Jung-Hwa Ha

Using data from the Study of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), this article examines: (1) the effect of having children with developmental or mental health problems on parents' mental and physical health, (2) the extent to which this effect varies by parental age and gender and (3) the effects of disability-related factors on the well-being of parents of children with disabilities. Compared to parents of non-disabled children, parents of disabled children experienced significantly higher lev

This paper examines the extent to which widowhood affects changes in (a) the availability of a confidant, (b) emotional support from children, and (c) emotional support from friends/relatives both 6 and 18 months after spousal loss. Analyses are based on data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 and older. Compared to married persons, widowed persons are less likely to have a confidant, yet they receive greater support from children,

This study examines the ways that widowhood affects older adults' perceived exchange of support with their children, and whether exchange patterns differ by gender. Data are from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC), a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals age 65 years and older. Spousal loss increases older adults'dependence on their children 6 months after the loss yet decreases children's dependence on their surviving parents. Patterns of postloss parent-child exchanges differ

This paper examines: (1) the impact of having a child with a disability on parents' mental and physical health among urban-dwelling African Americans and (2) the extent to which positive and negative social interactions with family other than the spouse moderate the impact of child's disability on parental adaptation. Analyses are based on a probability sample of African Americans living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The analytic sample includes 48 parents of a child with a disability and 144 compari

PURPOSE: This article examines the extent to which positive and negative support from children prior to and after spousal loss and changes in support from pre- to post-loss affect widowed older adults' depressive symptoms, anxiety, and anger 18 months following widowhood. DESIGN AND METHODS: Analyses are based on the Changing Lives of Older Couples, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 years and older. The analytic sample includes 148 widowed persons who have at least one liv

The findings highlight the importance of understanding the quality of widowed persons' relationships as well as the congruence between their preferred and actual social contact.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine (a) the extent to which widowhood affects older adults' ambivalence about their adult children, (b) the role of intergenerational dependence in explaining the effect of widowhood on parent-child ambivalence, and (c) temporal changes in the effects of widowhood on ambivalence. METHODS: We based analyses on Changing Lives of Older Couples, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 and older. We used ordinary least squares regressio

The authors examine the ways that parent-child geographic proximity affects widowed older parents’ psychological well-being and social integration. Analyses are based on the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 and older. Compared with those who live more than one hour away from a child, widowed older adults who live with or live within an hour’s drive of their child(ren) report significantly lower levels of psychological distress

This study examined the longitudinal reciprocal effects between health and social support in older adults' relationships with their children and friends. Data are from the 2006 and 2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 3,760). We focused on three specific aspects of social support: frequency of contact, positive interactions, and negative interactions. We used autoregressive cross-lagged models to examine the bidirectional effects between social support and health. When the bidirec

This study examined cultural differences in advance care planning (ACP) and various strategies that social workers use to initiate conversations on ACP. We conducted qualitative interviews with 12 social workers in South Korea and the US and a thematic content analysis of the transcribed data. Our findings show that different cultural norms and generational viewpoints surrounding death and health-related decision-making influence how people prepare for end-of-life care (EOLC). Whereas principles

By assessing the availability of various types and frequency of support among older patients, health professionals can better identify those who may need additional support after discharge. Such information should be used in discharge planning to help prevent unnecessary complications and potential readmission.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study examines (a) the association between being a care recipient and end-of-life care planning (EOLCP) and (b) the extent to which personality traits moderate the relationship between care receipt and EOLCP. DESIGN AND METHODS: Data are drawn from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a survey of Wisconsin high school graduates from 1957 to 2004. We used data on EOLCP among older adults in the most recent (2003-2004) wave of this survey. Hierarchical logistic regression m

Findings suggest the CLSA contributes to enhancing the quality of life for couples affected by Alzheimer's disease and improving their relationship. Challenges that emerged in the CLSA will guide future research to identify the sub-population that is appropriate for the couple-oriented intervention in dementia care.

Background and objectives We evaluated the effectiveness of a Korean version of the Couples Life Story Approach (CLSA-K), a structured life-review program originally developed in the U.S. to help older adults with dementia and their spousal caregivers engage with each other and improve their quality of life. Research design and methods: Fifty mild people living with mild Alzheimer’s disease and their spouses were recruited and 37 couples completed the five-week CLSA-K program. Data on psychosoci