Older adult research in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, and Counselling Psychology Quarterly: A 15-year review and implications for research

Abstract

In preparing for an aging global population, older adults’ well-being has become an urgent priority across the world. Counseling psychologists have also called upon the field for more empirical attention on older adults. Yet, a review of the literature revealed that older adults were represented in less than 2% of all the articles in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and The Counseling Psychologist (TCP) from 1991 to 2000. The current study presents a follow-up review of older adult research in counseling psychology literature between 2001 and 2015 in the following mainstream journals: Counselling Psychology Quarterly (CPQ), JCP, and TCQ. Results suggest a decline in the past 15 years, with less than 1% of the total articles in JCP, TCP, and CPQ devoted to older adults. Most of the studies employed cross-sectional survey research design to examine predictors of mental health. A number of studies focused on culture-specific experiences of diverse older adults. Implications and suggestions for future research on older adult issues are discussed in relation to the principles and interests rooted in the field of counseling psychology.

Keywords:

• older adult
• elder
• aging
• old age
• review
• counseling psychology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Brian TaeHyuk Keum is a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Maryland-College Park. His research interests pertain to understanding mental health correlates within the context of diverse and intersecting identities (e.g. gender, race, sexual orientation, and culture). He has published research on Asian American mental health, older adult issues, racism, body image, and men's emotional exploration.