Nineteen older women gave their perceptions of great-grandmotherhood. They modeled their behavior on their earlier role of grandmother, but age and lack of geographic proximity restricted their ability to carry it out in the same way. Great-grandmotherhood was significant for symbolic and emotional rather than social and instrumental reasons.…

Examined potential benefits and costs of having both work and elder care responsibilities, based on interviews with 94 employed caregivers. For most respondents, negative aspects of combining work and caregiving roles were outweighed by positive aspects, such as sense of accomplishment, enhanced interpersonal relationships, and opportunities to…

Conducted a three-generation study of women's attitudes toward gender-appropriate roles and filial responsibility. United States gender-role attitudes were more egalitarian than those of the Japanese. In both countries, all three generations agreed that care of the elderly is a family responsibility, but attitudes toward filial responsibility were…

Presents examples from ancient Greece and Rome illustrating working aged and intergenerational dependence. Describes normal active participation of elderly as officers and common soldiers in ancient military as example of their capabilities. Notes that Alexander the Great's army, in particular, depended on contributions of older men. (Author/NB)

This paper is focused on the development of a theoretical model of social role reconstructuring. The novel input of the suggested model is an intervention strategy that interposes at the stage of susceptability before the breakdown syndrome begins. (Author)

Interviewed 114 grandparents. Found three major grandparent roles: custodial, living with grandchild, and day-care roles. Found that custodial grandparents often obtained that relationship because of severe problems in nuclear family. Day-care grandparents provided regular help to grandchild's nuclear family. Decision to provide care was often…

A questionnaire was developed to study the perceptions toward the rehabilitation potential of the aged by those associated with homes for the aged. Differences in perceptions were found between role categories and by years of education. Attitudinal differences can be related to policy-making, care of aged, and self-images of residences. Based on…

The impact of the husband's retirement on the wife's conception of three aspects of her role as housewife was studied. Retired teachers and their wives were surveyed. The shift for women was toward increased accommodation to their husbands' needs. Negative changes were offset by increased opportunities for nurturing of spouse. (Author)

This study of white-collar working women investigates their views toward retirement with emphasis on variables contributing to attitudes and behavior. Findings indicate inadequate preparation for retirement and suggest areas of research related to contemporary female work patterns which may assist practitioners and policy-makers to correct the…

Used data from community-based sample of African Americans to investigate association between gender and depressive symptoms among 148 older African Americans. Found no gender difference in overall level of depressive symptomatology. Findings suggest that lack of gender difference was attributable to similarities in risk factors related to…

Defines personal well-being as closely related to the congruence between what is expected by an individual as appropriate and what he perceives as actually happening. Suggests that through appropriate expectations old people are contributing to their own well-being. (Author)

Examines the relationship between meaning in caregiving (positive beliefs about the caregiving situation and the self as caregiver) and the psychological well-being of 131 informal caregivers to community-residing frail elders. Results indicate that meaning in caregiving explained a significant portion of the differences in depression and…

Describes continuity theory, as emphasizing the interaction between individual characteristics and the social structure. Presents three propositions concerning social role restrictivness and maintenance in older adults. Considers psychological, sociological, physiological, and educational influences on elder's social behavior. (JAC)