Analyze the following

Article 1:  Psychological hardiness predicts cardiovascular health (textbook reference

pages 518, 522–523)
In order to examine the possible link between hardiness and blood cholesterol markers
for heart health, Bartone, Valdes, and Sandvik (2016) recruited 338 adult students from
a major national defense college. Of these participants 67% were military, 33% were
civilian, 22% were women and 78% were men. The age range of participants was
between 31 and 62 years.
Participants first completed the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15) which was used
as a measure of hardiness. Two weeks after this, participants underwent a cholesterol
screen which measured their total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, and their
total cholesterol/HDL ratio. Hight was also recorded, and BMI was calculated by (weight
– kilograms divided by height – meters) divided by height – meters.
Results indicate that hardiness is negatively related to bodyfat, positively related to
HDL, and negatively related to total cholesterol/HDL ratio. This would suggest that
those higher in hardiness show lower risk factors for heart disease and greater
protective factors against heart disease.
The researchers gave several possible explanations for these findings which could
potentially be explored in future studies. One possible explanation is that hardy people
make healthier lifestyle choices leading to decreases in risk factors and increases in
protective factors, or that healthier lifestyle choices contributes to hardiness itself.
Another possibility is that brain regions involved in the way hardy people appraise
stress might influence other brain regions which impact the production of hormones as
well as various processes regulating cholesterol.
However, the findings of this study are correlational and cannot determine causality.
This study also did not control for other variables such as exercise, diet, family history,
and medications which might play some part in explaining the link between hardiness
and cholesterol. Further research is needed to clarify the link between hardiness and
blood cholesterol markers for heart health.
Bartone, P. T., Valdes, J. J., & Sandvik, A. (2016). Psychological hardiness predicts
cardiovascular health. Psychology, Health & Medicine , 21(6), 743-749.
doi:10.1080/13548506.2015.1120323
What do you think?
 Using the text, explain the three components of hardiness.
  Using the text and the research summarized above, what benefits
come from hardiness and what might contribute to its
development?
 

Article 2:  The Relationship between Non-Custodial Grandparent Satisfaction and Role
Meaning (textbook reference pages 552-554)
Seifali, Ibrahim, and Hamid (2016) conducted a study to both investigate the
relationship between non-custodial grandparent’s socio-demographic characteristics,
role meaning and grandparent role satisfaction as well as the relationship between role
meaning and role satisfaction after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics.
Their sample included 290 Iranian grandparents ranging from 60 to 84 years of age
drawn from 20 health centers in Kermanshah, Iran. 66.2% of the participants were
female and 33.8% were male. Demographic information such as marital, health, and
employments status was collected through face-to-face interviews conducted in the
participants’ homes, and measurements for this study included the following:
Measurement of Role Satisfaction
 15-item scale developed by Thomas (1986): items were rated on a 7-point
Likert-type scale from 1 to 7 ranging from 1 = very strongly disagree to 7 =
very strongly agree. Higher scores indicated greater levels of grandparenting
satisfaction.
Measurement of Role Meaning
 Role meaning instrument included four dimensions: (1) centrality, (2) Valued
elder, (3) Immortality through clan, (4) indulgence.
 Hayslip (2003)17- item scale: 7-point Likert scale ranging from (1) very
strongly disagree to (7) very strongly agree. Higher scores reflect greater
meaning.
The results of this study indicate that there was little relationship between age and non-
custodial grandparent satisfaction and that marital status was not associated with non-
custodial grandparent satisfaction. However, there was a strong positive correlation
between role meaning and non-custodial grandparent satisfactions which suggests that
non-custodial grandparents must find some way of making sense of their role in order
to find satisfaction in their role as a grandparent.
Seifali, S., Ibrahim, R., & Hamid, T. A. (2016). The Relationship between non-custodial
grandparent satisfaction and role meaning. Indian Journal of Gerontology , 30(3), 404-
414.
What do you think?
  Using information from this study and from the text, what meaning
can grandparents find in their role and how does this contribute to
their satisfaction?
 How might childless older adults find meaning in other roles they
might have?

Jot down your initial thoughts as you prepare to talk with someone else about
this research and think of a few pertinent questions to explore together.
Keep notes about what you learn in your conversation. If your discussion
causes you to change your initial opinions, great! That might be something
to note when you share what you've learned with your classmates.