Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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Author: search.filters.author.Stephens CSubject: search.filters.subject.Ageing

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    The life course effects of socioeconomic status on later life loneliness: The role of gender and ethnicity
    (Elsevier Inc., 2024-09-07) Szabó Á; Stephens C; Breheny M
    Precursors of loneliness include individual risk factors and experiences of social exclusion. Using the New Zealand Health Work and Retirement Life Course History Study, we investigated the impact of unequal access to material resources across the life course (from age 10 to present) on late life emotional and social loneliness and the moderating effects of gender and Māori ethnicity (indigenous population of Aotearoa/New Zealand) in 613 adults aged 65 to 81 years. Childhood and adult life socioeconomic status (SES) negatively predicted late life emotional and social loneliness, but their effects disappeared after controlling for late life SES, suggesting a mediation effect. Education was also a significant predictor; however, it exerted different effects on social (positive) and emotional (negative) loneliness. Education's effect was moderated by gender, indicating a protective effect for emotional and an exacerbating effect for social loneliness in men. These findings suggest that lifelong exclusion from material resources is a risk factor for late life loneliness.
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    Older adult's experiences during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand: Diversity and change in long term disaster situations
    (Elsevier B.V., 2024-01-01) Stephens C; Uekusa S; Breheny M
    The COVID-19 global pandemic has highlighted the morbidity and mortality risks of older adults as well as their heterogeneity and resilience. The immediate need to address psychosocial and health issues among this age group is driven by global concerns about the growing number of disaster occurrences, the growing ageing population, and widening inequalities. Using an inductive analysis of written comments about their experiences by 1,400 older people in the second year of the pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand, we found that responses to the pandemic and government actions had fractured as different groups of older adults felt neglected or wronged by the centralised response. Negative themes of anxiety and fear describe aspects of vulnerability in older adult's lives and point to issues for repair and protection in pandemic situations. Positive themes describe the resources that people drew on to maintain their wellbeing in a lengthy disaster. Drawing on theorising around conservation of resources and disaster communitas, our analysis shows that across a long-term disaster situation, resilience may be best sustained by drawing on local support systems and enabling community volunteers. Institutional responses and planning must include and empower grass roots groups who are better placed to recognise and respond to the resource needs of their own communities.