Deck 11: Families and Aging

Question 1

All but which of the following statements about families and research on families is true?

A) families are a key social institution in all societies
B) there has been a substantial amount of research on families within gerontology
C) gerontological research on families is proportionate to research on families in other social science disciplines
D) gerontology researches families in particular because of a focus on caregiving
E) it is not easy to capture, for empirical purposes, what a family is or is not

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A co-residing unit of parents and dependent children refers to

A) nuclear family
B) family of orientation
C) family of procreation
D) extended family
E) inclusive family

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The family into which a person is born or adopted refers to

A) nuclear family
B) family of orientation
C) family of procreation
D) extended family
E) family of origin

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The family formed when an individual marries or lives common-law, and has children/or adopts children of his or her own refers to

A) nuclear family
B) family of orientation
C) family of procreation
D) extended family
E) family of origin

Question 5

Family members who do not co-reside are referred to as a

A) nuclear family
B) family of orientation
C) family of procreation
D) extended family
E) family of origin

Question 6

All but which of the following statements is true about life in past generations?

A) infant and child mortality rates were high
B) maternal mortality rates were high
C) the odds of three generations of a family being alive at the same time were high
D) women born in the 19^th Century, would on average, be widowed before their youngest child left home
E) extended multigenerational households were few and when they did exist, it was due to economic need or situations in which older people assisted younger family members

Question 7

Which of the following is a myth about the family lives of older people in the past?

A) earlier generations lived in multigenerational families
B) maternal and infant mortality rates were high
C) the family life of older people was not better in the past
D) there was considerable tension between aged parents and children, with adult children wanting control of family resources and older parents wanting to retain control, in order to be assured care if they needed it
E) contracts and wills were established if parents were unsure of receiving care from their families

Question 8

In a certain family, one son remains at the parental home, brining in a wife and, later, children. This is an example of what type of family?

A) census family
B) extended family
C) split family
D) stem family
E) non-family household

Question 9

The historical evidence suggests that in the past,

A) older persons were venerated, honoured, and well cared for by their children
B) wealth did not play a part in the status of the aged
C) wealth did not play a part in the treatment of the aged
D) Western countries revered their elders more so than today
E) Western countries did not revere their elders

Question 10

In pre-industrial and early industrial times,

A) most people had property
B) most people were wealthy
C) families had the economic ability to support older family members
D) England established poor houses, the beginning of state-sponsored support for the old
E) state financial assistance weakened the family

Question 11

The belief persists of "the happy and large multi-generational family of the past, in which elders were treasured and well cared for." One reason for the continuation of this over-idealized view is

A) that many older adults are placed in nursing homes
B) a broad conceptualization of "family"
C) the rise of the conservative family values movement with an agenda to return to a more rigid gendered society
D) adult children do not provide care to aging parents
E) older adults are lonely

Question 12

All but which of the following statements is true about marital status?

A) married older adults are healthier than their non-married peers
B) married older adults live longer than their non-married peers
C) widows are poorer than older married women
D) separated and divorced women fare better than the widowed in terms of quality of life, economic status and social support
E) marital status is an important determinant of quality of life in later years

Question 13

It is quite likely that in the future, a higher proportion of older people will be divorced. This is because

A) a large increase in later-life divorce is expected
B) economically, people will fare better in old age if they are divorced than married
C) more people will enter old age as divorced
D) marriages will not be able to withstand the demands of increasing chronic illness that comes with old age
E) it will be easier for an older people to get placed in a long-term care facility if he/she is not married

Question 14

Which of the following statements is true about living arrangements?

A) there is a one-to-one correspondence between marital status and living arrangements
B) there is very little diversity in the living arrangements of seniors
C) gender plays a determining role in the living arrangements of seniors
D) living arrangements of seniors tend to be considerably static
E) change in marital status does not usually mean a change in living arrangements

Question 15

Almost 60% of men aged 75 and over live with their wives, compared to less than 25% of women in that age category. This gender difference is a direct result of

A) similar life expectancies of men and women
B) higher institutionalization rates for men
C) lower institutionalization rates for men
D) differing rates of widowhood between men and women
E) similar rates of widowhood between men and women

Question 16

Approximately _____ percent of Canadian women aged 65 or over live alone.

A) ten
B) twenty-five
C) thirty-five
D) forty-five
E) fifty-five

Question 17

All western industrialized societies have experienced

A) a substantial decrease in older people living alone, especially among older men
B) a substantial decrease in older people living alone, especially among older women
C) a substantial increase in older people living alone, especially among older men
D) a substantial increase in older people living alone, especially among older women
E) no change in the proportion of older people living alone

Question 18

The rise of living alone among older women is a function of

A) greater increases in female life expectancy compared to men
B) lower increases in female life expectancy compared to women
C) increased mortality of the baby boomers
D) increasing fertility so that older women have more children to live with
E) increases in mortality rates among women compared to men

Question 19

What factor(s) are important in explaining the increase in older women's propensity to live alone?

A) economic factors only
B) demographic factors only
C) cultural factors only
D) economic and demographic factors only
E) economic, demographic, and cultural factors

Question 20

Approximately _____ percent of Canadian older adults live in some of kind of multigenerational living arrangement.

A) two
B) thirteen
C) twenty-five
D) forty
E) over fifty

Question 21

Ethnicity is associated with multigenerational living in Western countries. In Canada, families of _____ origins are most likely to live in multigenerational arrangements.

A) French
B) Italian
C) Asian
D) First Nations
E) Greek

Question 22

Empirical evidence about ethnic minority families suggests that

A) they are less likely to live in multigenerational households
B) they have less favorable attitudes towards co-residency
C) they express a higher degree of filial responsibility
D) they do not have a propensity to prefer joint living arrangements
E) they live in multigenerational households only out of economic necessity

Question 23

Attitudes about multigenerational living with aging parents are related to past living arrangements. Specifically

A) people who as children lived in a multigenerational household and/or who lived with their parents as adults before they marry have more positive attitudes to living with aging parents
B) people who as children lived in a multigenerational household and/or who lived with their parents as adults before they marry have more negative attitudes to living with aging parents
C) living in multigenerational households when young, predisposes persons to view multigenerational living negatively
D) living in multigenerational households when young, predisposes persons not to bring aging parents into their homes
E) that older people grew up in a multigenerational home and therefore they prefer not to live independently

Question 24

The combination of increased longevity and decreased fertility has led to more families members alive at one time, which is referred to as

A) serial caregiving
B) horizontal extension
C) horizontal expansion
D) vertical extension
E) sandwich generation

Question 25

A family has five generations which are still alive. This family would fall into which of the following categories?

A) serial caregiving
B) beanpole families
C) multigenerational living
D) reconstituted families
E) the sandwich generation

Question 26

With the increase in divorce has come the formation of _____, which are families formed by remarriage and involving children from a previous marriage.

A) reconstituted families
B) beanpole families
C) integrated families
D) mixed families
E) nuclear families

Question 27

The sandwich generation refers to

A) families that have more family members at one time, but each generation has fewer members
B) families formed by remarriage and involving children from a previous marriage
C) midlife families, especially women, who are caught in the middle between care demands of children and the care demands of aging parents
D) a co-residing unit of parents and dependent children
E) family members who do not co-reside

Question 28

Canadian data suggest that "sandwiching" is

A) not occurring in Canada
B) is decreasing in Canada
C) is increasing in Canada
D) occurring among the majority of women in Canada
E) not a common phenomenon

Question 29

Canadian data suggest that "sandwiching" is not a common phenomenon because

A) care for older parents tends to occur while dependent children are still at home
B) care for older parents tends to occur after dependent children have left home
C) an increasing number of families are placing their aging parents in long-term care facilities
D) children are leaving the house sooner so that care can be provided to older parents
E) families are having less children and life expectancy for aging parents is decreasing

Question 30

Midlife families have experienced considerable change with regard to the presence of adult children in the home. By the middle of the 20^th century, the empty nest phase of life was

A) not a reality for many couples
B) non-existent, as many couples did not have children
C) non-existent, as adult children never left home
D) an institutionalized life stage for most midlife couples
E) being phased out, with adult child-midlife parent(s) co-residency decreasing

Question 31

The empty nest has become increasingly "cluttered" in recent years. One of the factors that contribute to this phenomenon is

A) death of one parent before the adult child leaves home
B) decreased life expectancy
C) young adult children leaving the home earlier
D) young adult children returning to the parental home at least once
E) young adult children not returning to the parental home

Question 32

Young adult children who return to the parental home at least once are sometimes referred to as

A) boomerang kids
B) empty nest kids
C) intergenerational kids
D) extended family
E) sandwich generation

Question 33

All but which of the following is a characteristic of boomerang kids?

A) they are failures who have not been able to attain full adult status
B) they are more likely to be never married
C) they are more likely to be unemployed
D) economic factors play an important role in their decision to return home
E) their presence in the home does not negatively affect the marriages of midlife parents

Question 34

With respect to the empty-nest phenomenon,

A) boomerang kids create stress for parents
B) boomerang kids cause family disharmony
C) boomerang kids commonly bounce back and forth several times
D) fathers, in particular, are quite pleased to have their children back at home
E) the presence of boomerang kids does not negatively affect the marriages of mid-life parents

Question 35

It is often found that middle-aged parents feel closer to their children than their children feel toward them. The hypothesis put forth to explain this differential closeness is called

A) the generation hypothesis
B) the intergenerational stake hypothesis
C) the multiple jeopardy hypothesis
D) the intergenerational inequity hypothesis
E) the buffer hypothesis

Question 36

With respect to the intergenerational stake hypothesis,

A) the younger generation has a stake in preserving what the older generation has built
B) the older generation has a stake in developing the autonomous ways of the younger generation
C) the younger generation tends to maximize intergenerational differences
D) the older generation tends to maximize intergenerational differences
E) it has not found much support in research

Question 37

Several misconceptions exist with regard to the relationships between older people and their families, particularly their children. One misconception is

A) the provision of help among parents and children is related to age and life course
B) help and assistance go both ways between older parents and adult children
C) that children abandon their parents and dump them into nursing homes
D) the decision to institutionalize a parent is done with reluctance
E) for the most part, older people are in fairly good health and most of the joint years lived by adult children and their parents are ones in which little caregiving is needed

Question 38

It is believe that most future seniors will be grandparents. However, recent trends suggest that they may be grandparents of

A) more grandchildren and for longer periods
B) more grandchildren and for shorter periods
C) fewer grandchildren but for longer periods
D) fewer grandchildren and for shorter periods
E) recent trends do not suggest any significant changes

Question 39

Grandparents provide a considerable amount of financial assistance to the families of their grandchildren (and great-grandchildren). Which of the following statements is true?

A) this is an example of private transfers between generations
B) this is an example of public transfers between generations
C) this supports the idea of international inequity favouring the old
D) grandparents tend to find providing financial assistance problematic
E) grandmothers are more likely than grandfathers to provide financial assistance

Question 40

All but which of the following statements are true about grandparents and grandchildren?

A) grandsons and granddaughters generally feel emotionally closer to their grandmothers
B) grandfathers tend to give advice to their grandchildren
C) grandmothers engage in a wider variety of conversation topics and activities with their grandchildren
D) gender differences in grandparenting behaviour may be cohort specific
E) gender differences in grandparenting are expected to remain the same in the future

Question 41

The previous decade has seen an increase in which family member taking on a parenting role of their kin's children?

A) uncles
B) aunts
C) cousins
D) grandparents
E) siblings

Question 42

The research on widowhood suggests

A) men are much more likely than women to experience the death of their spouse
B) women are much more likely than men to experience the death of their spouse
C) men and women are equally likely to experience the death of a spouse
D) that less than one-tenth of Canadian older widows live in poverty
E) older widows are less likely than other marital status categories to receive assistance from children

Question 43

Most widows feel the loss of their husband very intensely. However, in addition to experiencing typical characteristics of the bereavement process, if the marriage was not successful and the husband was cruel or nasty, the wife may also experience

A) intense grief
B) depression
C) ambiguous loss
D) feelings of meaninglessness
E) loss of identity

Question 44

With respect to gay widowers,

A) we know how many gay widowers there are
B) gay widowers cannot generally transform their lives in positive ways in widowhood
C) research has been on-going for quite some time
D) enforced privacy may make their bereavement process more difficult
E) most research has used large samples

Question 45

Which of the following statements about sibling relationships in later life is true?

A) sibling ties tend to be reactivated by the declining health of the parents
B) families with two brothers tend to share caregiving duties most equitably
C) sons in brother-only families tend to be more proactive than reactive in caring for elderly parents
D) in families with brothers and sisters, the brothers are more likely to be engaged in parental caregiving
E) sibling relationships over the life course have been conceptualized as "from allies to rivals"

Question 46

Approximately _____ percent of today's older people have at least one sibling.

A) 5
B) 15
C) 30
D) 55
E) 80

Question 47

All but which of the following factors have been demonstrated to influence sibling contact in later life?

A) gender
B) marital status
C) geographic proximity
D) parental status
E) sibling type: "real," half, or step

Question 48

There has been a growing realization that in some later-life families, mistreatment of older adults occurs. This mistreatment refers to

A) neglect only
B) physical abuse only
C) psychological abuse only
D) financial abuse only
E) neglect, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and financial abuse

Question 49

According to the 1999 General Social Survey, what is the most frequently reported form of elder abuse or maltreatment?

A) physical abuse
B) emotional abuse
C) financial abuse
D) neglect
E) non-family violence

Question 50

A more fruitful direction for addressing elder abuse and maltreatment is

A) forcing elders to reveal abuse
B) hardening punishments for those guilty of elder abuse
C) facilitating prevention
D) reframing elder maltreatment as a solely legal issue
E) taking away the right of choice from older people to reveal abuse

Question 51

Most children abandon their older parents and dump them into nursing home as soon as they can.

Question 52

Help goes both ways between parents and children, and is related to age and life course stage.

Question 53

Approximately one-half of older Canadian widows live in poverty.

Question 54

Many older people have a sibling who lives nearby.

Question 55

Older men are most often victimized by their spouses; women may be victimized by spouses or adult children.

Question 56

Why is it not easy to capture a "family" for empirical purposes? Why is the definition of family important? Define the different types of families used in research and policy.

Question 57

In Canada, we have followed the normative practice of making co-residency a defining characteristic of families. That is, privileging the nuclear family form over the extended family form. What implications does this practice have for older adults?

Question 58

Discuss the factors that have led to an increase in older people living alone, particularly older women.

Question 59

Why is it important to make the distinction between multigenerational households located in the parent's home and those located in the child's home?

Question 60

Discuss the concepts of sandwich generation, cluttered nests, and boomerang kids as related to mid-life families. How has research dispelled some of the myths around these concepts?

Question 61

What is the intergenerational stake hypothesis? Is there evidence to support it?

Question 62

What does the research on grandparenting contribute to the debate on intergenerational equity?

Question 63

What are the factors that influence sibling contact in later life? What does the research suggest about the closeness of sibling relationships?

Question 64

Briefly discuss the various explanations put forward to account for elder abuse and maltreatment. What is the state of research in this area?

Question 65

"Elder maltreatment is more of a social than a legal issue." Discuss the implications of this statement.

Question 66

Discuss the different definitions and meanings of family. What has led to the expansion of the standard definition?

Question 67

Discuss the intergenerational relations among older people and their children. Is the assistance from children to parents unidirectional? Why or why not? How does providing assistance change over the life course?

Question 68

Discuss trends of grandparenting. What affects the grandparent-grandchild relationship? What are the factors that may lead to grandparent-headed households?

Question 69

Describe the current research on widowhood. What is meant by ambiguous loss? Provide an example. How are relationships with others renegotiated in widowhood? What do we know about gay widowers? How is the portrayal of widowhood changing?

Question 70

What are some of the explanations put forth for elder maltreatment and abuse? Discuss what we know about violence against aged family members. What should be the focus of future research?