November 18-22, 2009
Atlanta, Georgia
The Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting

November 18:
Within Family Differences in Ambivalence: Within and Across Generations
Kira Birditt

November 21:
Longitudinal Interrelations Between Social Support, Control Beliefs, and Health
Toni C. Antonucci

Using Global Perspectives on Health and Social Relations to Inform Creative Approaches to Aging
Toni C. Antonucci
Kristine Ajrouch
Hiroko Akiyama
Heather Fuller-Iglesias
Noah J. Wesbster

The major purpose of the Life Course Development (LCD) program is to expand our knowledge of social relationships across the lifespan and their implications for mental and physical health. We examine a wide variety of relationships including those with family, friends, spouse, parents, children and peripheral ties from middle childhood to the oldest-old.  We are interested in identifying the aspects of relationships (e.g., types of support, conflict, contact frequency) that are most beneficial and or harmful to health and whether these associations vary by key demographic and contextual factors such as marital status, gender, age, race, and education.

Click here to see a video on Kristine Ajrouch's research in Lebanon