The Physiological Power of Altruism
In December 2015, The Atlantic featured a column on how volunteering leads to longer, healthier lives. We might even begin to see volunteering recommended alongside diet and exercise. Read more
Coping with Caregiving: Take Care of Yourself While Caring for Others
It can be a labor of love, and sometimes a job of necessity. A total of about 43 million U.S. adults provide unpaid care for someone with a serious health condition each year. These often-unsung heroes provide hours of assistance to others. Yet the stress and strain of caregiving can take a toll on their own health. NIH-funded researchers are working to understand the risks these caregivers face. And scientists are seeking better ways to protect caregivers’ health.
Understanding the Association Between Time Spent Caregiving and Well-Being Among Employed Adults: Testing a Model of Work–Life Fit and Sense of Community
This study examines factors associated with work–life fit and sense of geographic community as mediators of the negative association between caregiving demands and well-being among employed informal caregivers. Data were drawn from a larger project assessing well-being among residents of three mid-size cities in Ontario, Canada.
Digital Dating: Online Profile Content of Older and Younger Adults
Older adults are utilizing online dating websites in increasing numbers. Adults of different ages may share motivations for companionship and affection, but dating profiles may reveal differences in adults’ goals. Theories addressing age-related changes in motivation suggest that younger adults are likely to emphasize themselves, achievements, attractiveness, and sexuality. Older adults are likely to present themselves positively and emphasize their existing relationships and health.
Math Says This Is the Perfect Age to Get Married
A new study suggests that people should get married between the ages of 28 and 32 if they don’t want to get divorced, at least in the first five years.
Job Satisfaction among Care Aides in Residential Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review of Contributing Factors, Both Individual and Organizational
Despite an increasing literature on professional nurses’ job satisfaction, job satisfaction by nonprofessional nursing care providers and, in particular, in residential long-term care facilities, is sparsely described. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the evidence on which factors (individual and organizational) are associated with job satisfaction among care aides, nurse aides, and nursing assistants, who provide the majority of direct resident care, in residential long-term care facilities.
Rethinking Job Satisfaction in Care Work: Looking Beyond the Care Debates
Studies of care workers frequently reveal relatively high levels of job satisfaction despite poor employment conditions. The rewarding nature of care work, altruistic motivations and gendered social norms have all been used to explain why subjective job satisfaction is high despite poor pay and terms and conditions. Using data collected in case-study research with…
Marriage Promotes Longevity, Study Finds
The number of Americans who live together without being married continues to rise — from 400,000 in 1960 to 7.6 million in 2011, according to census data. New research has found that married people live longer than their cohabitating counterparts.
“This helps us to understand the implications of this relatively new rise in cohabitation,” MSU sociologist Hui Liu, the study’s lead researcher, told the Deseret News. “Many assume marriage and cohabitation are wholly the same, but our research showed that cohabitation, generally, led to a shorter lifespan.”
Physical and Mental Health Effects of Family Caregiving
Caregivers are a critical national health care resource. Families often are a primary source of home care and support for older relatives, contributing services that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars annually if they had to be purchased. Nurses’ role in home health care has expanded from being primary caregivers to teaching and assisting family members to provide care. Similarly, social workers now play a critical role in providing advice and support to caregivers. Evidence on the health effects of caregiving gathered over the last two decades has helped convince policymakers that caregiving is a…