Peer reviewed
ERIC Number: EJ696648
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Oct
Pages: 9
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0016-9013
EISSN: N/A
Lifetime Trauma, Emotional Support, and Life Satisfaction among Older Adults
Krause, Neal
Gerontologist, v44 n5 p615 Oct 2004
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among lifetime exposure to traumatic events, emotional support, and life satisfaction in three cohorts of older adults. Design and Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a nationwide sample of 1,518 older people in 2003. Approximately 500 elders were interviewed in each of the following age cohorts: Young-old (age 65-74), old-old (75-84), and oldest-old (85 and older). Results: The findings suggest that exposure to lifetime trauma is associated with less life satisfaction in all three age cohorts. The data further reveal that emotional support offsets the effects of trauma on feelings of life satisfaction in the old-old and the oldest-old. The stress buffering properties of emotional support were especially evident in the oldest-old cohort. Implications: The findings underscore the need to develop interventions that help older people deal more effectively with lifetime trauma. Moreover, the results suggest that interventions providing emotional support may be especially helpful for the oldest-old.
Descriptors: Life Satisfaction
Gerontological Society of America, 1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005-1503. Web site: http://www.gerontologyjournals.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A