Life transitions and interpersonal relationships in old age

How does retirement impact people?

▪ Importance of socio-economic position.

• Balanced investment → characteristic of more educated people, with equal allocation of time between family, work and recreation.

▪ Relationship between volunteering and well-being in retirement.

▪ PROGRAMMES SUCH AS UNIVERSITIES FOR SENIORS

 Retirement MAY entail loss of social contact.

▪ Illnesses → difficulty in going out and seeing people.

▪ They have half as many people in their social networks as younger adults.

▪ Men's social networks are somewhat smaller than those of women.

▪ Close circle of confidants—> more important than ever for your

PHYSICAL, FUNCTIONAL AND EMOTIONAL well-being.

Importance of social relations

✔ Emotional support from friends → satisfaction with life in the face of stress and trauma.

✔ Conflicting relationships→ even greater negative impact.

✔ Absent social relationships→ negatively affects health: may accelerate physical and cognitive decline.

✔ Feelings of worthlessness to others → risk factor for disabilities and mortality.

✔ Supporting social links as a lifeline.

✔ Intimate social relationships as important as smoking, obesity and alcohol abuse.

Marital relations

• Greater satisfaction and fewer adjustment problems in their marriages:

- Conflict resolution is the key factor for marital satisfaction → tendency towards consistency in conflict resolution patterns and improved ability to regulate emotions.

• Married people→ Healthier and live longer; although there are gender differences:

- Men: Being married per se.

- Women: Quality of marriage.

• Men receive their main support from their wives; women from friends, relatives and children.

Effects of caring for grandchildren

Teaching to play by playing. Caring for grandchildren as a protective factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Sexual functioning in elders

▪ Most important factor in maintaining sexual function → continued sexual activity

▪ Sex is different from before:

• Men → Longer time to erection and ejaculation, need for more manual stimulation and increased refractory period (time between ejaculations).

• Women → Reduced intensity of breast engorgement and other signs of sexual arousal, lubrication problems.

▪ Poor mental health and relationship dissatisfaction > Sexual dysfunction in both sexes.

▪ Life satisfaction, cognitive functioning and psychological well-being → Interest in sex and sexual relationships.