Search

Purpose: Sustainability literature has cited the influential role of both awareness and engagement in facilitating increases in pro-environmental behaviors. The purpose of this study is to compare these links across behaviors and explore their interactive influence. Design/methodology/approach: Two research questions were examined: 1) Is awareness about campus efforts regarding waste-prevention and sustainable travel/transportation options associated with increases in student waste-prevention and sustainable travel/transportation behaviors? 2) Is the link between sustainability awareness and changes in behavior conditioned by student engagement (i.e. participation) in campus sustainability activities and events? Research questions were examined using data from the University of Michigan Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program. A sample of freshmen completed a Web-based survey in 2012, and again as seniors in 2015. Findings: Greater awareness of campus waste-prevention efforts in 2015 was associated with significant increases in student waste-prevention behaviors from 2012 to 2015. Also, among students who were engaged (i.e. reported participating in a campus sustainability activity/event), greater travel/transportation awareness in 2015 was associated with a significant decline in sustainable travel/transportation behavior. Consistent with previous studies this study found a link between sustainability awareness and increases in sustainable behavior. However, this study also indicates that this link is not present for all behaviors (i.e. use of sustainable travel/transportation). This study also found that engagement does not amplify the awareness-behavior link. Originality/value: Understanding key drivers of changes in sustainable behavior for specific behaviors can inform the allocation of resources and help university campuses reach their sustainability goals.

Background and Objectives Little is known about how race/ethnicity and geographic context relate to support service use among dementia caregivers. Our objectives were to investigate (a) whether the use of at least one formal caregiving service—support groups, respite care, and training—differed by race/ethnicity and across metro and nonmetro areas; and (b) whether predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics influenced support service use by race/ethnicity. Research Design and Methods Data were analyzed from a sample of primary caregivers of care recipients aged 65 years or older with probable dementia (n = 482) in the 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving. We calculated weighted prevalence estimates and then used the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness of fit statistic to find the best-fitting logistic regression models. Results Among minority dementia caregivers, support service use was higher in metro than nonmetro areas (35% and 15%); the trend was reversed for non-Hispanic White caregivers (47% nonmetro and 29% metro). The best-fitting regression models included predisposing, enabling, and need factors for both minority and non-Hispanic White caregivers. Younger age and more disagreement within the family were consistently associated with more service use in both groups. Among minority caregivers, better caregiver and care recipient health were associated with using support services. Among non-Hispanic White caregivers, nonmetro geographic context and caregiving interfering with valued activities were associated with using support services. Discussion and Implications Geographic context differently affected support service use and the influence of predisposing, enabling, and need factors varied by race/ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the complex role of family networks in shaping adult psychological well-being over time. We examine the unique and interactive longitudinal influences of family structure (i.e., composition and size) and negative family relationship quality on psychological well-being among young (ages 18-34), middle-aged (ages 35-49), and older adults (ages 50+). A sample of 881 adults (72% White; 26% Black) was drawn from the longitudinal Social Relations, Age, and Health Study. Structural equation modeling indicated that among young and middle-aged adults, increasing family negativity was associated with increases in depressive symptoms over time. In contrast, among older adults, lowered proportion of family in network and an increasing number of family members in the network (i.e., family size) were associated with decreases in depressive symptoms. These findings were moderated by family negativity. Among older adults with low family negativity, having a lower proportion of family and larger family size were associated with decreasing depressive symptoms, but there was no effect among those reporting high family negativity. Overall, these results contribute to an increased understanding of the complex, developmental nature of how family support influences well-being across the life span and highlights unique age differences.

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue on topics including the role of cultural complexity in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) care, incidence and prevalence of ADRD in minoritized racial and ethnic groups, and factors that influence ADRD care.