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The main purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between support needs, caregiving decisions, and well-being among older adults in rural areas. Dr. Heather Fuller-Iglesias and Dr. Melissa O'Connor teamed up to lead this investigation in rural areas of North Dakota and 5 other Great Plains states. This study was the result of a grant awarded by the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance's (GPIDEA) Board of Directors for Human Research to support collaborative research projects between Drs. Fuller-Iglesias and O'Connor and GPIDEA faculty members at the University of Arkansas, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, and Texas Tech University.

 

This study addresses three main points:

  • Factors that relate to the well-being of older adults from rural out-migration regions, including their needs, resources, and roles in assisting others

  • Identify individual, family, and community factors that relate to the care choices of older adults

  • The extent to which availability of support systems/care options mediate or moderate the association between older adults' needs and their reported well-being.

 

Adults over the age of 65 were recruited from rural counties in the 6 participating states (North Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas) to complete 30-45 minute telephone interviews from the fall of 2013 until the fall of 2014.

 

The main purpose of this study is to explore the extent of social integration in older adults and how social integration is related to various aspects of well-being in late life.

 

We sought to:

  • Assess the level of social integration in older adults in various arrays of social relationships including family and community.

  • Examine whether the pattern of social integration varies by demographic factors (such as age, gender, marital status, etc.)

  • Determine the association between social integration and well-being (e.g., self-rated health, self-esteem, stress, and depression).

 

In the spring and summer of 2013, participants over the age of 60 were recruited throughout the Fargo-Moorhead community at Senior Centers, Assisted Living Facilities, and Senior Living Apartments to complete a 20-30 minute written survey.

 

In the spring and summer of 2015, we reached out to the participants from 2013 to see if they would be interested in completing a shorter version of the survey to see if and/or how much their answers had changed. This will help us to further our understanding of the extent of social integration among older adults and how it relates to various aspects of well-being in late life over time.

 

A third wave of this study will be conducted in the spring of 2017.

Secondary Data Projects: Interethnic Families within the ECLS-B

The ECLS-B is a longitudinal (4 waves) dataset owned by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences and managed by the National Center for Education Statistics

http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/index.asp

Interethnic Families

Our objective with this dataset wass to examine patterns of marital and parent-child dynamics in interethnic families and identify implications for well-being over time. The study of multi-ethnic families is a relatively new topic of study that will become increasingly important as ethnic diversity and intermarriage increases in the United States. Census data indicate increasing rates of ethnic intermarriage resulting in multiethnic families; however, little is known about the functioning of these families.

 

The proposed project used four waves of secondary survey data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-B). Because the ECLS-B has such a large sample (N=14,000) that includes a significant number of multi-ethnic children, it will allowed us to identify and focus on the subsample of participants whose parents report different racial/ethnic categories. Additionally, the dataset includes interviews from both parents on aspects of the marital relationship, social support, and parent well-being allowing questions specific to the parents. Thus, the ECLS-B is useful for answering a number of pertinent questions about interethnic couples and families.

This is an exploratory study that is currently being conducted at North Dakota State University which explores the experience of being a step-grandparent within a stepfamily. This study consists of semi-structured interviews either in person or over the phone. 

 

The focus of this study is to learn more about the experience of those who identify as step-grandparents and how it influences various aspects of their lives. The study has four main objectives that it explores:

 

- The role of step-grandparents in their family's lives (e.g., expectations for caregiving and time spent with step-grandchildren)

- How step-grandparents navigate relationships within their family

- Logistical issues of being a step-grandparent, including the transition to becoming a step-grandparent

- Overall feelings of being a step-grandparent

 

ACTIVE STUDIES:
PREVIOUS STUDIES:
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