Social support and monetary resources as protective factors against food insecurity among older Americans: findings from a health and retirement study

We investigate changes in older individuals' financial fragility as they stand on the verge of retirement. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we compare how debt has changed for successive cohorts of people age 56–61. Our analysis shows that recent older Americans close to retirement hold more debt, and hence face greater financial insecurity, than earlier generations. This is primarily due to having bought more expensive homes with smaller down payments. We discuss possible policy implications.

Download Full-text

Recent trends in wealth inequality among older Americans in two surveys

Journal of Economic and Social Measurement ◽

10.3233/jem-210477 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Gabor Kezdi ◽

Margaret Lay ◽

David Weir

Keyword(s):

Social Security ◽

Wealth Inequality ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽

Older Americans ◽

Consumer Finances ◽

Recent Trends ◽

Social Security Wealth ◽

Retirement Study

We document changes in wealth inequality across American households with a member aged 55 or older, comparing data in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) with that in the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) between 1998 and 2016. We examine net wealth including housing, financial and nonfinancial assets and debt, without the cash value of insurances, DB pensions or Social Security wealth. We find very similar distributions of net wealth in the two surveys between the 25th and 90th percentiles, but substantially higher wealth in the SCF at the top of the distribution. Both surveys show an increase in wealth inequality between 1998 and 2016, first mostly due to increased wealth at the top, and, after 2012, due to an increase in the share of households with very little wealth as well. Both surveys agree that wealth inequality by education and race, already substantial in 1998, increased further by 2016.

Download Full-text

Marital Transitions, Change in Depressive Symptomology, and Quality of Social Relationships in Midlife and Older U.S. Adults: An Analysis of the Health and Retirement Study

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.1177/00914150211066551 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 009141502110665

Author(s):

Julia E. Tucker ◽

Nicholas Bishop ◽

Kaipeng Wang ◽

Farya Phillips

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Social Relationship ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Well Being ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Social Strain ◽

Depressive Symptomology ◽

Marital Transitions ◽

Retirement Study

Preventing negative health outcomes following marital transitions can promote personal recovery and well-being. We used the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (2012, 2014) to test whether social relationship quality moderated the association between marital transition and change in depressive symptomology among U.S. adults aged 50 and older (n = 3,705). Marital status transitions between 2012 and 2014 included remained married/partnered, divorced/separated, and widowed. Depressive symptomology was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale 8 Short Form (CES-D 8). Social support, social contact, and social strain were indicators of social relationship quality. Change in depressive symptomology was modeled using autoregressive multiple regression. Social relationship quality appeared to influence depressive symptomatology for those experiencing divorce/separation. Compared to individuals who remained married/partnered, depressive symptomatology in those experiencing separation/divorce decreased among those reporting low social support, increased among those reporting high social support, and increased among those who reported low social strain. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed.

Download Full-text