Search

This study examined racial, ethnic, and other factors associated with whether older adults discussed their end-of-life (EOL) care wishes with family. A sample of 223 White, 95 African American, and 46 Hispanic adults aged 50 and older from a five-county area of Florida answered questions about sociodemographics, health, and preferences for involving family/friends in health-care decision-making. Analyses describe associations between whether discussions occurred and race/ethnicity and other factors, including preferences for family/friend involvement in health care. In descriptive analyses, one third (n = 113) had not discussed EOL care. No differences were evident between African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. In multivariate analyses, EOL care discussions were less likely for Hispanics. Further analysis showed this lower likelihood existed among Hispanics with lesser family/friend involvement. Ethnicity influences EOL care discussion, moderated by family/friend involvement, though results are considered preliminary. Knowing the involvement of patients' family/friends could help providers initiate EOL care discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examines satisfaction across life domains (condition of the home, city of residence, daily life/leisure, family life, current financial situation, total household income, health, and life as a whole) among Black adults. The study also explores the association between satisfaction in each life domain and sociodemographic, personality, and mental/physical health measures., Methods: A community-dwelling sample of Black adults (n = 93, age range = 55-80) residing in the Tampa, FL area, completed a life satisfaction scale and measures of sociodemographic factors, personality, and mental/physical health between October 2014 and June 2016., Results: Better life satisfaction was observed in the oldest-old (80+) compared with the middle-aged (55-64; p < .05). Less education, less financial strain, lower depressive symptoms, and better self-rated physical health were associated with higher satisfaction although the pattern of results varied by domain., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the evaluation of life satisfaction domains may be a useful approach for identifying specific individual needs, which may inform age-friendly community initiatives., (© 2020. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between personality traits and sleep in community-dwelling older Blacks, and to examine whether conscientiousness moderates relationships between neuroticism and sleep (quality and duration) within this cohort., Method: Black adults (age range: 55-86 years) residing in the Tampa Bay Area, Florida, completed the Big Five Inventory to examine broad personality traits (e.g., neuroticism) and specific facets (e.g., anxiety or depression) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to evaluate sleep habits and quality., Results: Ninety-three participants (Mean age: 66.6, standard deviation: 7.4) were included in the final sample. High neuroticism, low extraversion, low conscientiousness, and low openness were each significantly associated with worse overall sleep habits. Individuals high on the facets for neuroticism (e.g., anxiety, depression) and/or low for extraversion (e.g., assertiveness), conscientiousness (e.g., self-discipline and order), and openness (e.g., aesthetics and ideas) were more likely to report poorer sleep. However, only neuroticism and extraversion each remained significantly associated with worse sleep in our regression models adjusting for demographic and health covariates. Adults with both higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness indicated a greater likelihood for experiencing daytime dysfunction within this population., Conclusions: Recognizing specific personality traits associated with disrupted sleep, particularly in those who self-identify as Black, may enhance the ability of sleep clinicians to diagnose and deliver more personalized treatments and interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy). The present study's findings further support existing literature, suggesting that clinicians should incorporate personality assessments to identify individuals most susceptible to severe sleep disturbances., (Copyright © 2019 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

ABSTRACTBackground:To expand on prior literature by examining how various education parameters (performance-based reading literacy, years of education, and self-rated quality of education) relate to a cognitive screening measure's total and subscale scores of specific cognitive abilities., Methods: Black adults (age range: 55-86) were administered self-rated items years of education and quality of education, and a measure of performance-based reading literacy. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to screen for overall cognitive functioning as well as performance on specific cognitive abilities., Results: Sixty-nine percent of the sample had reading grade levels that were less than their reported years of education. Lower years of education and worse reading literacy are associated with poorer MMSE performance, particularly on the attention and calculation subscales., Conclusions: Years of education, a commonly used measure for education, may not be reflective of Black adults' educational experiences/qualities. Thus, it is important to account for the unique educational experiences of adults that could influence their MMSE performance. Incorporating quality and quantity of education will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individual's performance on cognitive measures, specifically as it relates to sociocultural differences.