scholarly journals Tracing the Religious Life Course: Intergenerational Sources of Later Life Religiosity

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 657-657
Author(s):  
Merril Silverstein ◽  
Woosang Hwang ◽  
Joseph Blankholm

Abstract The development of religiosity in later life has its origins in earlier phases of the life course, yet few studies have investigated the contribution of early forms of religious exposure to religious beliefs and behaviors in old age. This investigation uses multigenerational data from the Longitudinal Study of Generations taken from 385 baby-boom children age 16-26 and their parents, linked to religious orientations of these children in midlife and old age. Relying on the “chains of risk” perspective, we found that parental religious intensity in 1971 strengthened their children’s behavioral and cognitive religiosity in later life through their indirect effects on children’s early and midlife religiosity. Our results demonstrate both intergenerational and life course forms of stability in religious belief and practice. Evidence suggests that parental influence creates religious momentum in their children that carries from adolescence/young adulthood through the unfolding of human lives into old age. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Religion, Spirituality and Aging Interest Group.

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat M. Keith

A model of singleness in later life was developed to show how the social context may influence the personal and social resources of older, unmarried persons. The unmarried (especially the divorced) will be an increasing proportion of the aged population in the future, and they will require more services than will the married. Role transitions of the unmarried over the life course, finances, health, and social relationships of older singles are discussed with implications for practice and future research.


Author(s):  
Woosang Hwang ◽  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Maria T. Brown ◽  
Sara A. Vasilenko ◽  
Merril Silverstein

We used classification analysis to examine change in religiosity among baby boomers from young adulthood to early old age and how religiosity transition patterns are associated with psychological well-being in later life. In addition, we tested the gender difference in the above association. We applied latent class and latent transition analysis to 392 baby boomers who participated in the Longitudinal Study of Generations in Wave-1 (1971) and Wave-9 (2016). We identified three classes describing religiosity at each wave (strongly religious, doctrinally religious, and weakly religious), and considered five types of change or stability in religious class membership from Wave-1 to Wave-9. Multiple regression with gender interactions revealed that men who stayed strongly religious over the period reported better psychological well-being compared to men who declined in their religiosity; no such pattern was found for women. Our findings suggest that maintaining strong religiosity over the life course was beneficial for baby boom men in later life.


Author(s):  
Torbjörn Bildtgård ◽  
Peter Öberg

It is often claimed that ‘love is ageless’. But is this really true? This chapter raises the question: is there something that sets intimate relationships in later life apart from relationships in earlier parts of the life course? While earlier chapters have considered how intimate relationships in later life are shaped by historical and cultural conditions, this chapter instead focuses on how they are shaped by the particular existential structure of later life. It is argued that old age is a life phase characterized by a paradox of time: that of having lots of available free time, but little time left in life – and that this existential structure shapes intimacy in later life. It is further argued that the scope of this theoretical insight is much wider than the topic of intimate relationships.


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiyi Zhang ◽  
Eric Vittinghoff ◽  
Mark J Pletcher ◽  
Norrina B Allen ◽  
Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri ◽  
...  

Introduction: Cumulative exposure to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors during young adulthood is associated with later life CVD risk. Few prospective cohort studies measured exposures in young adulthood. We sought to develop and validate a method to impute trajectories of CVD risk factors across the life course. Methods: 36,546 participants (55% women, 25% black, average exams 5.1/participant) from 6 studies (ARIC, CARDIA, CHS, Framingham Offspring, Health ABC, and MESA) were included. Demographics and CVD risk factors (BMI, smoking, BP, lipids, glucose, medications for BP, lipids and glucose) were collected at each exam and harmonized across cohorts. We multiply imputed complete risk factor trajectories from age 18 to 99 years for each participant using an extension of linear mixed modeling (for continuous variables) and interval-censored survival modeling (for categorical variables), taking into account the multilevel structure of data. For validation, we randomly selected 25% of all participants and deleted their observed data for exam age 20-35, 50-65, or 80-95 years. We then imputed risk factor values for deleted age periods and compared imputed values with directly observed values. Results: Imputed values were relatively consistent with observed values for BMI, SBP, LDL, and glucose, particularly in young and middle ages ( Figure ). The mean (standard deviation) of the difference between imputed vs. observed values for BMI, SBP, LDL, and glucose were 0.1 (2.7) kg/m 2 , 0.9 (16.3) mm Hg, -1.1 (30.2) mg/dL, and -0.6 (23.0) mg/dL. The prevalence of imputed smoking, diabetes, and medications were also consistent with observed data. Conclusions: We demonstrated a validated method for estimating CVD risk factor trajectories across the life course. This approach may advance understanding of potential impact of cumulative early risk factor exposures on later life CVD risk, and inform primary prevention strategies over the life course. Figure. Mean and prevalence of observed vs. imputed risk factors by age periods 2


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine M Wildman

Combining feminist political economy and life-course perspectives, this mixed-methods study critically examines the extent to which extended working life policies take account of women’s experiences of paid and unpaid work. I explore how decisions to extend working life are shaped by gendered social structures and norms across the life course among women in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study, a UK early baby-boom birth cohort. Among this cohort of women currently transitioning into retirement, analysis of longitudinal survey data identifies a range of mid- and later-life factors that impact on the likelihood of women working beyond state-pension age. In-depth life-course interviews identify further complex and interacting gendered life-course experiences, not captured in the survey data, which act to necessitate, encourage, enable or constrain extended working. I conclude that, if women are to extend their working lives, ‘joined-up’ policies are required, addressing gendered inequalities across the life course.


Author(s):  
Paul Higgs ◽  
Chris Gilleard

This chapter outlines the fourth age paradigm. It argues that later life is increasingly losing its coherence as a unitary stage in the life course. Diversity in the discourses and practices surrounding later life abound. The discourses of active and healthy ageing in particular promote an optimistic ‘third age’ culture. This framing of later life as a time for autonomy, self-expression and pleasure creates the conditions for the shadowy background of a fourth age imaginary. It is within this imaginary sphere that all the fears and failures of ageing and agedness are deposited.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 37-37
Author(s):  
Sadie Giles

Abstract Racial health disparities in old age are well established, and new conceptualizations and methodologies continue to advance our understanding of health inequality across the life course. One group that is overlooked in many of these analyses, however, is the aging American Indian/Native Alaskan (AI/NA) population. While scholars have attended to the unique health inequities faced by the AI/NA population as a whole due to its discordant political history with the US government, little attention has been paid to unique patterns of disparity that might exist in old age. I propose to draw critical gerontology into the conversation in order to establish a framework through which we can uncover barriers to health, both from the political context of the AI/NA people as well as the political history of old age policy in the United States. Health disparities in old age are often described through a cumulative (dis)advantage framework that offers the benefit of appreciating that different groups enter old age with different resources and health statuses as a result of cumulative inequalities across the life course. Adding a framework of age relations, appreciating age as a system of inequality where people also gain or lose access to resources and status upon entering old age offers a path for understanding the intersection of race and old age. This paper will show how policy history for this group in particular as well as old age policy in the United States all create a unique and unequal circumstance for the aging AI/NA population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
C.C Topriceanu ◽  
J.C Moon ◽  
R Hardy ◽  
A.D Hughes ◽  
N Chaturvedi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cardiovascular diseases are an important component of the multi-morbidity syndrome which is associated with negative health outcomes resulting in a major societal economic burden. An objective way to assess multi-morbidity is to calculate a frailty index based on medical deficit accumulation. Late-life frailty has been validated to predict mortality, but little is known about the association between life-course frailty and cardiovascular health in later-life. Purpose To study the association between life-course frailty and later-life heart size and function using data from the world's longest running birth cohort with continuous follow-up. Methods A 45-deficit frailty index (FI) was calculated at 4 age-intervals across the life-course (0 to 16 years old, 19 to 44 years old, 45 to 54 years old and 60 to 64 years old) in participants from the UK 1946 Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Heath and Development (NSHD) birth cohort. The life-course frailty indices (FI0_16, FI19_44, FI45_54 and FI60_64) reflect the cumulative medical deficits at the corresponding age-intervals. They were used to derive FImean and FIsum reflecting overall-life frailty. The step change in deficit accumulation between age-intervals was also calculated (FI2-1, FI3-1, FI4-1, FI3-2, FI4-2, FI4-3). Echocardiographic data at 60–64 years provided: E/e' ratio, ejection fraction (EF), myocardial contraction fraction index (MCFi) and left ventricular mass index (LVmassi). Generalized linear mixed models with gamma distribution and log link assessed the association between FIs and echo parameters after adjustment for sex, socio-economic position and body mass index. Results 1.805 NSHD participants were included (834 male). Accumulation of a single deficit had a significant impact (p<0.0001 to p<0.049) on LVmassi and MCFi in all the life-course FIs and overall FIs. LVmassi increased by 0.89% to 1.42% for the life-course FIs and by 0.36%/1.82% for FIsum and FImean respectively. MCFi decreased by 0.62% to 1.02% for the life-course FIs and by 0.33%/ 1.04%. for FIsum and FImean respectively. One accumulated deficit translated into higher multiplicative odds (13.2 for FI60-64, 2.1 for FI4-1, 75.4 for FI4-2 and 78.5 for FI4-3) of elevated filling pressure (defined as E/e' ratio >13, p<0.0.005 to p<0.02).A unit increase in frailty decreased LV EF (%) by 11%/12% for FI45-54 and FI60-64 respectively, by 10% to 12% for FI2-1, FI3-1, FI4-1 and FI4-2, and 4%/15% for FIsum and FImean respectively (p<0.0014 to p<0.044). Conclusion Frailty during the life-course, overall life-frailty and the step change in deficit accumulation is associated with later-life cardiac dysfunction. Frailty strain appears to have its greatest impact on pathological myocardial hypertrophy (high LVmassi and low MCFi) potentially paving the way to later-life systolic or diastolic dysfunction in susceptible individuals. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


BMC Urology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saira Khan ◽  
K. Y. Wolin ◽  
R. Pakpahan ◽  
R. L. Grubb ◽  
G. A. Colditz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Existing evidence suggests that there is an association between body size and prevalent Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)-related outcomes and nocturia. However, there is limited evidence on the association between body size throughout the life-course and incident BPH-related outcomes. Methods Our study population consisted of men without histories of prostate cancer, BPH-related outcomes, or nocturia in the intervention arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) (n = 4710). Associations for body size in early- (age 20), mid- (age 50) and late-life (age ≥ 55, mean age 60.7 years) and weight change with incident BPH-related outcomes (including self-reported nocturia and physician diagnosis of BPH, digital rectal examination-estimated prostate volume ≥ 30 cc, and prostate-specific antigen [PSA] concentration > 1.4 ng/mL) were examined using Poisson regression with robust variance estimation. Results Men who were obese in late-life were 25% more likely to report nocturia (Relative Risk (RR): 1.25, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.11–1.40; p-trendfor continuous BMI < 0.0001) and men who were either overweight or obese in late-life were more likely to report a prostate volume ≥ 30 cc (RRoverweight: 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.21; RRobese: 1.10, 95% CI 1.02–1.19; p-trendfor continuous BMI = 0.017) as compared to normal weight men. Obesity at ages 20 and 50 was similarly associated with both nocturia and prostate volume ≥ 30 cc. Considering trajectories of body size, men who were normal weight at age 20 and became overweight or obese by later-life had increased risks of nocturia (RRnormal to overweight: 1.09, 95% CI 0.98–1.22; RRnormal to obese: 1.28, 95% CI 1.10–1.47) and a prostate volume ≥ 30 cc (RRnormal to overweight: 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.20). Too few men were obese early in life to examine the independent effect of early-life body size. Later-life body size modified the association between physical activity and nocturia. Conclusions We found that later-life body size, independent of early-life body size, was associated with adverse BPH outcomes, suggesting that interventions to reduce body size even late in life can potentially reduce the burden of BPH-related outcomes and nocturia.


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