Article of the month – on aging issues

D-Day – June 6, 1944 – and then 65 years later……….

Welcome to another segment of the Rogue Scholarship on Aging research article-of-the month and in this edition I highlight a remarkable investigator – Glen H. Elder, Jr. – in the field of aging and an example of his latest scholarship effort (along with his co-authors).

The article:

The Lifelong Mortality Risks of World War II Experiences

But first some roguish commentary about this edition topic – and the article of the month.

In the field of gerontology, I am constantly amazed at the wide degree of latitude that represents the intersecting topics across the horizon of aging. And in my classes at the university, I try to indicate how one can (and should) go from the MICRO to the MACRO when trying to capture the aging experience. But I am (too often) guilty of backsliding toward the MICRO end of the scale and become obsessed with the latest and greatest in the domain of pleasurable reductionism that is all things biogerontological; that is, I am all over the most current new releases ranging from free radicals to telomeres to SENS to nanontechnological “stuff” that would weave into the aging organism. It is here that my mind gets jacked by the holy grail nuances of where the HOW and WHY of aging will be discovered. Yes, yes…of course, there is the psychological, the economical, and the sociological issues of aging, but talk to me about the radical evolution to be found in biotechnology and aging and I am robotically smitten.

But every now and then, the scholarship of aging in the social and behavioral sciences just simply trumps (and trounces) the academic fireworks in the biomedical field. For example, I consider The Journey of Life: A Cultural History of Aging in America by Thomas R. Cole (1997 – Canto Edition) to quite simply one of the finest publications on our field. There are times when we need the larger – MACRO view on the domain of aging and we are fortunate to have several scholars who can cover the landscape and provide the bird’s eye view for perspectives on the aging experience over time and as heavily influenced by our time in the place of history. Yes, that’s right HISTORY – perhaps to you and me, but those who lived in it – through it – it is their story and their identity – for all of life. And we too shall have our time and place – here I am thinking of the aging baby boomers – and it will be studied and reflected upon with quantitative and qualitative research, and despite the hypervelocity by which some think our future will greet us (can you say – hyperreality?), there is always the past and the formative experiences that cross-cut and polish, that expand and crush, that punish and elevate our existential selves under the onslaught of time.

We will need the microscope and the diary to understand aging. We should embrace the technology and the ontology if we are to discover the essence of life.

And so it is refreshing – and with highest respect – that I highlight a long-time (and long-term) contributor to the scholarship in the domain of sociology, demography and psychology in the field of aging. Glen H. Elder, Jr.

Here we have scholarship to serve as a gold template to think about our parents and grandparents (generationally speaking) – and then think about the cohorts to follow – and the monumental disruptions of war and conflict – and the ripple effect of tragedy and surviving.

 The Lifelong Mortality Risks of World War II Experiences (July, 2009)

Glen H. Elder, Jr

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, glen_elder@unc.edu

Elizabeth C. Clipp  Duke University Medical Center

J. Scott Brown Miami University at Oxford, Ohio

Leslie R. Martin La Sierra University

Howard S. Friedman University of California, Riverside

Research on Aging, Vol. 31, No. 4, 391-412 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0164027509333447

In this longitudinal study of American veterans, the authors investigated the mortality risks of five World War II military experiences (e.g., combat exposure) and their variation among veterans in the postwar years. The male subjects (n = 854) were members of the Stanford-Terman study, and 38% served in World War II. Cox models (proportional-hazards regressions) were used to compare the relative mortality risk associated with each military experience. Overseas duty, service in the Pacific theater, and exposure to combat significantly increased the mortality risks of veterans in the study. Individual differences in education, mental health in 1950, and age at entry into the military, as well as personality factors, made no difference in these results. In conclusion, a gradient was observed such that active duty on the home front, followed by overseas duty, service in the Pacific, and combat exposure, markedly increased the risk for relatively early mortality. Potential linking mechanisms include heavy drinking.

Glen H. Elder, Jr.

Glen H. Elder, Jr., Research Professor of Sociology and Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been involved in the development of life course studies as a field of inquiry. He has investigated the Great Depression in the lives of Americans, the impact of military and wartime experiences in the life course and health of U.S. veterans, and the effects of urban poverty as well as rural change on families. Using Add Health data, he is currently investigating pathways of risk and resilience to the young adult years. He co-directs the Carolina Population Center’s training program on aging. He has also served on the faculties of the University of California (Berkeley) and Cornell University. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Elder has served as Vice-President of the American Sociological Association (1989), and as President of the Sociological Research Association (1999) and of the Society for Research on Child Development (1995-97). His books (authored, co-authored, edited) include Children of the Great Depression (1974; 1999, expanded edition), Life Course Dynamics (1985), Children in Time and Place (1993), Families in Troubled Times (1994), Examining Lives in Context (1995), Developmental Science (1996), Methods of Life Course Research (1998), and Children of the Land: Adversity and Success in Rural America (2000: William J. Goode Award). http://www.unc.edu/~elder/

Lost In Translation: Slippage in the Reporting of Research on Aging
(or The Entropic Process Going From Journal Article to Headline News)

Wait !!! – Don’t go away – this is good – I promise ! Hang in there …………

“The very definition of the real has become: that of which it is possible to give an equivalent reproduction. . . The real is not only what can be reproduced, but that which is always already reproduced: that is the hyperreal… which is entirely in simulation.”
~ Jean Baudrillard

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.”
~ Yogi Berra

We know that Plato has his issues with “other forms” that did not quite live up to the purity of the “ideal.”  He thought there was a degree of degradation that would take place from the high standard – and as a result we would be left with imperfect reflections of  - whatever – and those damn artists and poets would ruin it all with their “interpretations.”

One thing is for sure, Plato didn’t have to worry about press releases and news corporations in his day where his own philosophical “headlines” could be twisted, altered, and morphed into something not even close to the quintessence (pardon the pun). Hmmm….maybe that was his point. And maybe back then instead of cable news outlets – they were known as “sophists.”

Anyway…the point is this: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it {in the way you never meant}. For example, the journey from basic (bench) science to news releases for public consumption can sometimes be a turbulent road with the end results being not quite what the original intent (or content) claimed to be; in other words the research findings slip into the hands of would be journalists – watch out!  Of course, there are many historical examples where the press – the media – are quick on the draw – and just step on it – big time. 

But of greater concern is ever-growing threat of the institutionalized Tower of Babel – known as “news reporting” especially when it comes to the “translation” of science to news “clips” and “blurbs.” We have learned that sometimes the screaming headlines and well-intentioned labels have a way of self-destructing in on themselves.

Let me offer you an example in the domain of research on aging. I want to bring you on a little trip through the land of Wittgenstein – where language ain’t what it used to be – or never was.

But first a few other examples of what I mean Lost in Translation –

Wait – why is Scarlett I. Johansson in this? {Sorry, just had to do it – add a little class to this blog}

Anyway…Žižek, in his new book, was talking about how misunderstandings can crop up so easily, especially when translating text from language to another. Example Amercian movies and their famous lines being translated thus:

From Gone With the Wind (Clark Gable to Vivian Leigh) in English:
             “Franlky, my dear, I don’t give a damn!”

Rendered as in Japanese (with courtesy and etiquette added) to:
            “I fear, my darling, that there is a slight misunderstanding between the two of us.”

Or this one:

From Casablanca:
           “This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!”

Rendered in Chinese (People’s Republic of China)
            “The two of us will now constitute a new cell of anti-fascist struggle!”

Yep, something lost in the translation. The original versus the “copy” (as Plato laughs in his grave).

Okay – here is the example in the domain of research on aging.

Here is the original title and article and in the Neurology Journal (just published in Jan. 2009)

Personality And Lifestyle In Relation To Dementia Incidence. – Wang, H, Karp, A, Herlitz, A, Crowe, M, Kareholt, I, Winblad, B, MD, PhD, Fratiglioni, L, MD, PhD. Pages: 253-259 – JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 72 ISSUE 3- http://www.aan.com/go/elibrary/journal

And please note in the authors excerpted abstract the key words “association” -which means just that “association” – and not necessarily “cause and effect”
Now don’t fall asleep on me – hang in there – just read on through ! 

Objective: High neuroticism has been associated with a greater risk of dementia, and an active/socially integrated lifestyle with a lower risk of dementia. The aim of the current study was to explore the separate and combined effects of neuroticism and extraversion on the risk of dementia, and to examine whether lifestyle factors may modify this association. When compared to persons with high neuroticism and high extraversion, a decreased risk of dementia was detected in individuals with low neuroticism and high extraversion (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.28-0.94), but not among persons with low neuroticism and low extraversion (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.57-1.60), nor high neuroticism and low extraversion (HR = 0.97 95% CI = 0.57-1.65). Stratified analysis by lifestyle showed that the inverse association of low neuroticism and high extraversion in combination was present only among the inactive or socially isolated persons. Conclusion: Low neuroticism in combination with high extraversion is the personality trait associated with the lowest dementia risk; however, among socially isolated individuals even low neuroticism alone seems to decrease dementia risk.

The key point though – is the title: Personality And Lifestyle In Relation To Dementia Incidence.

Speaking of low key – that is exactly what the title conveys – an understated and calm title that speaks of a gentle summary – a succinctness that we expect in science journals. The kind of notice that practically says, “Please read this in a library – quiet please!”

Ok, next we get the news release and capture outlets going to work on the original article – with new headlines:

 Eureka Alert = “Socially active and not easily stressed? You may not develop dementia”
Ok – not too bad – you MAY NOT develop dementia (probably not, possibly not)

Next: This is from the New York Times:

“Socializing Appears to Delay Memory Problems”
Just about right  - the word: “Appears” – is such that – you can almost detect the hint of being modest and 
humble – hmmm, it may or it may not – we shall see  

Next: 

Wow – very cool! Mellow Demeanor May Stave Off Dementia
 I have not run into the phrase “stave off” for quite some time – but it works here !

But then we have reached a new level of translation. Something went astray – slippage!

Go to a party? – WTF? – Wait a second – how did we get from there to here?

We started with Personality And Lifestyle In Relation To Dementia Incidence 

and we ended with: Go To A Party ?

Having seen “Animal House” (only a thousand times) – I find it ironic that  it appears that a TOGA PARTY
is where a lot dementia originates ………….at least back in the “old days” when we were young. And remember:
I am only “suggesting” there is an “association” between TOGA ! and cognitive impairments ….
more empirical research is needed to test the hypothesis – more field work is needed.
Party on, Wayne -Party on, Garth.

Thanks,   Scott D. Wright