Suggests that death may be so personally relevant that its timing may not be random. Analysis of 1,961 deaths during a six-year period in Athens, Georgia, showed people tended to die at times when others would be near rather than during the night. (Author/JAC)

Examined meaning and maintenance of friend relationships among 41 male and 74 female older adults. Men and women tended to agree on characteristics of friend; gender differences emerged when they differentiated between "friend" and "close friend." Older women were more likely than older men to consider friends made earlier in life as still part of…

Obtained two-week sleep diaries and four nights of laboratory recordings from 40 persons aged 50 to 70. Results showed no significant effect on sleep structure associated with employment status. Retirement appeared to increase the amount of sleep, generally the result of earlier bedtimes rather than later awakenings. (JAC)

Examined effects of Swedish partial pension system on workforce participation among older workers. Findings suggest that policy implementation altered pattern of work behavior among older men, but not among older women. Changes in pension compensation rates appear to have affected participation in partial pensions, including number of participants…

The impact sex and marital status have upon circumscribing the social relationships of the elderly is explored. Data reveal that the widowed, as a group, are no more isolated from their kin and friends or from associations in religious organizations than married individuals. (Author)

Observations were made of the visible territorial markers of elderly homeowners. Attitudinal measures of their fear of crime indicated that high-territorial elderly were less fearful of being victimized than were low-territorial elderly. Strong sex differences in the amount of fear were also found. (Author)

Reports on observations of interpersonal touching behavior patterns among residents of homes for the elderly. Analyzes behavior for Blacks and Whites, males and females, in terms of who initiates touching and parts of the body touched and used for touching. (JMF)

Questions whether role loss significantly influences volunteering, based on data from a sample of 4,339 older adults. Findings suggested that other social characteristics such as socioeconomic status and gender have a greater influence on volunteer patterns. (JAC)

Areas of morale, health, perceived income adequacy, stress, interaction with family and friends, and attitude toward life in retirement, were examined to determine the existence, degree, and direction of sex differences among widowed persons. Survey data from 161 widowed respondents from a study of 1100 adults aged 50 or older were analyzed.…

Rigidity, as it relates to aging, refers to motor/cognitive, personality/perceptual, and psychomotor functioning. To investigate the relationship of rigidity to intelligence and educational level in younger and older adults, and of rigidity to age and sex, 48 young adults (25 male, 23 female), with a mean age of 23, and 45 older adults (21 male,…

Examination of suicide data in the United States shows that peaks occur only in a few subpopulations. Day-of-the-week effects are found almost exclusively in middle-aged suicides. Day-of-the-month effects are found for elderly males, and month-of-the-year effects occur for teenagers and the elderly. (SLD)

Derived a representative national nursing home admissions cohort with 1977 survey data. Found that high proportions of admissions have short lengths of stay and are discharged within the same calendar year. (Author/RC)

Studies exposure to life stress as an explanation for gender differences in older adults' utilization of social support. Results suggest that, as stressful events increase, elderly men and women are equally likely to become more involved in their social network, while gender differences emerge in response to chronic financial strain. (JS)

Men and women continue to be physiologically capable of sexual functioning throughout old age, although interest in and actual sexual activity decline with age in most older persons. Older men are more interested in sex and more active sexually than older women. (Author)

Studied a national database employed to examine the educational participation behavior of adults 60 years and older. Participation rates, subjects studied, reasons for participation, and locations utilized for learning were found to vary significantly in relation to relative age, educational attainment, sex, race, income, and other participant…