A long-term longitudinal, intergenerational study of the precursors of social relations and psychological well-being in old age is proposed that will utilize two unique, rich data sets. The two samples are the Berkeley Older Generation Study, a group that was interviewed in young adulthood, middle age, young-old age, and old-old age, and the equally long-term Berkeley Growth and Guidance Study, comprising the children of the Berkeley Older Generation Study participants, whose members were interviewed in childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and middle age. The data from these two samples, collected for more than 50 years, will be drawn upon in an interconnected way to assess continuity and change in social relations during old age and the influence of within-family and beyond-family relations on psycho-logical well-being. The influence of the health of the elderly participants on well-being and social relations will be a focus of many analyses, including path modeling and several measures that examine change over time. The first research aim is to carry out a longitudinal examination of intergenerational relations (emotional involvement as well as contacts), as perceived by and independently reported by both generations across a span of 36 years: when the children were 17, 40, and 53 years old, and the parents were (on average) 46, 69, and 83. It is hypothesized that the child's perceptions of the relationship will concurrently and prospectively influence the parent's perceptions of the relationship, which in turn will influence the parent's well-being in old age. The second research aim is to use the Berkeley Older Generation Study data to examine continuity or change in psychological well-being during the crucial transition period between young-old and old-old age and how this is predicted by health, by intellectual functioning, and by within-family (spouse, children, grandchildren, and siblings) and beyond-family (friends and voluntary organizations) relations. It is hypothesized that the predictors of well-being are not always the same in young-old and old-old age. The research is designed to increase our understanding of the association between internal, developmentally-driven change and environmentally-linked events throughout adulthood, and their influence on well-being in old age.
| Field, D; Gueldner, S H (2001) The oldest-old: how do they differ from the old-old? J Gerontol Nurs 27:20-7 |
| Field, D (1999) A cross-cultural perspective on continuity and change in social relations in old age: introduction to a special issue. Int J Aging Hum Dev 48:257-61 |
| Field, D (1999) Stability of older women's friendships: a commentary on Roberto. Int J Aging Hum Dev 48:81-3 |
