Who Helps? Attitudes and Characteristics of Elderly Altruists (original) (raw)
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Some Determinants and Consequences of Helping by the Elderly
1983
Research on helping behavior has focused on help to elderly individuals rather than help by elderly individuals. To investigate the determinants and consequences of helping by older adults, 117 adults, from five Detroit senior citizen residences, with a mean age of 75.6 (67 percent female) completed a personal/demographic questionnaire, including such items as health, finances, and environmental information; the Modified Self-Report Altruism Scale; the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; and the Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale. An analysis of the results showed that older adults do engage in helping behavior and that providing help to others is often the source of considerable satisfaction. Antecedents of helping behavior were health, finances, age, education, occupation, and race, with blacks reporting more helpfulness than whites. Facets of the residential context related to helping were availability of opportunity to provide volunteer service, convenience, owning a car, similarity in ethnic backgrounds, and sense of safety and security. Helping behavior was significantly related to self-esteem and social integration. (Several figures depict the conceptual model of helping by the elderly upon which the study predictions were based.) (BL)
Altruism, Helping, and Volunteering Pathways to Well-Being in Late Life
2013
We examined the influence of prosocial orientations including altruism, volunteering, and informal helping on positive and negative well-being outcomes among retirement community dwelling elders. We utilize data from 2 waves, 3 years apart, of a panel study of successful aging (N = 585). Psychosocial well-being outcomes measured include life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depressive symptomatology. Ordinal logistic regression results indicate that altruistic attitudes, volunteering, and informal helping behaviors make unique contributions to the maintenance of life satisfaction, positive affect and other well being outcomes considered in this research. Predictors explain variance primarily in the positive indicators of psychological well-being, but are not significantly associated with the negative outcomes. Female gender and functional limitations are also associated with diminished psychological well-being. Our findings underscore the value of altruistic attitudes as important additional predictors, along with prosocial behaviors in fostering life satisfaction and positive affect in old age.
Life Altruism, Helping, and Volunteering : Pathways to Well-Being in Late
Objectives: We examined the influence of prosocial orientations including altruism, volunteering, and informal helping on positive and negative wellbeing outcomes among retirement community dwelling elders. Method: We utilize data from 2 waves, 3 years apart, of a panel study of successful aging (N = 585). Psychosocial well-being outcomes measured include life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depressive symptomatology. Results: Ordinal logistic regression results indicate that altruistic attitudes, volunteering, and informal helping behaviors make unique contributions to the maintenance of life satisfaction, positive affect and other well being outcomes considered in this research. Predictors explain variance primarily in the positive indicators of psychological well-being, but are not significantly associated with the negative outcomes. Female gender and functional limitations are also associated with diminished psychological well-being. Discussion: Our findings underscore the value of altruistic attitudes as important additional predictors, along with prosocial behaviors in fostering life satisfaction and positive affect in old age.
Altruistic Moral Judgment among Older Adults
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 1999
This study investigated altruistic moral judgment among the elderly, and examined its relationships to demographic and personality variables, self-reported helping, and subjective social integration (the perception that one is integrated into one's social milieu). The moral judgment interview included three stories, each of which contained a moral dilemma. Participants solved each dilemma and gave reasons for their solutions. The moral dilemmas and scoring system emphasized the positive, prosocial aspects of morality, rather than a prohibition-oriented approach. The categories used most often were, in descending order of frequency 1) pragmatic needs-of-others oriented reasons, 2) empathy-based reasons, 3) reasons based on internalized and/or abstract moral principles, and 4) hedonistic reasons. Of the higher levels of moral judgment, only reasoning based on abstract internalized principles had significant positive relationships with self-reported helping, the personality correla...
Older Adults as a Community Resource: Results From the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging1
The Gerontologist, 1996
Using data collected from the first wave of a longitudinal data set collected in the late fall and winter of 1 9 9 0 -1 9 9 1 , the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging (NSSCA), we examined the extent and type of assistance older people provided to others. Age, gender, and perceived health status were the most consistent predictors of the four types of assistance: personal care, child care, volunteer work, and listening/offering advice and support. Help with instrumental activities of daily living either alone or in combination with other activities of daily living was the most common type of personal care provided.
Older Adults as a Community Resource: Results From the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging
The Gerontologist, 1996
Using data collected from the first wave of a longitudinal data set collected in the late fall and winter of 1 9 9 0 -1 9 9 1 , the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging (NSSCA), we examined the extent and type of assistance older people provided to others. Age, gender, and perceived health status were the most consistent predictors of the four types of assistance: personal care, child care, volunteer work, and listening/offering advice and support. Help with instrumental activities of daily living either alone or in combination with other activities of daily living was the most common type of personal care provided.
Altruism Relates to Health in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Older Adults
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2005
The existing literature indicates links between aspects of social network functioning and health outcomes. It is generally believed that networks that are larger or provide greater instrumental and emotional support contribute to improved health and, perhaps, greater longevity. Recently, it has been suggested that giving as well as receiving social support may be of benefit. On the basis of evolutionary theories of emotion and altruism, the current study sought to test this thesis in a large, ethnically diverse sample of community-dwelling older adults. As expected, levels of social support given were associated with lower morbidity, whereas levels of receiving were not. It is important that these relations held even when (a) socioeconomic status, education, marital status, age, gender, ethnicity, and (b) absolute network size and activity limitation were controlled for. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for theory regarding the relations among social exchanges, giving, and later life adaptation among older adults.
The existing literature indicates links between aspects of social network functioning and health outcomes. It is generally believed that networks that are larger or provide greater instrumental and emotional support contribute to improved health and, perhaps, greater longevity. Recently, it has been suggested that giving as well as receiving social support may be of benefit. On the basis of evolutionary theories of emotion and altruism, the current study sought to test this thesis in a large, ethnically diverse sample of community-dwelling older adults. As expected, levels of social support given were associated with lower morbidity, whereas levels of receiving were not. It is important that these relations held even when (a) socioeconomic status, education, marital status, age, gender, ethnicity, and (b) absolute network size and activity limitation were controlled for. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for theory regarding the relations among social exchanges, giving, and later life adaptation among older adults.