This survey of sexual practices in the United States has been combed by the media for items of interest to the public: monogamous sex is much more widespread in this country than has been thought; infidelity is less frequent than presumed; vaginal intercourse is the defining experience of heterosexual behavior; watching one's partner undress is stimulating to many people; married couples have more sex than single people (unmarried, cohabiting couples have the most sex of all); the majority of couples experience sex twice a week to several times a month; 2.8% of men identify themselves as homosexual and 1.4% of women do so, but a higher percentage of people consider a same-gender experience to have some appeal; 75% of men always experience orgasm compared with 28.6% of women, but more nearly equal numbers of men and women declare themselves satisfied with their sexual experiences. The book is, in fact, a

The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States

The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods

A double-edged sword.

As the world population ages and older adults comprise a growing proportion of current and potential Internet users, understanding the state of Internet use among older adults as well as the ways t...

A review of Internet use among older adults

The Volunteer Subject.

Over the past 20 years, empirical evidence has brought about a change in the view on how, or even whether, personality traits change or develop in adulthood and later life. Now we know personality can and does change for many people, if not most. Changes in personality may occur due to biological or environmental factors. This paper presents key empirical findings on personality change in adulthood and provides evidence that personality change affects mental and physical health. Our goal is to provide a broad overview on personality change research that would be an invaluable resource for students and researchers. We organize this paper into 3 sections. The first is focused on techniques in analyzing personality change in adulthood and later life. The second is focused on personality change as an outcome; we explore what factors predict personality change. The third discusses a relatively novel idea: personality change as a predictor of mental and physical health. We conclude that more research on factors predicting personality change is needed and we provide suggestions on how research on personality change can progress.

Future Directions in the Study of Personality in Adulthood and Older Age.

With 38 million residents, Poland has the eighth-largest population in Europe. A successful transition from communism to democracy, which began in 1989, has brought several significant changes to the country's economic development, demographic structure, quality of life, and public policies. As in the other European countries, Poland has been facing a rapid increase in the number of older adults. Currently, the population 65 and above is growing more rapidly than the total population and this discrepancy will have important consequences for the country's economy. As the population ages, there will be increased demands to improve Poland's health care and retirement systems. This article aims to provide a brief overview of the demographic trends in Poland as well a look at the country's major institutions of gerontology research. The article also describes key public policies concerning aging and how these may affect the well-being of Poland's older adults.

Aging in Poland

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Book Review: The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World's Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market

Individuals with certain personality traits employ adaptive coping strategies. Little research, however, has examined coping strategies among incarcerated individuals. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 465 males who served time in five different prisons in Poland. We examined the relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions and coping styles, and the results demonstrated that neuroticism predicts emotion-oriented coping whereas conscientiousness predicts task-oriented coping strategies. A better understanding of the role of personality traits and its relation to coping strategies may allow for more targeted and effective psychological interventions that will, in turn, improve inmates' abilities to cope with stress.

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The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Coping Styles Among First-Time and Recurrent Prisoners in Poland.

Background and objectives The goal of this study is to create data-driven guidelines and tools for caregivers and health care professionals that will enable caregivers to be prepared for future caregiving-related challenges and decrease their levels of stress. Research design and methods A total of 60 spousal caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) living in Poland were recruited for this study. The participants were assigned to two different groups. The intervention group was provided with a five-session training focused on teaching coping strategies for managing difficult behaviors and provided with a stipend for a period of 6 months (a financial aid program recently launched by the local agency). A control group was not provided with any of the interventions but asked to complete the questionnaires. The effectiveness of each intervention was assessed at a baseline and 6 months after baseline evaluation. Results Caregivers who received financial and educational training reported significantly decreased levels of depression and caregiver burden in comparison to the control group. The majority of caregivers emphasized that caregiving created financial problems and that their work has been underestimated by the government. Discussion and implications This project addresses several issues of central importance to the success of building research foundation for the interventions. The results have the potential of generating more efficient and personalized interventions that address the needs of the caregiver as they occur, leading to increased knowledge of AD and decreased levels of depression and caregiver burden.

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Magdalena Leszko

Papers

Future Directions in the Study of Personality in Adulthood and Older Age.

Aging in Poland

Book Review: The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World's Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market

The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Coping Styles Among First-Time and Recurrent Prisoners in Poland.

The Effectiveness of Psychoeducational and Financial Intervention to Support Caregivers of Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease in Poland.