Deck 12: Family Life and Relationships

Question 1

________ take place at expected times in a person's life. These events (e.g., high school graduation, religious confirmation, retirement) mark entry in a new status or position in society.

A) Life cycle events
B) Instrumental life events
C) Expected normal life events
D) Age-graded normative life events

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Gerontologists describe widowhood as a(n)

A) avoidable life event if husbands keep active.
B) loosely defined role with few expectations beyond initial grieving.
C) expectable or age-graded normative life event.
D) rise in status among older women in our society.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

As of 2010, about __% of people age 45 and over in the United States had married at least once.

A) 65
B) 75
C) 85
D) 90

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements about marriage is false?

A) Married couples tend to have more financial resources.
B) Marriage leads to better adjustments to aging.
C) Married couples report greater life satisfaction.
D) A bad marriage improves life satisfaction more than a strong network of friends and family.

Question 5

Married couples have lower rates of hospitalization and nursing home placements because they

A) have more leisure time than single people.
B) spend less on expenses than single people.
C) they have a higher income than single people.
D) offer one another a live-in support system.

Question 6

Even a good relationship will face a number of strains in later life. For instance,

A) couples may spend too much time in joint activities.
B) roles may remain the same and the relationship stagnates.
C) caregiving can lead to strains in marital satisfaction.
D) couples perceive money and income income-related problems as escalating in old age.

Question 7

Cohabitation may make good economic sense for older people who are

A) widowed.
B) divorced.
C) at risk of losing benefits by remarrying.
D) single.

Question 8

Divorce in later life often means loss of ________ for women and ________ for men.

A) economic security; social networks
B) social networks; economic security
C) social networks; family support
D) family support; life satisfaction

Question 9

The proportion of people married at a given age ________ from middle age onward.

A) decreases
B) increases
C) increases, then decreases
D) decreases, then increases

Question 10

________ explains most of the decrease in the marriage rate of older people.

A) Divorce
B) Widowhood
C) Institutionalization
D) Separation

Question 11

In 2015, there were over ________ times as many widows as widowers.

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8

Question 12

Which of the following does not account for the higher rate of widowhood for women?

A) Women have a longer life expectancy than men.
B) Men tend to die shortly after their spouse dies.
C) Women tend to marry older men.
D) Men tend to remarry after the loss of a spouse.

Question 13

After the loss of a spouse, studies show that

A) widowed women have less social supports and confidants than widowed men.
B) compared to men, women marry more quickly after widowhood.
C) men more often experience loneliness.
D) widowhood may have a more devastating effect on men's finances than on women's finances.

Question 14

Compared to older women, older men have a remarriage rate

A) six times higher.
B) six times lower.
C) two times higher.
D) two times lower.

Question 15

In coping with the loss of a spouse,

A) men may face decline in social functioning, while women develop confidante relationships.
B) men and women rely on the same coping strategy (i.e., engaging with the community).
C) both men and women experience equal amounts of social isolation and reduction in support leading to fewer friends and close relations to help cope with the loss.
D) women and men both increase involvement with large networks of friends in order to maintain a satisfying social life.

Question 16

Older people often express two reasons why they resume dating:

A) out of habit and to keep busy.
B) to find a marital partner and to stay socially active.
C) to increase social status and cope with the loss of the previous partner.
D) as an outlet for romance and as a way to feel youthful.

Question 17

Given good health and a partner, older people can remain sexually active until

A) middle age.
B) retirement.
C) old age.
D) late old age.

Question 18

People can adapt to many physical changes in their bodies and still enjoy a good sex life. But this requires

A) access to the latest medical equipment like pumps, jellies, and injections.
B) retaining the same steady pattern of sexual activity that was established during middle age.
C) that couples learning to trust each other during times of great personal vulnerability.
D) knowledge about sex in later life and good communication between the partners.

Question 19

Later life is a good time to explore sexual potential because

A) older people, especially those in retirement, have the time to spend attending their partners' sexual needs.
B) it makes both partners feel more youthful, energetic, and active.
C) older couples can develop a unique intimacy based on subtle forms of touch and holding with or without intercourse.
D) the reproductive function of sexual activity disappears and is replaced by a new emphasis on the recreational function of intercourse.

Question 20

A myth exists that older gays and lesbians live lonely lives. This statement is ________ because ________.

A) true; research shows older gay men are lonely, maladjusted, and living marginally to the institutions of society
B) false; older gays and lesbians report excellent mental health, a positive view of aging, and good support networks
C) false; the successful aging of gays and lesbians is attributable to the many homosexual role models of good aging
D) true; homosexuals are shunned by their family, have few friends, and lack coping strategies for aging

Question 21

Homosexuals face certain unique problems as they age. For instance,

A) barriers exist to social services that were designed to aid heterosexual partnerships.
B) due to their single status and mobility, homosexuals have a small support network of friends to assist them in old age.
C) due to societal attitudes, homosexuals rarely develop coping strategies to help them age.
D) loneliness and depression are chronic disorders affecting a disproportionate amount of older gays and lesbians.

Question 22

Modern families have abandoned their older members. This statement is ________, because ________.

A) true; of children's frequent moves and the fast pace of modern life
B) true; social services have taken on many of the roles traditionally played by children
C) false; evidence shows that grandparents now play complex roles in the lives of their grandchildren
D) false; most people still live in proximity to their parents and offer the same care to elders as pre-industrial families

Question 23

According to Kornhaber (2002), ________ can play the role of ancestor, companion, role model, mentor, nurturer, and teacher.

A) mothers
B) fathers
C) grandparents
D) friends

Question 24

Because of ________, many grandparents may find themselves in very complex family situations.

A) widowhood
B) high divorce rates among their children
C) the downturn of the economy
D) illness

Question 25

What kinds of challenges face grandchildren in skip generation households?

A) Insufficient insufficient supervision, too much freedom, and psychological distress.
B) Being being spoiled by grandparents and, insufficient educational guidance., and
C) Intergenerational intergenerational conflict between grandparents, adult children, and young children.
D) Higher higher rates of poverty, fewer resuorcesresources, and family strain.