scholarly journals Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Early-Life Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 407-407
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks ◽  
Yingling Liu
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Marital Support ◽  
Lagged Dependent Variable ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Marital Strain

Abstract Decades of research have the beneficial effects of marital support and the detrimental consequences of marital strain on health and well-being. However, we know relatively less about how circumstances in childhood—a key developmental period of the life course—influence the relational structure in which later life is embedded and any implications this may hold for well-being. We integrate the life course perspective with the stress process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions (childhood happiness, family structure, and financial strain) moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood in potentially different ways for men and women. The consequences of marital strain may be more severe and the benefits of marital support may not be as strongly felt for those adults who experienced greater adversity during childhood. Drawing on longitudinal data from Waves 2 (2010-2011) and 3 (2015-2016) of the NSHAP project (N = 1,376), results from lagged dependent variable models suggest that marital support buffers the effect of not living with both parents in childhood on subjective well-being for men. Meanwhile, women raised in families that experienced financial hardship reported lower subjective well-being in the context of marital strain in later life. No significant interaction effects were obtained for childhood happiness. Taken together, our findings suggest that adverse experiences in childhood can be scarring, particularly in the context of strained intimate relationships. However, a supportive marriage can, in some cases, offset the effects of childhood hardship on subjective well-being in later life.

Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Childhood Adversity

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110486
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks ◽  
Yingling Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Marital Support ◽  
Lagged Dependent Variable ◽  
Marital Strain

Objectives: We integrate the life course perspective with the stress-process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood for men and women. Methods: Drawing on longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we use a series of lagged dependent-variable models and stratify the sample by gender. Results: Our results suggest that the benefits associated with greater marital support are stronger for those that did not live with both parents in childhood for men. Women raised in families that experienced financial hardship reported lower subjective well-being in the context of marital strain. Conclusion: Adverse experiences in childhood can be scarring or foster resilience related to well-being in the context of strained or supportive marriages.

scholarly journals The Long Shadow of Youth: Girls’ Transition From Full-Time Education and Later-Life Subjective Well-Being in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baowen Xue ◽  
Penny Tinkler ◽  
Anne McMunn
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
English Longitudinal Study

Abstract Objectives To investigate whether the timing and nature of women’s transitions out of full-time (FT) education are related to later-life subjective well-being and the life-course experiences that might explain any associations seen. Methods Data are from women in Wave 3 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing who have participated in the life history interview and were aged 50+ at the interview (n = 3,889). Using multichannel sequence analysis, we identified 6 types of transition out of FT education (ages 14–26). Regression models were used to examine associations between transition types and life satisfaction, quality of life, and depressive symptoms at age 50+. Results Women who made early transitions to married parenthood and FT domestic labor had lower levels of well-being on all 3 later-life well-being outcomes (p < .01), compared to women who made later transitions to family life and remained employed. Women who remained single up to age 26 also had lower life satisfaction (p < .05) and quality of life (p < .01) in later life than their counterparts who married and had children. These associations were explained by the life-course socioeconomic and relationship pathways. Advantaged childhood socioeconomic circumstances and higher educational qualifications set “Later Marriage and Later employment” women apart onto advantaged trajectories and a better quality of life later (p < .01). Discussion The timing and nature of exits from FT education played a pivotal role in setting people onto life-course trajectories that influence well-being in later life for this older generation of women.

Situating the life story narratives of aging immigrants within a structural context: the intersectional life course perspective as research praxis

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shari Brotman ◽  
Ilyan Ferrer ◽  
Sharon Koehn
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Older Immigrants ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
Research Praxis ◽  
The Life Course

Research on racialized older immigrants does not fully acknowledge the interplay between the life course experiences of diverse populations and the structural conditions that shape these experiences. Our research team has developed the intersectional life course perspective to enhance researchers’ capacity to take account of the cumulative effects of structural discrimination as people experience it throughout the life course, the meanings that people attribute to those experiences, and the implications these have on later life. Here we propose an innovative methodological approach that combines life story narrative and photovoice methods in order to operationalize the intersectional life course. We piloted this approach in a study of the everyday stories of aging among diverse immigrant older adults in two distinct Canadian provinces with the goals of enhancing capacity to account for both context and story and engaging with participants and stakeholders from multiple sectors in order to influence change.

scholarly journals PREDICTORS OF SELF-CONTINUITY IN LATER LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S308-S308
Author(s):  
Charikleia Lampraki ◽  
Dario Spini ◽  
Daniela Jopp
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Future Expectations ◽  
Critical Life Events ◽  
Multilevel Hierarchical Models ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Self-continuity is an identity mechanism that inter-connects past and present experiences with future expectations, creating a coherent whole. However, research is limited regarding inter-individual differences and life course determinants of change in self-continuity. Using a life-course perspective on vulnerability, we investigate how the accumulation of resources (e.g., social, hopeful attitude) and the occurrence of critical life events (e.g., childhood adversity, divorce) across the life course may affect changes in self-continuity. Data derived from the LIVES Intimate Partner Loss Study conducted in Switzerland from 2012 to 2016 (3 waves). The sample consisted of individuals having experienced divorce (N = 403, Mage = 55.43) or bereavement (N = 295, Mage = 69.91) in the second half of life, using a continuously married group as a reference (N = 535, Mage = 65.60). Multilevel hierarchical models were used. Results indicated that as individuals grew older they experienced more self-continuity. More childhood adversity was negatively associated with inter-individual differences in self-continuity for all groups. Divorcees with more childhood adverse events felt significantly less self-continuity as they grew older than divorcees with less childhood adversity. In the bereaved group, more childhood adversity and less hope was linked to lower levels of self-continuity. More hopeful married individuals felt more self-continuity as they grew older than less hopeful ones. In sum, findings demonstrate that self-continuity changes as a function of age, but also differs with regard to the critical life events experienced across the life course and the availability of resources.

scholarly journals PATTERNS OF WEALTH TRAJECTORY IN LATER LIFE: CRITICAL PERIOD, ACCUMULATION, AND SOCIAL MOBILITY MODELS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S382-S382
Author(s):  
Yu-Chih Chen ◽  
Sojung Park ◽  
Nancy Morrow-Howell
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
Mobility Models ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Wealth, an important financial cushion for older adults to buffer economic stress, requires a longer time to accumulate and develop in one’s course of life. However, little is known about the trajectories of wealth in later life, and how the life course socioeconomic status (SES) may contribute to the development of wealth at old-age. This study investigated longitudinal patterns of wealth trajectory and whether SES across the life course affects these trajectories using critical period, accumulation, and social mobility models. Using data from 16,189 adults aged 51 and older from the 2004-2014 Health and Retirement Study, a growth mixture model was used to explore distinct wealth trajectories. Impacts of life course models were studied using multinomial logistic regression. Results showed that four heterogeneous latent classes of wealth were identified: Stable high (reference group), Low and increasing, Stable low, and High but decline. Disadvantaged adulthood SES, accumulated exposure to socioeconomic risks, and downward or persistent socioeconomic disadvantage over the life course were associated with Stable low, Low and increasing, and High but decline, supporting all three life course mechanisms on wealth development in later life. Evidence suggests that wealth development is heterogeneous across individuals, and a strong gradient effect of life-course SES on wealth trajectories are clearly observed. Programs and policies should address the effects of life course on wealth development to strengthen the economic well-being in later life.

From 9 to 91: health promotion through the life-course—illuminating the inner child

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margareta Sjöblom ◽  
Lars Jacobsson ◽  
Kerstin Öhrling ◽  
Catrine Kostenius
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Inner Child ◽  
The Life Course

Summary A life-course perspective is according to the World Health Organization about increasing the effectiveness of health promotion interventions at all ages. This targets the needs of human beings throughout their life. Descriptions of the phenomenon of the inner child invite the possibility that it may be of help when promoting health throughout the life-course. The aim was to describe and understand schoolchildren’s, adults and older person’s experiences of childhood in connection to health and well-being in the present and through the life-course, illuminating the inner child. The research strategy used was a secondary analysis of the original transcribed data from three Swedish studies investigating new questions. In total, 53 individuals aged 9–91, 20 school children, 20 adults and 13 older persons were interviewed about childhood experiences. The schoolchildren were invited to create a drawing, and to narrate about it during the interview. The main question in the secondary analysis was ‘How do the participants’ narrations about childhood experiences illuminate the inner child, useful for health promotion through the life-course?’ The findings showed the importance of a secure atmosphere and trusting relationships, indicating that experiences during childhood can help us to adapt and pass along life lessons across generations. There were narratives about play as an activity where they learned to promote a healthy childhood, struggle for independence and learning how to be responsible when growing up. Dimensions of mental, social and existential well-being can be seen as examples of the inner child’s role in health promotion through the life-course.

scholarly journals CONTINUITY OF CAREER OVER THE LIFE COURSE ON LIFE SATISFACTION AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN LATER LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S128-S129
Author(s):  
Melanie S Hill ◽  
James E Hill ◽  
Stephanie Richardson ◽  
Jessica Brown ◽  
Jeremy B Yorgason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Identity scholars have suggested that having a unified sense of past, present, and future is related to positive well-being outcomes (Whitbourne, Sneed & Skultety, 2009). One’s occupation can have a profound influence on an individual’s identity throughout the life course (Nazar & van der Heijden, 2012). Research has looked at career mobility among younger age groups (Baiyun, Ramkissoon, Greenwood, & Hoyte, 2018); however, less is known about the impact of career stability later in life. Consistency in career choice over the life course may have positive outcomes down the line as career becomes part of an individual's identity. The current study uses the Life and Family Legacies dataset, a longitudinal state-representative sample of 3,348, to examine individual’s careers at three points in the life course: high school (projected career choice), early adulthood, and later life. Results revealed that a match of desired career in high school and actual career in early adulthood was not predictive of life satisfaction or depressive symptoms in later life. However, a match of career in early adulthood and later life was significantly related to better life satisfaction and less depressive symptoms, which was explained through higher levels of job satisfaction. This study highlights the importance of acquiring and maintaining a career that is fulfilling to the individual over the course of early adulthood to later life.

scholarly journals Endogenous Selection Bias and Cumulative Inequality over the Life Course: Evidence from Educational Inequality in Subjective Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-350
Author(s):  
Fabian Kratz ◽  
Alexander Patzina
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Interviewer Effects ◽  
Endogenous Selection ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract According to theories of cumulative (dis-)advantage, inequality increases over the life course. Labour market research has seized this argument to explain the increasing economic inequality as people age. However, evidence for cumulative (dis-)advantage in subjective well-being remains ambiguous, and a prominent study from the United States has reported contradictory results. Here, we reconcile research on inequality in subjective well-being with theories of cumulative (dis-)advantage. We argue that the age-specific endogenous selection of the (survey) population results in decreasing inequalities in subjective well-being means whereas individual-level changes show a pattern of cumulative (dis-)advantage. Using repeated cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey (N = 15,252) and employing hierarchical age-period-cohort models, we replicate the finding of decreasing inequality from the United States with the same research design for Germany. Using panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (persons = 47,683, person-years = 360,306) and employing growth curve models, we show that this pattern of decreasing inequality in subjective well-being means is accompanied by increasing inequality in intra-individual subjective well-being changes. This pattern arises because disadvantaged groups, such as the low educated and individuals with low subjective well-being show lower probabilities of continuing to participate in a survey and because both determinants reinforce each other. In addition to allowing individual changes and attrition processes to be examined, the employed multi-cohort panel data have further key advantages for examining inequality in subjective well-being over the life course: They require weaker assumptions to control for period and cohort effects and make it possible to control for interviewer effects that may influence the results.

scholarly journals The Life Course Construction of Inequalities in Health and Wealth in Old Age

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-109
Author(s):  
Michel Oris ◽  
Marie Baeriswyl ◽  
Andreas Ihle
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Differential Mortality ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Cumulative Processes ◽  
The Life Course

AbstractIn this contribution, we will mobilize the interdisciplinary life course paradigm to consider the processes through which individual heterogeneity in health and wealth is constructed all along life, from the cradle to old age. Considering altogether historical, family and individual times, the life course perspective has been developed in sociology, (lifespan) psychology and epidemiology, and has framed many important studies during the last four decades. The theory of cumulative disadvantage is for sure the most popular in social sciences, explaining how little inter-individual differences early in life expand all along life to reach maximal amplitude among the “young old” (before the selection by differential mortality at very old age). In lifespan psychology, the theory of cognitive reserve (educational level being a proxy) and its continuation, the theory of use or disuse (of cognition during adult life) have more or less the same explanatory power, cognition being a decisive precondition for active ageing and quality of life in old age. However, in spite of the success of those theoretical bodies, a prominent figure in the field, Glen Elder, recently observed that there is surprisingly little evidence for cumulative processes and that a wide variety of model specifications remain completely untested. This finding makes even more important a critical review of the literature which summarize several robust evidences, but also discuss contradictory results and suggest promising research tracks. This exercise considers the life course construction of inequalities in the distribution of objective resources older adults have (or not) “to live the life they own value” (to quote A. Sen 2001). But it is also crucial to consider the subjective component that is inherent to the understanding of well-being.

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