As the population ages, research on the impact of chronic physical impairment on the mental health of elders is of increasing importance. The primary long-range objective of the proposed program of research is to examine how recently visually impaired, community-dwelling elders utilize friendship support in adapting to chronic impairment over time. Although close friends serve as important adjuncts to family members in the provision of instrumental and emotional support to elders, in-depth studies of friendship in later life are lacking. In the proposed research, the role of friendship support in adapting to the stressor of late-life vision impairment will be examined utilizing the conceptual framework of lazarus & Folkman (1984). Generally, this model proposes that the effect of the stressor of chronic vision impairment on adaptation is mediated by functional disability, social resources (friend & family support), personal resources (perceived control & coping strategies), and rehabilitation service use. Co-morbid health condition will also be assessed to permit examination of both the effect of a singular chronic impairment, vision loss, and the effect of concurrent physical loss, as it affects adaptation. Adaptation is operationalized by both global and specific indicators of mental health. Given the gender differences in later-life friendships (Wright, 1989), separate models will be tested for females and males, and gender will be treated as an independent variable in analyses examining longitudinal relationships. The specific study aims of the proposed research are: (1) to examine the effect of friendship and family support on adaptation over time in visually impaired, aged women and aged men; (2) to examine the relationship between chronic vision impairment and friendship support in aged women versus aged men;' (3) to describe the interrelationships among chronic vision impairment, co-morbid health condition, functional disability, personal resources, social resources, vision rehabilitation service use and adaptation across time. A baseline sample of 572 elders (with equal representation of females and males) will be drawn from a population of persons aged 65 and above who have applied for services from a community-based vision rehabilitation agency. A 5-year longitudinal study with three times of measurement is proposed. Initial contact with participants would occur at application for rehabilitation service, before service receipt. Respondents would be re- interviewed 6 months later, after the receipt of service, for a short-term follow-up, and again, 12 months later (18 months after baseline) for a long-term follow-up. The research design permits examination of prospective relations between resources and adaptation (longitudinal) as well as concurrent associations (cross-sectional).
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| Reinhardt, Joann P; Boerner, Kathrin; Horowitz, Amy (2009) Personal and social resources and adaptation to chronic vision impairment over time. Aging Ment Health 13:367-75 |
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| Boerner, Kathrin; Reinhardt, Joann P (2003) Giving while in need: support provided by disabled older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 58:S297-304 |
| Reinhardt, Joann P; Boerner, Kathrin; Benn, Dolores (2003) Predicting individual change in support over time among chronically impaired older adults. Psychol Aging 18:770-9 |
