Deck 9: The Importance of Social Supports-Family, Friends, and Neighbors

Question 1

Which of the following have been identified as possible challenges to grandparents raising their grandchildren?

A) social isolation
B) concern about their own health
C) loss over retirement plans
D) all of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Strong social supports contribute to:

A) active aging.
B) higher mortality risk.
C) slower recovery from illness.
D) greater use of formal services.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Older gays and lesbians, compared to their heterosexual peers,:

A) are less likely to plan for their future security.
B) tend to build a "surrogate family" .
C) have lower self-esteem.
D) maintain strong ties with their families of origin.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

During the 20th century, the number of multigenerational families in the United States:

A) has decreased.
B) has increased.
C) has remained the same.
D) has resulted in more siblings in each generation.

Question 5

Fewer people within each generation are able to provide care for family members because of:

A) an increase in fertility that necessitates more care to be aimed at children.
B) the increase of women entering the paid workforce in the past 50 years.
C) declining family dissolutions, such as through divorce.
D) a shift in age structure from a beanpole to a pyramid.

Question 6

Older people who never married and are without children, and thus do not have adult children to care for them,:

A) generally are more destitute than those with children.
B) usually develop other support systems and turn to others for help.
C) are much happier because children tend to let down their parents.
D) generally experience much worse health.

Question 7

Which statement best describes divorce and remarriage in old age?

A) The percentage of older persons who are currently divorced is about the same as it was thirty years ago.
B) For older persons the likelihood of remarriage is smaller than remarriage for younger age groups.
C) Divorce in old age improves the economic status of men and women.
D) Divorce results in greater contacts with adult children.

Question 8

The primary factor that affects the frequency of visiting between grandparents and grandchildren is:

A) geographic proximity.
B) the gender of the grandparent and grandchild.
C) family size.
D) divorce.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a potential outcome of social supports?

A) improved cognitive abilities
B) feelings of competence
C) reduced mortality risk
D) financial security

Question 10

During the elderly years (65+),:

A) more women remarry than men.
B) as many men remarry as women.
C) more men remarry than women.
D) none of the above.

Question 11

Regarding older adults' relationships with pets:

A) no benefits have been shown regarding alertness and responsiveness.
B) pet owners are more likely to be unmarried and living alone.
C) ethnic minority differences exist in pet ownership patterns.
D) more longitudinal studies of the benefits of pet ownership are critical.

Question 12

Marital satisfaction is lowest:

A) among the recently married (during young adulthood) .
B) during child-rearing years including middle age.
C) in the later years.
D) among those experiencing the empty nest.

Question 13

Studies of relationships between adult children and their older parents indicate that:

A) most older parents see an adult child frequently.
B) most parents do not live geographically near to any of their children.
C) most older parents are alienated from their children.
D) most older parents rarely see their children.

Question 14

The flow of support between older persons and their adult children is generally:

A) unidirectional, with children providing housing for their parents.
B) unidirectional, with parents continuing to help their adult children financially and emotionally.
C) reciprocal exchanges financially, emotionally, and in providing care.
D) nonexistent, especially among urban families.

Question 15

In recent years, ethnic minority families have experienced the following:

A) increasing filial responsibility over time.
B) weakening support networks due to American values.
C) less stress from caregiving than Caucasian families.
D) decreased likelihood of multigenerational family households.

Question 16

Grandparents who provide custodial care for their grandchildren:

A) have increased twofold in the last decade.
B) was a more common sight 50 years ago.
C) generally obtain financial help from their adult children.
D) are disproportionately represented by African American women.

Question 17

Sibling relationships in old age:

A) remain as close or distant as they were in mid-life
B) are closer between brothers
C) are closer between sisters
D) result in more caregiving for frail siblings

Question 18

The changing demographic patterns of the United States have also affected the grandparenting role, such that:

A) older adults today have more grandchildren than earlier cohorts.
B) more older persons are experiencing the grandparent role than in the past.
C) there is less contact between grandparents and grandchildren than in the past.
D) grandfathers and grandmothers spend equal time with their grandchildren.

Question 19

In their social relationships in later life, men tend to:

A) place more value on friendships than women do.
B) be more aggressive about their friendships than women are.
C) depend on their wives for companionship.
D) have a greater need for friends in later life than women do.

Question 20

Research about interventions to build social supports for older adults has shown that:

A) using the internet greatly influences social networks.
B) the type of support does not play a role in whether the intervention is perceived as beneficial.
C) both recipients and providers of peer support benefit.
D) social support cannot buffer the effects of neighborhood stressors.

Question 21

Childless older adults with health problems tend to be more isolated than other older people.

Question 22

Older parents in the United States are far more likely to receive financial help from their adult children than to assist their children.

Question 23

Older parents generally have infrequent telephone or e-mail contact with their adult children, and only once- or twice-yearly face-to-face contact.

Question 24

The majority of older individuals live alone.

Question 25

Among siblings in old age, sisters are more likely to maintain family ties than are brothers.

Question 26

Perceived social support is more important than actual support.

Question 27

Perceived benefits of pets for older adults include:

A) mobility benefits
B) reduced depression
C) improved health
D) all of the above

Question 28

Older men are more likely to be married than are older women.

Question 29

Intergenerational programs that link older people with youth in need and young families are:

A) rapidly growing.
B) growing slowly.
C) declining slowly.
D) nonexistent.

Question 30

Older women who are divorced have a lower desire to remarry than those who are widowed.

Question 31

The majority of custodial grandparents are female, married, and live in the South.

Question 32

Divorce in later life is decreasing.

Question 33

Overall, older gays and lesbians report low self-acceptance and self-esteem.

Question 34

Women consistently experience increased levels of marital satisfaction over time than do men.

Question 35

The majority of men over age 65 are:

A) married.
B) single/never married.
C) divorced.
D) widowed.

Question 36

Most women view the "empty nest" as:

A) depressing.
B) an unhappy condition.
C) an opportunity for new activities.
D) a reason for divorce.

Question 37

Friends are often a more important source of emotional support than family in old age because they are chosen.

Question 38

The majority of older people are grandparents and see a grandchild at least once a month.

Question 39

A grandparent who feels close and affectionate to grandchildren without taking on a particular role is expressing:

A) the companionate style of grandparenting.
B) the remote style of grandparenting.
C) the involved style of grandparenting.
D) the authoritative style of grandparenting.

Question 40

Multigenerational households tend to be more prevalent among ethnic minority families compared to Caucasian families.

Question 41

Characterize sibling relationships in old age.

Question 42

Name and define the five styles of grandparenting and give an example of each.

Question 43

Children who leave home and then return, often for financial reasons are called _________.

Question 44

Discuss the role of great-grandparenting and the two styles of performing this role.

Question 45

To what extent does divorce impact marriages among older adults?

Question 46

_________ describes a situation where geographic separation does not weaken socioemotional bonds.

Question 47

The style of grandparenting where grandparents live close by and often take on parent -like responsibilities is called ________.

Question 48

Explain marital satisfaction among older adults.

Question 49

________ are non-family members that older adults may turn to because of their concern, interest, and understanding.

Question 50

________ refers to the placement of children with relatives by the state.