Grief & Aging

Eligibility

• At least 50 years old
• Person of color (e.g., racial identity that is non-white)
• Have experienced the death of at least 1 close loved one at some point in your life (i.e., does not have to be recent)

Purpose

We hope to understand how lifetime experiences of losses and structural factors impact accelerated aging in older adults of color. Accelerated biological aging refers to an estimate of someone’s biological age relative to their chronological age, which can be derived from a number of biomarkers in the body. Frailty is another form of accelerated aging, measured as difficulties with daily activities across physical, cognitive, and social domains. We are also interested in structural factors, such as neighborhood incarceration rate, that may additionally interact with loss to impact health. The mechanisms through which loss and grief may impact physical health still remain understudied, especially in communities of color.

Involvement

You can participate remotely via Zoom or phone, or in-person at UCLA’s campus, depending on whichever is more convenient for you.

You will be scheduled for a 1-hour session with a researcher. During this session,

1. You will be asked to complete a 45-minute survey on your experiences with grief and loss, residential history, and health. This survey can be completed online or on paper.
2. Next, you have the opportunity to provide an optional dried blood spot sample using a device we freely provide for you; the device can be mailed to you if participating via Zoom. The researcher will guide you through how to collect the dried blood spot sample in 5 minutes, either from the comfort of your home remotely or in-person. The sample collection will feel similar to a small skin prick.

Benefits

• Compensation
  • $40 gift card (Ralphs or Target) for completing the survey
  • Additional $15 gift card (Ralphs or Target) for providing optional dried blood spot sample ($55 total)
• List of resources and educational information relevant to grief
• Results will inform better understanding the health of people who have experienced loss to inform future supports after bereavement

Contact

Michelle Chang, M.A.: changmichelle@g.ucla.edu

Call or text (323) 284-4695

Fill out our prescreening interest form here:

English: tinyurl.com/GriefHealthSurvey

Spanish: tinyurl.com/duelosalud

View Study Flyer (PDF)