scholarly journals Does caring for your spouse harm one's health? Evidence from a United States nationally-representative sample of older adults

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
KRISTI RAHRIG JENKINS ◽  
MOHAMMED U. KABETO ◽  
KENNETH M. LANGA
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
The United States ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Adult Care ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between spousal care-giving and declines in functioning and self-rated health among older care-givers. The authors used data from the 2000 and 2002 waves of the United States Health and Retirement Study, a biennial longitudinal survey of a nationally representative cohort of adults aged 50 or more years. Two outcomes were examined, declines in functioning and declines in self-rated health. Care-givers were classified into three groups: no care-giving, less than 14 hours of care-giving per week, and 14 or more hours care-giving per week. To assess declines in functioning, two summary scores were created of limitations in basic and instrumental Activities of Daily Living. To assess declines in self-rated health, we compared responses from 2000 and 2002. In the fully adjusted models, care-giving hours did not have an independent effect on declines in functioning or self-rated health. The relationship between care-giving hours and declines in functioning and self-rated health is probably attributable to socio-demographic characteristics, mainly age. The findings suggest that spousal care-giving does not of itself harm functional health or perceived health among older adult care-givers. Understanding the differential effects of these socio-economic characteristics with care-giving hours on health will be useful in promoting the health of older adult care-givers and treating their disorders.

Gender and Marital Satisfaction: Data from the National Survey of Families and Households

1998 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter R. Schumm ◽  
Farrell J. Webb ◽  
Stephan R. Bollman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Satisfaction Relationship ◽  
Representative Samples ◽  
Small Support

In 1972, Bernard argued that marriage was good for men and bad for women. Subsequent research noted that wives, on average, reported lower marital satisfaction than husbands. Furthermore, when differences within couples existed on marital satisfaction, the wife was usually the less satisfied spouse; however, most previous studies of the gender/marital satisfaction relationship had not been based on nationally representative samples. A nationally representative sample from the 1988 Survey of Families and Households was used to assess the relationship of gender with marital satisfaction. Within-couple analyses indicated that wives were less satisfied with their marriages than husbands and that, when substantial within-couple differences occurred with respect to marital satisfaction, the wife was usually the less satisfied spouse. Results provide at least small support for feminist assertions about the relatively adverse nature of marriage for women in the United States.

Using complementary methods to test whether marriage limits men's antisocial behavior

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara R. Jaffee ◽  
Caitlin McPherran Lombardi ◽  
Rebekah Levine Coley
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
The United States ◽  
Complementary Methods ◽  
Married Men ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractMarried men engage in significantly less antisocial behavior than unmarried men, but it is not clear whether this reflects a causal relationship. Instead, the relationship could reflect selection into marriage whereby the men who are most likely to marry (men in steady employment with high levels of education) are the least likely to engage in antisocial behavior. The relationship could also be the result of reverse causation, whereby high levels of antisocial behavior are a deterrent to marriage rather than the reverse. Both of these alternative processes are consistent with the possibility that some men have a genetically based proclivity to become married, known as an active genotype–environment correlation. Using four complementary methods, we tested the hypothesis that marriage limits men's antisocial behavior. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses and collectively help to rule out alternative explanations, including active genotype–environment correlations, for a causal association between marriage and men's antisocial behavior. Data were drawn from the in-home interview sample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a large, longitudinal survey study of a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States. Lagged negative binomial and logistic regression and propensity score matching models (n = 2,250), fixed-effects models of within-individual change (n = 3,061), and random-effects models of sibling differences (n = 618) all showed that married men engaged in significantly less antisocial behavior than unmarried men. Our findings replicate results from other quasiexperimental studies of marriage and men's antisocial behavior and extend the results to a nationally representative sample of young adults in the United States.

scholarly journals Social Isolation and COVID-19 Mitigation: Perspectives of Key Informants in the United States and Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 441-441
Author(s):  
Emily Ihara ◽  
Megumi Inoue ◽  
Cortney Hughes Rinker ◽  
Naoru Koizumi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Adult Care ◽  
Key Informant ◽  
The Many

Abstract The deleterious health effects of social isolation and loneliness among older adults have been well-established and were exacerbated by the forced separation for those at health risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. Both the United States and Japan are experiencing phenomenal growth of the older adult population; Japan is considered a “super-aged” society, with the highest proportion of people aged 65 and older in the world. This study examined how COVID-19 and mitigation measures may have affected services for older adults. We conducted key informant interviews with specialists in aging and older adult care in both Japan (n=5) and the United States (n=14). All interviews were conducted over Zoom and lasted 30-60 minutes. The research team transcribed and checked the interviews for accuracy and conducted multiple coding sessions to identify, sort, and consolidate the codes using Atlas.ti. Key themes in both countries that emerged included the many cracks in the system of programs and services for older adults, the inaccessibility to technology and the internet, and the particular difficulties of socioeconomic inequities, especially for those living alone. Older adults were motivated to become more technologically proficient and local communities came forward to help provide support. One key informant from the U.S. noted that their organization experienced a 600% increase in interest among volunteers as a result of the pandemic. Despite the many challenges of the pandemic, many silver linings emerged. One participant poetically stated, “I think that's human nature – when you have no other choice, you find a way.”

scholarly journals Exploring Mental Models behind Self-rated Health and Subjective Life Expectancy through Web Probing

Field Methods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-326
Author(s):  
Sunghee Lee ◽  
Colleen McClain ◽  
Dorothée Behr ◽  
Katharina Meitinger
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Web Survey ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Mortality

Self-rated health (SRH) and subjective life expectancy (SLE) are widely used for understanding health and predicting mortality. However, what these items measure remains unclear, due to the lack of conceptual frameworks. We administered a web survey across the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, and Mexico. The questionnaire included SRH and SLE, each immediately followed by a question that probed respondents’ thought processes. We examined the relationship between SRH and SLE, the response difficulty, and attributes that respondents considered for forming responses. Overall, SRH and SLE were moderately related, eliciting different information and varying in difficulty. Compared to SLE, SRH was perceived as easier but covered a narrower information spectrum. While illness and health behaviors were dominant attributes of SRH responses, family longevity history, life situations, and lack of control were additionally considered for SLE. When combined, SRH and SLE may capture a fuller range of attributes germane to health and mortality.

scholarly journals Cross-national insights into the relationship between wealth and wellbeing: a comparison between Australia, the United States of America and South Korea

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARANG KIM ◽  
KERRY A. SARGENT-COX ◽  
DAVINA J. FRENCH ◽  
HAL KENDIG ◽  
KAARIN J. ANSTEY
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Study ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cross National

ABSTRACTThe positive relationship between wealth and wellbeing has received considerable attention over the last three decades. However, little is known about how the significance of wealth for the health and wellbeing of older adults may vary across societies. Furthermore, researchers tend to focus mainly on income rather than other aspects of financial resources even though older adults often rely on fixed income, particularly after retirement. Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey (N=1,431), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States of America (USA; N=4,687), and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA; N=5,447), this exploratory cross-national study examined the relationship between wealth satisfaction and objective wealth and wellbeing (measured as self-rated health and life satisfaction) among older Australians, Americans and Koreans (50+ years). Regression analyses showed that wealth satisfaction was associated with wellbeing over and above monetary wealth in all three countries. The relationship between monetary wealth and self-rated health was larger for the US than Australian and Korean samples, while the additional contribution of wealth satisfaction to life satisfaction was larger for the Korean than the Australian and US samples. These findings are discussed in terms of the cultural and economic differences between these countries, particularly as they affect older persons.

scholarly journals The Relationship between US Adults’ Misconceptions about COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination Preferences

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 901
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Kreps ◽  
Jillian L. Goldfarb ◽  
John S. Brownstein ◽  
Douglas L. Kriner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sizeable Minority

While mass vaccination has blunted the pandemic in the United States, pockets of vaccine hesitancy remain. Through a nationally representative survey of 1027 adult Americans conducted in February 2021, this study examined individual misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccine safety; the demographic factors associated with these misconceptions; and the relationship between misconceptions and willingness to vaccinate. Misconceptions about vaccine safety were widespread. A sizeable minority (40%) believed that vaccine side effects are commonly severe or somewhat severe; 85% significantly underestimated the size and scale of the clinical trials; and a sizeable share believed either that the vaccines contain live coronavirus (10%) or were unsure (38%), a proxy for fears that vaccination itself may cause infection. These misconceptions were particularly acute among Republicans, Blacks, individuals with lower levels of educational attainment, and unvaccinated individuals. Perceived side effect severity and underestimating the size of the clinical trials were both significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy.

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