Aging

Aging research at WVU investigates the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects of aging, focusing on improving health outcomes and quality of life for older adults.

Using a multidisciplinary approach with an emphasis on lifespan development, studies explore how motivational processes, social decision-making, and views on aging influence mental health, functional recovery, and perceptions of discrimination. Additionally, research examines factors contributing to caregiver burnout, the impact of individual differences on health outcomes, and the environmental arrangements necessary to enhance recovery and emotional well-being in older adults.

Dr. Armshaw’s research in behavioral medicine aims to enhance recovery outcomes for a variety of disease states (like osteoarthritis) which often disproportionately affect the aging population. His work seeks to identify the necessary environmental arrangements to promote the behavioral correspondence necessary for full functional recovery and optimized quality of life. Studies typically follow a bench-to-bedside model, where research goes from the laboratory to the clinic.
Dr. Best's research uses the lifespan development approach to study how shifts in motivational processes across adulthood affect decision-making and how adults pursue goals.
Dr. Edelstein's research examines factors contributing to burnout among informal caregivers, particularly those caring for children and older adults at the same time.
Dr. Fiske’s research seeks to identify factors that may contribute to suicide among older adults, with a special focus on the high rates of suicide among older adult men. The lab also seeks to understand the role of depressive symptoms and depressive disorders in explaining suicide risk in this population.
Dr. Smith’s research has explored how aging influences social decision-making as well as how views on aging influence perceptions of discrimination and mental health.
Dr. Strough's research aims to identify "what is good about getting old." She and her team investigate improvements in emotional well-being with age and aspects of decision making that improve as we get older.
Dr. Turiano's research explores how individual difference factors (personality and adverse childhood experiences) impact lifespan health outcomes into adulthood such as the incidence of chronic disease, functional and cognitive decline, and longevity.