A Dual Process Model of Bereavement, which considers the impact of loss- and restoration-oriented variables on widowers' levels of well-being, is tested on 200 widowed men during the second year of bereavement. Those who were widowed less than 500 days exhibited significantly more negative affect, less positive affect, and lower well-being that those widowed more than 500 days. Multiple regression analyses revealed that both loss and restoration variables were important throughout bereavement. Loss variables influenced negative affect and were especially critical during the early stages. Restoration variables significantly affected positive affect and had greater impact on the later bereaved. The results support a dual process model of bereavement, but also suggest that certain events, such as circumstances of death, are more important during early bereavement while reinvestment activities, such as dating, become relevant later. Some circumstances, such as a wife's suffering, have prolonged effects.

Purpose: Using the life stress model of psychological well-being, in this study we examined risks and resources predicting the occurrence of both positive and negative affect among older Asian Indian immigrants who experienced stressful life events. Design and Methods: We collected data through a telephone survey of 226 respondents (aged 50 years and older) in the Southeastern United States. We used hierarchical, negative binomial regression analyses to examine correlates of positive and negative affect. Results: Different coping resources influenced positive and negative affect when stressful life events were controlled for. Being female was a common risk factor for poorer positive and increased negative affect. Satisfaction with friendships and a cultural or ethnic identity that is either bicultural or more American were predictive of greater positive affect. Greater religiosity and increased mastery were resources predicting less negative affect. Implications: Cognitive and structural interventions that increase opportunities for social integration, increasing mastery, and addressing spiritual concerns are discussed as ways of coping with stress to improve the well-being of individuals in this immigrant community.

Despite empirical support for the positive effects of health and wealth on retirement satisfaction, alternative variables also play a key role in helping to shape women's assessment of retirement. In the present study, we explore personal and psychosocial predictors of women's retirement satisfaction while controlling for financial security and health. Data from 330 retired women were analyzed using stepwise regression analysis. Results indicate the most significant predictors of women's retirement satisfaction are self-esteem, mastery, emotional support, and ethnicity. Financial security remained a significant predictor of satisfaction; whereas health did not. Suggestions are made to recognize the importance of women's psychological health in retirement, examine different types of social support in relation to stage of retirement, and incorporate diverse audiences in women's retirement research.

A multidimensional Life Stress Model was used to test the independent contributions of background characteristics, personal resources, life event, and environmental influences on 200 widowers' levels of well-being, measured by the Affect Balance Scale. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that environmental resources were unrelated to negative affect which is influenced more by the life event and personal resource variables. The environmental resource variables, particularly interactions with friends and neighbors, mostly influenced positive affect. The explanatory model for well-being included multiple variables and explained 33 percent of the variance. Although background characteristics had the greatest impact, absence of hospitalization, higher mastery, higher self-esteem, contacts with friends, and interaction with neighbors enhanced well-being. The results support previous speculations on the importance of positive exchanges for positive affect. African-American widowers showed higher levels of well-being than Caucasian widowers did. The results advance knowledge about differences among elderly men.

This study compares adult day services (ADS) and home health care (HHC) users on the indicators of personal characteristics, physical health, mental health and social network contacts. Analysis includes all 62 reported ADS users and a random sample of 91 HHC users from the Longitudinal Study of Aging. Results indicate that ADS users are younger, have greater cognitive impairment, need more supervisory assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), and have more social contacts than HHC users. The findings also underscore the importance of emphasizing the functional and cognitive limitations in differentiating home- and community-based services. Instead of exclusively focusing on physical needs, authors suggest strategies that ensure integrated care models to address physical, mental and social needs of elders in both settings.