Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gq7q9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T10:21:35.621Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Longitudinal Analysis of Perceived Respect among Elders: Changing Perceptions for Some Ethnic Groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Judith G. Chipperfield
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba
Betty Havens
Affiliation:
Manitoba Health, Provincial Government and University of Manitoba

Abstract

This study assessed changes in older peoples' levels of perceived respect between the 1970s and the 1980s using data from the Aging in Manitoba Study. A longitudinal analysis was conducted for Manitobans, age 65 and over, who were interviewed in the mid 1970s and subsequently reinterviewed in the early 1980s. Changes in perceived respect scores for those who survived into the 1980s, and who provided ratings at both interviews (n = 776), were assessed in a repeated measures ANOVA. Significant increases were found in the mean level of respect for some ethnic groups, namely for the British, French, and German. A subsequent analysis indicated that the reported improvements in perceived respect could not be explained by participation in the study. These results may suggest that over the decade, the social climate of the elderly population in Manitoba has improved, at least for some ethnic groups.

Résumé

Cette recherche sur les changements dans les niveaux de perception du respect envers les personnes âgées a utilisé les données de l'enquête « Vieillir au Manitoba » qui a accumulé des observations sur un échantillon de personnes de 65 ans et plus à deux moments, soit au milieu des années '70 et au début des années '80. Seuls les survivants qui ont répondu aux deux enquêtes ont été retenus dans cette étude. L'analyse de variance a identifyé des augmentations importantes du niveau de respect moyen chez certains groupes ethniques, tels les Britainniques, les Français et les Allemands, pendant la période d'observation. On a aussi démontré que le progrès détecté dans la perception du respect ne pouvait s'expliquer par la participation à l'étude. Ces résultats suggèrent que, pendant une décennie, les conditions sociales de la population au Manitoba se sont ameliorées, du moins dans le cas de certains groupes ethniques.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bienvenue, R.M., & Havens, B. (1986). Structural inequalities, informal networks: A comparison of native and non-native elderly. Canadian Journal on Aging, 5, 241248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braithwaite, V.A. (1986). Old age stereotypes: Reconciling contradictions. Journal of Gerontology, 41, 353360.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brewer, M.B., Dull, V., & Lui, L. (1981). Perceptions of the elderly: Stereotypes and prototypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 656670.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butler, R.N. (1969). Agism: Another form of bigotry. The Gerontologist, 9, 243246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, D.T., & Stanley, J.C. (1966). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Cowgill, D.O. (1981). Aging in comparative cultural perspective. Mid-American Review of Sociology, 6, 128.Google Scholar
Cox, H.G. (1990). Roles for aged individuals in post-industrial societies. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 30, 5562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crockett, W.H., & Hummert, M.L. (1987). Perceptions of aging and the elderly. In Schaie, K.W. & Eisdorfer, C.. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 7, p. 217241. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Driedger, L., & Chappell, N. (1990). Variations in aging and ethnicity. In Halli, S., Trovato, F., & Driedger, L. (Eds.), Ethnic demography: Canadian immigrant, racial and cultural variations. Ottawa: Carleton University Press.Google Scholar
Fischer, D.H. (1978). Growing old in America. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Ginzberg, R. (1981). The negative attitude toward the elderly.Paper presented at the second International Gerontological Congress,St. Louis, Missouri.Google Scholar
Goldstein, M.C., & Beall, C.F. (1982). Indirect modernization and status of the elderly in a rural third world setting. Journal of Gerontology, 37, 743748.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, S.K. (1981). Attitudes and perceptions about the elderly: Current and future perspectives. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 13, 99119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Havens, B., & Chappell, N. (1983). Triple jeopardy: Age, sex, and ethnicity. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 15, 119132.Google Scholar
Kirk, R.E. (1982). Experimental design: procedures for the behavioral sciences. California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Kròtki, K.J., & Odynak, D. (1990). The emergence of multiethnicities in the eighties. In Halli, S, Trovato, F., & Driedger, L. (Eds.), Ethnic demography: Canadian immigrant, racial and cultural variations. Ottawa: Carleton University Press.Google Scholar
Manitoba Department of Health and Social Development. (1973). Aging in Manitoba: Needs and resources, 1971, Vol 1. Winnipeg: Department of Health & Social Development.Google Scholar
McPherson, B.D. (1990). Aging as a social process: An introduction to individual and population aging, 2nd Edition. In McPherson, B. (Ed). Toronto: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Mossey, J.M., Havens, B., Roos, N.P., & Shapiro, E. (1981). The Manitoba longitudinal study on aging: Description and methods. The Gerontologist, 21, 551558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmore, E. (1975). The honorable elders: A cross-cultural analysis of aging in Japan. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Province of Manitoba, Department of Health. (1990). Aging in Manitoba: 1983. Winnipeg: Province of Manitoba.Google Scholar
Rempel, J.D., & Havens, B. (1986). Aged health experiences as interpreted through culture.Presented at the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association Meetings,Winnipeg, Manitoba.Google Scholar
Roos, N.P., & Shapiro, E. (1981). The Manitoba longitudinal study on aging: Preliminary findings on health care utilization by the elderly. Medical Care, 19, 644657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenthal, C.J. (1986). Family supports in later life: Does ethnicity make a difference? The Gerontologist, 26, 1924.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaie, K.W. (1983). What can we learn from the longitudinal study of adult psychological development? In Schaie, W.K. (Ed), Longitudinal study of adult psychological development. New York: Guildford Press.Google Scholar
Sherman, E. (1985). Social reconstruction variables and the morale of the aged. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 20, 133144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (1983). Using multivariate statistics. San Francisco: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Tibbitts, C. (1979). Can we invalidate negative stereotypes in aging? The Gerontologist, 19, 1020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar