Ageism in the time of COVID-19

In this article, we outline how the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has the potential to fundamentally change how we think and feel about our own age, and how we think and feel about other age groups. Specifically, we outline how discourse surrounding the pandemic has strengthened the homogeneous view of older adults as vulnerable, has socially stigmatized being an older adult, and has exacerbated hostile and benevolent expressions of ageism. We explore the impact of these changing dynamics on intergenerational cohesion and relations, and propose that understanding theories of ageism will be essential for how we handle future pandemics in order to reduce the potential negative impact of crises on individuals as well as on communities and societies

Editorial: Age-Based Stereotype Threat Effects on Performance Outcomes

Editorial on the Research Topic. Age-Based Stereotype Threat Effects on Performance Outcomes

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Seeing Eye-to-Eye: Do Intergroup Biases Operate Similarly for Younger and Older Adults?

© SAGE Publications 2005Because of their relatively temporary group memberships, age groups represent an intriguing test of theories of intergroup relations. In spite of this unique feature, virtually no research has examined age group relations from an intergroup perspective. The present study investigated the role of two influential intergroup factors, degree of group identification and threats to group status, in younger and older adults’ evaluations of their ingroup (own age group) and the outgroup (other age group). Participants were placed in situations in which their ingroup was either superior or inferior to the outgroup. Several measures of bias were then assessed, including ingroup favoritism, perceived similarity, social distance, outgroup homogeneity, and self-stereotyping. The results support the notion that age groups are unique from other groups, as age influenced all forms of bias. In particular, young adults exhibited more biases than older adults by perceiving less similarity and distancing themselves more from the outgroup. These findings suggest that older adults’ greater familiarity with the outgroup might attenuate their age-based biases compared with younger participants.This research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada research grant (410-2000-0017) awarded to Alison Chasteen

To mask or not to mask:The role of concealment behavior, stigma experience, and community connectedness in autistic people's mental health

Psychological theory and results from previous empirical studies paradoxically suggest that concealing and revealing one's autism can each result in reduced mental well-being. On one hand, autistic people who reveal their autistic identity experience considerable anti-autism stigma, which can lead to worse mental health outcomes compared to autistic people who conceal their autistic identity. On the other hand, autistic people who conceal their autistic identity are not afforded the benefits of autistic community connectedness, potentially undermining mental health outcomes compared to autistic people who reveal their autistic identity. The present study explores the relationships between autism concealment behaviors, autistic community connectedness, stigma experience, and mental well-being in autistic people. In an analytic sample of 409 autistic people, we found that concealing one's autistic identity was related to worse depressive symptoms, and that this relationship was related to experiencing greater stigma, and not to differences in community connectedness. These findings reinforce the need for combatting stigma against autistic people. Lay Abstract: Many autistic people try to hide their autistic traits or appear more in line with typical social norms through changing their behavior, even when it is uncomfortable, which is known as camouflaging. Previous studies have shown that autistic people often attribute mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression, to concealing their autism through camouflaging. In part, this might be because concealing one's autism is related the loss of a sense of community with other autistic people, which is a protective factor for autistic people's mental health. However, allowing one's autistic identity to be public by forgoing camouflaging can make autistic people more likely to face judgement, stigmatization, and unfair treatment due to society's negative view of autism, which can also lead to poor mental health. Autistic people may thus be in a double bind between engaging in camouflaging but possibly experiencing related mental health difficulties and camouflaging less but encountering more stigmatization. In this study, we explored what contributes to this seemingly contradictory relationship between autism concealment and depressive symptoms. We collected data from 409 autistic people in an online survey. The results showed that participants who concealed their autism more were more likely to show depressive symptoms. This increase in depression symptoms was explained by experiencing stigma rather than feeling connected to the autistic community. These findings suggest negative effects of camouflaging and stigma on autistic people's mental health and support the call for increased autism acceptance