0000000000315867

AUTHOR

Julian Montoro-rodriguez

0000-0002-3657-2735

Evaluating Social Integration and Psychological Outcomes for Older Adults Enrolled at a University Intergenerational Program

Abstract Intergenerational programs are proliferating. The basic assumption of such programs is that pairing older and younger people in various activities and contexts such as educational programs will produce positive developmental benefits for all participants. Educational programs appear to help adults to remain socially active and connected. The University of Valencia (Spain) initiated in 1999–2000 a “University Program for Seniors” for adults age 55 and over, entitled “Nau Gran.”The goal of this paper is to present baseline results on the benefits and impacts for older adults enrolled at the program during 2002. Results from a sample of 212 sophomore and junior older adult participant…

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WHY CENTENARIANS ARE SO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE?

People living longer lives report that they are “making the most of it” reflecting a realistic and optimistic approach to life. This adaptive attitude among the oldest-old challenges the model of inevitable health and functional limitations expected at the end of life. However, researchers find that centenarians report good health, gratitude, enjoyment of life and feel optimistic about the future. Using data from a sample of 68 urban nonagenarians and centenarians in the city of Valencia in Spain (Age range 90–105, Mean= 96; SD= 3.93), we report on the associations between the participants’ cognitive dispositions and their level of life satisfaction while controlling by predisposing factors…

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THE IMPACT OF GENDER AND GRANDPARENTING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING: THE PURPOSE IN LIFE

The unprecedented demographic changes due primarily to increased longevity and low fertility rates had implications for family relations, in particular for grandparent involvement with grandchildren. Grandparenting emerged as a support structure and the grandparent role became vital for many grandchildren in need of care. This paper examines the relationship between gender and caring for grandchildren on the psychological well-being of older adults. Using a sample of 652 adults 60 and older attending an educational program at the University of Valencia in Spain, we report on descriptive socio-demographic variables and examine the influence of gender and grandparenting on the participants’ p…

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Dispositional hope and life satisfaction among older adults attending lifelong learning programs

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to explore the indirect effects of dispositional hope in the life satisfaction of older adults attending a lifelong learning program at the University of Valencia, Spain. We examine the mediating impact of dispositional hope regarding its ability to impact life satisfaction while considering affective and confidant social support, perceived health and leisure activities, consciousness and spirituality as predictors. Methods Analysis were based on survey data (response rate 77.4%) provided by 737 adults 55 years old or more (Mean age = 65.41, SD = 6.60; 69% woman). A structural model with latent variables was specified and estimated in Mplus. Resu…

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Testing a Proactive Model of Successful Aging Among Older Adults in Costa Rica and Spain.

The purpose of this study is to examine successful aging among Spanish-speaking older adults in Costa Rica and in Spain using the proactive framework proposed by Kahana et al. (2014). More specifically, we hypothesized that older adults’ life satisfaction would be positively associated with the frequency and perceived level of social support, spirituality/having purpose in life, and the use of proactive physical, cognitive, and social self-care behaviors. Our results confirmed these hypotheses, not only for the overall group of participants, but also separately for older adults in Costa Rica and in Spain. The present study contributes to the literature of successful aging among older adults…

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An Intergenerational Program,“Nau Gran,”at the University of Valencia (Spain)

(2003). An Intergenerational Program, “Nau Gran,” at the University of Valencia (Spain) Journal of Intergenerational Relationships: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 103-104.

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