stressors were more severe and posed more risks to future plans and finances and that they experienced more distress. These historical changes were particularly pronounced among middle-aged adults (e.g., proportion of stressor days increased by 19%, and perceived risks to finances and to future plans rose by 61% and 52%, respectively). As a consequence, age-related linear increases in well-being observed from young adulthood to midlife in the 1990s were no longer observed in the 2010s. If further studies continue to replicate our findings, traditional theories of adult well-being that were developed and empirically tested during times of relative economic prosperity may need to be reevaluated in light of the changes in middle adulthood currently observed in this historic period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Relatively little is known about South Korean Vietnam War veterans, despite their being the second largest contingent of troops during the Vietnam War. Earlier research found elevated levels (39%) of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this older population, due to high exposure to combat and malevolent environments (Lee et al., 2020). The present study investigated classes of vulnerability and resilience among older South Korean Vietnam War veterans, using a latent profile analysis (LPA) on PTSD symptoms, late onset stress symptomology (LOSS), and mental well-being (MWB). The sample consisted of 367 older male veterans from South Korea (Mage = 72, SD = 2.66) who completed surveys. The LPA yielded five classes. The largest (38%) was Average (average PTSD, LOSS, and MWB levels), and the second largest (31%) was characterized by Moderate Distress (moderately high PTSD and LOSS, average MWB). A small group (13%) reported Low Affect (low PTSD, LOSS, and MWB levels), and 7% expressed Severe Distress (high LOSS and PTSD levels, average MWB). Only a small percentage (12%) were characterized by Resilience (low PTSD, average LOSS, high MWB). Optimism, positive appraisals of military service, and social support from family, significant others, friends, and military peers were highest among veterans in the Resilience class. To our knowledge, this is the first study of resilience among East Asian military veterans, and more research is needed on how resilience can be improved. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

These guidelines for the management of congenital ichthyoses have been developed by a multidisciplinary group of European experts following a systematic review of the current literature, an expert conference held in Toulouse in 2016, and a consensus on the discussions. These guidelines summarize evidence and expert-based recommendations and intend to help clinicians with the management of these rare and often complex diseases. These guidelines comprise two sections. This is part two, covering the management of complications and the particularities of some forms of congenital ichthyosis.What's already known about this topic?Various symptomatic treatment options exist for congenital ichthyoses, but there are no European guidelines.What does this study add?These European guidelines for the management of congenital ichthyosis may help to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients.Linked Comment: Akiyama. Br J Dermatol 2019; 180:449-450. Plain language summary available online

International audience; These guidelines for the management of congenital ichthyoses have been developed by a multidisciplinary group of European experts following a systematic review of the current literature, an expert conference held in Toulouse in 2016 and a consensus on the discussions. They summarize evidence and expert-based recommendations and are intended to help clinicians with the management of these rare and often complex diseases. These guidelines comprise two sections. This is part one, covering topical therapies, systemic therapies, psychosocial management, communicating the diagnosis and genetic counselling.

Objectives We examined sources of vulnerability and resilience among older adults early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods We surveyed 235 respondents, 51–95 years old (M = 71.35; SD = 7.39; 74% female), including 2 open-ended questions concerning COVID-19-related difficulties and positive experiences during the past week. Using inductive coding, we found 9 final codes for difficulties and 12 for positives and grouped them into socioecological levels: personal, interpersonal, and societal. Results Difficulties were reported by 94% of the sample, while 63% described positives. Difficulties and positive responses were made at all socioecological levels and illustrated a dialectic between personal-level constraints and opportunities, interpersonal-level social isolation and integration, and societal-level outrage, sorrow, and social optimism. Discussion Respondents described sources of vulnerabilities and resilience that supported a socioecological approach to understand resilience during this pandemic. A notable example was resilience derived from witnessing and contributing to the community and social solidarity, highlighting the potential of older adults as resources to their communities during the global pandemic.

There are two central conundra in the field of stress, coping, and aging. First, why do older adults report less stress than do younger adults, despite the manifest problems of late life, such as increases in health problems of self and others, losses of loved ones, and restricted financial income? Second, why do older adults use fewer coping strategies? The decrease in self-reported stress is due to a number of factors, including declining participation in social roles such as work and active parenting, as well as a change in perspective brought about by having faced similar or worse problems in the past. Also, chronic health problems (e.g., hypertension) that are fairly well managed may not be perceived as “stressors” unless there is a crisis (e.g., stroke). However, there is also an apparent change in appraisal and coping strategies in later life that undoubtedly affect the perception of stress. While early theorists ascribed the decline in coping effort as a shift from active to passive coping, more contemporary models ascribe it to a change in motivation, for example, from extrinsic-instrumental to intrinsic-valuerational and/or as attempts at resource management due to environmental constraints. Allowing oneself to become upset over relatively minor problems may take a physiological toll on older adults, and not appraising these as stressors may help maintain emotional equilibrium. Older adults may use more proactive and anticipatory coping in order to avoid stressors. Coping efficacy also tends to be stable across time, suggesting that older adults may become more efficient copers, that is, expending less effort to greater effect. However, there are clearly individual differences in the trajectories of stress and coping processes, and theorists need to account for these individual differences. Nonetheless, the idea that older adults, barring cognitive impairment, may be more efficient copers may be a positive aspect of the aging process.

Objectives This study examined the development of wisdom within the context of difficult life events (DLEs), and the importance of individuals and their social environments in this process of growth. Social support has long been studied in adulthood, yet less is known about the ways social transactions can promote wisdom. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with men (n = 14) and women (n = 36), ages 56-91 years (M = 71.71; SD = 8.8) who described a DLE and how they coped with it. The analysis was guided by constructivist grounded theory. Results DLEs included those from childhood through later life. When personal meaning was disrupted by adversity, the social environment played a key role in facilitating new perspectives that corresponded with aspects of wisdom: self-knowledge, compassion, comfort with uncertainty, and accepting complexity. Discussion Wisdom is often studied as an individual characteristic, but this study highlighted the relevance of a social ecological perspective to understanding how wisdom development is also facilitated through social transactions.

Much is known about the mental health of combat Vietnam Veterans, but less is known about Persian Gulf and post-9/11 veterans and how they compare to those from earlier eras. Using data from an online survey of Oregon veterans, we examine how PTSD symptoms differ by combat exposure across these three cohorts. The sample (N=167, Mage=57.86, SD=12.09), was largely composed of White (88%), male (69%) Veterans. Most served in the Persian Gulf (41%), followed by Vietnam (36%) and post-9/11 (23%) eras. ANCOVAs showed significant cohort differences in PTSD, after controlling for severity of combat exposure and demographics (age, gender, education, income) (F(2, 157) = 4.24, p < .05). Post-9/11 veterans had significantly lower PTSD symptom severity than Vietnam-era veterans but were comparable to Persian Gulf. There were no cohort differences for noncombat veterans. Future research should investigate why Vietnam veterans continue to have worse mental health than younger veteran cohorts. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Aging Veterans: Effects of Military Service across the Life Course Interest Group.

Wisdom is a broad construct that has multiple facets. As many have pointed out, not only the Greeks, but wisdom traditions cross-culturally, have generally identified two major approaches, phronesi...

Adverse early experiences have been associated with higher mortality risk, but evidence varies by type of experiences, and relatively little is known about the role of favorable early experiences on health in later life. This study evaluated the independent contributions to longevity of favorable and unfavorable early experiences, including psychosocial stressors, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), and close relationships. We also examined 4 midlife psychosocial factors as vulnerability and resilience pathways potentially mediating these associations. The sample included 1,042 men from the VA Normative Aging Study. Early experiences were assessed retrospectively in 1961-1970 and 1995. Midlife psychosocial factors were measured in 1985-1991 and included stressful life events (SLEs), negative affect, life satisfaction, and optimism. Mortality was assessed through 2016. In multiple mediator structural equation models, which account for the overlap among pathways, higher number of SLEs in midlife mediated the association of having more childhood psychosocial stressors to reduced longevity, supporting stress continuity as a vulnerability pathway. Higher optimism in midlife also mediated the association of higher childhood SES to greater longevity. In single mediator models, higher life satisfaction in midlife transmitted the benefits of higher childhood SES and presence of close relationships onto longevity. Higher optimism also mediated the association of fewer childhood psychosocial stressors to longevity. However, these indirect effects were attenuated when accounting for shared variance among mediators, suggesting overlapping pathways. Findings offer novel evidence on unique and shared pathways linking specific dimensions of early experiences to longevity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-sectional studies have shown contradictory results concerning the impact of combat exposure on mental health in later life. We examined whether combat exposure influences trajectories of mental health symptoms in older male veterans using longitudinal data collected from 1985 to 1991 in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (N = 1,105, age range = 40-86 years in 1985). Noncombat veterans showed little systematic change in depressive and anxiety symptoms with age, whereas combat veterans showed U-shaped nonlinear changes, with higher levels in midlife decreasing until the mid-60s and then increasing again in the 70s and 80s. These findings support the notion that military service, and especially combat exposure, is a hidden variable in aging research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Erythocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is one of the oldest measures of inflammation. It is used extensively in clinical medicine and has shown some utility in biomedical research. It is a nonspecific inflammation assay, and although it is less sensitive than more modern measures such as C-reactive protein, it is a useful measure in chronic illnesses. In general, ESR increases with age and appears to be a biomarker of aging in general. It predicts both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer and is elevated in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. Further, it predicts mortality both in the general population and in those with chronic illnesses such as CVD and cancer, independent of other indicators of illness severity. Interestingly, ESR is not associated with anxiety or general measures of distress but is consistently associated with measures of depression and suicidal ideation. Further, the effect of depressive symptoms on mortality appears to be mediated through increases in ESR. Studies of the relationship between stress and ESR have been less consistent, primarily because early studies were largely cross-sectional and in small samples. Studies using more modern, longitudinal analyses in larger samples may show more consistent results, especially if multilevel modeling was used that examined within-person changes in ESR in response to stress. Given that other large, longitudinal studies, such as the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, the Rotterdam Study, The Reykjavik Cohort Study, and Women’s Healthy Ageing Study have included ESR in their biomedical assays, it should be possible to analyze existing data to examine how psychosocial factors influence inflamm-aging in humans.

Practical wisdom is focused on sound decisions to promote a good life, while self-transcendent wisdom focuses on making ethical decisions for the greater good. Self-transcendence develops through self-knowledge, integration, and non-attachment, which focuses on decentering from egoistic perspectives. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of people and life in general, leading to a focus on ethical issues. Wisdom is generally perceived to be a characteristic of individuals, but it is clear that it develops in a social context. Further, wisdom can be considered an organizational attribute. Not only can organizational cultures promote and support the development of wisdom in individuals, but some have argued that wisdom can also be a characteristic of organizations, such as learning and adapting to new situations, making wise judgments, and focusing on the inherent ethics of any decision-making. Both practical and self-transcendent wisdom are clearly needed in our current economic and political institutions.

We investigated the dimensional structure of mental health among aging Korean Veterans using latent profile analysis (LPA) on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD), late onset stress symptomology (LOSS), and psychosocial well-being (PWB). The Korean Vietnam War Veterans Study consists of 367 men (Mage=72, SD=2.66). LPA identified five classes of mental health as best fitting the data. Most men were in the normal (38%) and moderate distress (31%) groups, while smaller proportions were in the low affect (13%) and severe distress (7%) groups. The resilient group (12%) had low PTSD, medium LOSS, and high PWB, and were highest on optimism, positive appraisals of military service, and social support. Negative and positive aspects of mental health outcomes were on separate dimensions rather than on a single bipolar dimension. Service providers should attempt to both reduce Veterans’ negative psychological symptoms and increase psychosocial well-being. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Aging Veterans: Effects of Military Service across the Life Course Interest Group.

Objective Spirituality is favorably related to depression, quality of life, hospitalizations, and other important outcomes in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients but has not been examined as a predictor of mortality risk in this population. Given the well-known difficulties in managing CHF, we hypothesized that spirituality would be associated with lower mortality risk, controlling for baseline demographics, functional status, health behaviors, and religiousness. Method Participants were 191 CHF patients (64% male; M age = 68.6 years, SD = 10.1) who completed a baseline survey and were then followed for 5 years. Results Nearly 1/3 of the sample (32%) died during the study period. Controlling for demographics and health status, smoking more than doubled the risk of mortality, whereas alcohol consumption was associated with slightly lower risk of mortality. Importantly, adherence to healthy lifestyle recommendations was associated with halved mortality risk. Although both religion and spirituality were associated with better health behaviors at baseline in bivariate analyses, a proportional hazard model showed that only spirituality was significantly associated with reduced mortality risk (by 20%), controlling for demographics, health status, and health behaviors. Conclusions Experiencing spiritual peace, along with adherence to a healthy lifestyle, were better predictors of mortality risk in this sample of CHF patients than were physical health indicators such as functional status and comorbidity. Future research might profitably examine the efficacy of attending to spiritual issues along with standard lifestyle interventions.

We examined whether longitudinal patterns of hassles and uplifts trajectories predicted mortality, using a sample of 1315 men from the VA Normative Aging Study (mean age = 65.31, SD = 7.6). In prior work, we identified different trajectory classes of hassles and uplifts exposure and intensity scores over a period of 16 years. In this study, we used the probabilities of these exposure and intensity class memberships to examine their ability to predict mortality. Men with higher probabilities of high hassle intensity trajectory class and high uplift intensity class had higher mortality risks. In a model combining the probabilities of hassle and uplift intensities, the probability of high intensity hassle class membership significantly increased the risk of mortality. This suggests that appraisals of hassles intensity are better predictors of mortality than simple exposure measures, and that uplifts have no independent effects.

Although early adversity has been linked to worse mental and physical health in adulthood, few studies have investigated the pathways through which positive and negative dimensions of early experiences can jointly influence psychological well-being in later life. This study examined: (a) profiles of early experiences across multiple domains, (b) the relations of these profiles to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in later life, and (c) whether midlife social support mediated these relations. We first conducted latent class analysis of early experiences using data from 1,076 men in the VA Normative Aging Study who completed the Childhood Experiences Scale (age: M = 69, SD = 7). Analyses yielded 3 profiles of early experiences, labeled as cherished (strong support and some losses), harshly disciplined (harsh parental discipline, low positive reinforcement, and nonnormative stressors), and ordinary (few stressors and low parental attention). Next, we applied structural equation modeling to data on a subset of this sample assessed 7 years later on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being (n = 496; age: M = 76, SD = 7). In general, the cherished group reported stronger qualitative social support in midlife than the harshly disciplined and ordinary groups, which in turn was related to greater hedonic (life satisfaction, positive affect) and eudaimonic (competence, positive relations with others) well-being in later life. The cherished group also reported higher autonomy than the ordinary group, but this association was independent of midlife social support. Our findings suggest that experiencing adversity in the context of a nurturing early environment can promote successful aging through the maintenance of supportive relationships in midlife.

Religious meaning can be an important predictor of health outcomes in later life. We hypothesized that the type of religious meaning – positive or negative – may have differential effects on health outcomes. We examined whether the positive or negative meaning predicted mortality risk in congestive heart failure patients (N = 191; 64% male; Mage = 68.6 years, SD = 10.1) who completed a baseline survey and were followed for 5 years (32% of sample weer deceased). Adjusted Cox proportional hazard analyses showed that higher ejection fraction decreased the risk of mortality by 4% and greater negative meaning increased it by 19%. The significant interaction term revealed that individuals with low ejection fractions and high negative meaning had 3.5 times the mortality risk than those with high ejections fractions and low negative meaning. This supports earlier work suggesting that frail older adults in particular may be adversely affected by religious alienation.

Wisdom development has typically been studied as a function of the individual, yet the social environment can also facilitate its development (Igarashi, Levenson, & Aldwin, 2018). We extended our earlier work by examining the sequence of social support and timing of pivotal wisdom-promoting social transactions following a difficult life event. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with men (n = 14) and women (n= 36), aged 56 - 91 years (M = 71.71; SD = 8.8) who described a difficult life event and how they coped. For some participants, social support created an immediate experience of self-transcendent positive emotions, while others benefited from transactions that promoted a deliberate process of exploration and reflection involving years. This rapid versus slower development of wisdom is similar to the distinction made in the attainment of enlightenment. Thus, the heterogeneity of social support and its meaning to the individual may differentially promote the development of wisdom.

Control beliefs are related to health outcomes, especially in persons with chronic illnesses. We examined whether HbA1c, an indicator of glucose regulation, and control beliefs were predictive of survival for individuals diagnosed with diabetes, and whether control beliefs moderated the effects of HbA1c. The sample consisted of 1,901 individuals with Type I or II diabetes (Mage=69.8 years, SD=9; 52.6% female) from the Health and Retirement Study diabetes survey in 2003. HRS 2014 tracker data provided vital status from 2003 to 2014 (47.3% were deceased). Adjusted Cox models showed that higher levels of HbA1c increased mortality risk by 8%, while higher control beliefs reduced mortality risk by 34%. The significant interaction term revealed that the individuals with low control beliefs and high HbA1c had two times higher risk of mortality than those with high control beliefs and low HbA1c. Our findings suggest future interventions with diabetic patients should address control beliefs.

Combat is one of the most traumatic experiences that one can experience. Sequellae such as post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) can last into late life. Combat involves not only facing severe bodily harm and death to one’s self, but also harm to members of one’s own unit, civilians, and enemy soldiers. However, most soldiers do not develop chronic PTSS, and understanding who develops long-term disorders and who recovers is one of the most important problems for mental health workers and policy makers. Factors that promote resilience to PTSS are as yet poorly understood, but clearly reflect individual, social, and environmental factors. Many veterans report positive aspects of combat, including comradery and feelings of mastery, but that same group cohesion can result in actions culminating in moral injury, which can have long-term adverse consequences. Promoting resilience in veterans across the lifespan may involve new ways of promoting ethical behavior during combat.

This chapter presents a developmental perspective on stress in later life. It reviews the literature on age and the stress process, including appraisal processes, types of stress experienced, and health effects. The chapter describes the development of the Elders Life Stress Inventory and its use in three community surveys, the first in a California retirement community and the other two in a large, longitudinal panel in Boston. Inspection of the types of items on typical stress inventories reveals this assumption of egocentricity; items such as marriage, divorce, job changes, relocations, or car trouble all focus on problems that occur to the self. As L. Pearlin and H. Turner pointed out, relatively little is known about stress processes in later-life families. In the California and Boston samples, concern for others’ problems tended to be modestly correlated with health outcomes, suggesting that the relative cost of nonegocentric stress is not that great in these older adults who have relatively high resource levels.

Previous research using the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study identified four patterns of aging using group-based multi-trajectory modelling to identify joint changes in life satisfaction (LS) and functional health (FH) (Nath et al., 2018a,b). The purpose of the present study was to examine whether personality traits predicted these four patterns: impaired (stable low LS and FH), normal (decreasing LS and FH), optimal (high LS, decreasing FH), and successful aging (high LS and FH). The sample consisted of 992 NAS men who provided 3,853 observations (M=2.81, SD=1.54, range 1–8) between 1987 and 2010 (Mage=62.31, SDage=7.50, range 44-86 in 1987). Multinomial logit regression analysis with robust estimation controlled for marital, employment, and self-rated health status, using optimal aging as the reference group. Compared to the optimal aging group, neuroticism predicted membership to the normal aging (RR=1.61, CI=1.16–2.22) and the successful aging groups (RR=.55, CI=.38–.79). Optimism predicted membership to all groups, with lower risk ratios to the impaired aging group (RR=.11, CI=.04–.33) and normal aging group (RR=.57, CI=.42–.79), and higher risk ratio to the optimal aging group (RR=1.96, CI=1.35–2.85). Extraversion only predicted membership in the impaired aging group (RR=.27, CI=.12–.63) indicating high levels of social isolation. Thus, personality may play an important role in determining the patterns of aging.

Purpose of the Study: W e tested a life-span model of combat exposure on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in later life, examining the direct and indirect effects of prewar, warzone, and postwar factors. Design and Methods: The sample included 947 male World War II and Korean War veterans from the VA Normative Aging Study (Mage = 65, SD = 7). They completed mail surveys on childhood family environment, military service and postwar experience, stressful life events, and PTSD symptoms (response rates > 80%). Results: W e constructed an initial path model testing cumulative advantage and disadvantage pathways. Although all hypothesized relationships were significant, the model was not a good fit to the data. Subsequent models showed that all three life-span periods had both direct and indirect effects on PTSD symptoms and that there were interesting cross-links between the two sets of pathways. Implications: The life-span perspective provides a useful heuristic to model various developmental effects on later-life outcomes. A supportive childhood family environment can have lifelong protective effects, whereas a conflictual one can set up lifelong patterns of pessimistic appraisals.

Science is in the midst of a Kuhnian paradigm shift, from causal, deterministic models to more probabilistic ones that emphasize systems approaches. However, systems theory is still primarily deterministic and does not readily integrate the construct of free will. In the developmental sciences, this shift has been manifesting in relational developmental systems theories (RSDTs) which highlight multi-level analyses, interindividual differences in intraindividual change, and co-action with the context. While agency is an important component in RSDTs, it is unclear how it develops. We argue that free will is a developmental construct, and that the process of the development of free will can arise in two ways: from life-changing encounters with major stressors which result in recognizing limiting influences on one's life and the development of greater self-awareness; and purposive development to increase self-regulation and mindfulness. Through purposive, mindful co-action, the individual and the network can co-evolve in positive ways.

Whether wisdom is a culturally-specific or universal construct is a matter of some debate (see Curnow 1999; Grossman et al. Psychological Science, 2012). This study compared similarities and differences in the factor structure of a measure of wisdom focused on self-transcendence in U.S. (n = 305, M(age) = 33.99) and Korean samples (n = 838, M(age) = 30.28), with ages ranging from 20 to 73). The Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory (ASTI; Levenson et al. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 60, 127-143, 2005) has two factors, self-transcendence and alienation, the latter of which was included to differentiate between social withdrawals due to contemplative practices versus that due to depression. Confirmatory factor analyses found a partial scalar factorial invariance model fit the data best, indicating that the factor structure of the ASTI is largely equivalent and that the construct is comparable across the two cultures. Regression analyses showed that age and religiousness were related to self-transcendence and alienation. Education was related to self-transcendence only. The interaction between age and culture was significant on alienation; alienation was higher in mid-life Koreans but not in Americans, which may reflect either age or cohort effects. Thus, self-transcendence may be a more universal measure of wisdom than those based on pragmatics or cognitive functioning.

As many health disparities in American minority communities (AMCs) are stress-related, there has been an increased interest in the development of mindfulness programs as potential stress reduction measures in these communities. However, the bulk of the extant literature on mindfulness research and mindfulness interventions is based upon experiences with the larger White community. The intent of this commentary is to share a framework that includes key cultural considerations for conducting research and developing culturally-salient mindfulness programs with AMCs. We build on our experiences and the experiences of other researchers who have explored mindfulness in African and Native American communities; in particular, we examine issues around community outreach with an emphatic gesture toward emphasizing protection of AMCs and their participants. Discussed are considerations with respect to attitudinal foundations in mindfulness-based research and program development with these communities. However, the overall message of this paper is not to provide a "to-do" list of research steps, but to rather, encourage researchers to turn inward and consider the development of skillful characteristics that will increase the likelihood of a successful research venture while also protecting the cultural traditions of the AMC of interest.

OBJECTIVE Combat exposure can have long-term negative effects in later life; although aspects of service may be appraised positively, the long-term positive effects of combat on well-being in later life is largely unknown. METHOD The sample included 1,006 male veterans from the VA Normative Aging Study, surveyed by mail in 1986, 1990, and 1991 (Mage = 65.5 years, SD = 7.3). They reported on their combat exposure, desirable appraisals of military service, unit cohesion, dispositional optimism, self-rated health, and psychological well-being (PWB), as well as age, military rank, and education. Perceived positive aspects (PPA) of military service was postulated to mediate the effects of combat exposure on PWB. Structural equation modeling was used to examine both mediating and moderating effects. RESULTS Age, combat exposure, and optimism had independent effects on PPA, but optimism did not moderate the effect of combat exposure on PPA. Combat exposure had only indirect effects on PWB through PPA, controlling for the direct effects of optimism. Education had no direct effects on the positive outcomes but did have indirect effects through optimism. CONCLUSION Combat exposure contributes to positive well-being in later life, indirectly through positive appraisals, and this effect was independent of optimism. Thus, these results support the idea that combat veterans should be encouraged to focus on positive aspects of military service, which may serve as resilience resources to facilitate optimal aging. (PsycINFO Database Record