scholarly journals Cohort Differences in Well-Being Among Midlife and Older Women: Role of Self-Perceptions of Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 56-56
Author(s):  
Lindsay Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Midlife Women ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract The current study examines how cohort differences across two age-matched groups of midlife and older women from the Health and Retirement Study are associated with well-being and self-perceptions of aging (SPA). Women aged 51–60 (n=2318) and 61–70 (n=1650) were selected from the 2008 and 2018 waves. No significant cohort differences were identified for life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) or positive SPA (Lawton, 1975; Liang & Bollen, 1983). The 2008 cohort of midlife women reported significantly higher negative SPA compared to 2018 (p<.05). Linear regression analyses find that cohort and SPA are significantly associated with life satisfaction in both age groups, and that the association of negative SPA differs by cohort for the midlife women (p<.01). Implications are discussed within the life course developmental framework.

scholarly journals Subjective well-being across the retirement transition – historical differences and the role of perceived control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Henning ◽  
Dikla Segel-Karaps ◽  
Andreas Stenling ◽  
Oliver Huxhold
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Retirement Transition

Given substantial cohort differences in psychosocial functioning, for example perceived control, and ongoing pension reforms, the context of retirement has changed over the last decades. However, there is limited research on the consequences of such developments on historical differences in subjective well-being in the retirement transition. In the present study, we investigated historical differences in change in life satisfaction and positive affect across the retirement transition. We included perceived control as a potential mechanism behind these differences. Analyses were based on sub-samples of retirees among three nationally-representative samples of the German Ageing Survey (1996; 2002; 2008) and their respective follow-ups 6 years later. Results showed historical improvements in pre-retirement positive affect (i.e., later samples had higher pre-retirement levels), however, earlier samples showed a larger increase in positive affect across the retirement transition compared to later samples. No historical differences were found in life satisfaction. Perceived control showed no historical improvement and did not seem to contribute to historical differences in subjective well-being. Nevertheless, we found that the role of perceived control for positive affect seemingly increased over historical time. The results showed that the historical context seems to play a role in the experience of retirement, and that it is helpful to distinguish between cognitive-evaluative (e.g., life satisfaction) and affective components (e.g., positive affect) of well-being.

scholarly journals COHORT DIFFERENCES IN CHANGES IN LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG OLDER JAPANESE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S697-S697
Author(s):  
Takeshi Nakagawa ◽  
Erika Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Representative Study ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Young Old

Abstract Life span research has been interested in how sociocultural contexts shape individual development and aging processes. Empirical studies have reported that later cohorts show higher levels of well-being. However, more recent studies indicate that cohort differences are not sustained in very late life. The present study examined whether cohort differences in well-being, as measured by life satisfaction, are observed in the young-old and old-old, and further explored potential determinants of cohort differences. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative study of older Japanese, conducted from 1987—2002, we compared earlier- and later-born cohorts in the young-old (N = 874; age 60—65; year of birth: 1922—1927 and 1931—1936) and old-old (N = 1,022; age 70—80; year of birth: 1907—1917 and 1919—1929), respectively. To control for covariates, we used case-matched groups based on age and gender. Results revealed that later cohorts exhibited higher levels of life satisfaction in both age groups. In the young-old, life satisfaction declined across cohorts. In the old-old, life satisfaction remained stable among earlier cohorts but declined among later cohorts. Socioeconomic, social, and health factors at the individual level and methodological factors (i.e., number of observations) did not fully explain the cohort differences in both age groups. Our results suggest that historical increases in levels of well-being are observed in late life, but that these improvements do not hold in very late life. Future studies should consider potential societal factors behind observed cohort differences in well-being.

scholarly journals Nonpolitical Versus Political Participation: Longitudinal Associations with Mental Health and Social Well-Being in Different Age Groups

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Lühr ◽  
Maria K. Pavlova ◽  
Maike Luhmann
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Voluntary Participation ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Life Course

AbstractDrawing on public opinion and empirical research, one may advise people to participate in voluntary organizations because voluntary participation can improve their mental health and social well-being. However, do such benefits apply across different types of participation and across the life course? In this study, we investigated whether benefits to mental health and social well-being differ between nonpolitical and political participation and across age groups (preregistration is accessible at https://osf.io/kqcbe). Using 25 waves of data from the British Household Panel Survey and the Understanding Society (1991–2016), we conducted multilevel analyses with observations nested within participants in younger (14–29, n = 10,536), middle-aged (40–50, n = 4,955), and older (65–75, n = 3,059) adults. We used life satisfaction and GHQ-12 scores as measures of mental health, and social support and neighborhood belonging as measures of social well-being. We found only few and small significant effects at the within-person level: On occasions when younger adults reported political participation, they reported slightly higher neighborhood belonging than when they did not. On occasions when older adults reported nonpolitical or political participation, they reported slightly higher life satisfaction than when they did not. However, we found no significant differences between nonpolitical and political participation and among age groups. In sum, our findings qualify the opinion that voluntary participation yields significant benefits to engaged individuals. We discuss potential explanations, including characteristics of political participation in the United Kingdom.

scholarly journals Historical Changes in Aging Trajectories of Two Aspects of Self-Perceptions of Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 602-602
Author(s):  
Oliver Huxhold ◽  
Svenja Spuling ◽  
Susanne Wurm
Keyword(s):  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sequential Data ◽  
Historical Changes ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Ongoing Development ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging

Abstract In recent years many studies have shown that adults with more positive self-perceptions of aging (SPA) increase their likelihood of aging healthily. Other studies have documented historical changes in individual resources and contextual conditions associated with aging. We explored how these historical changes are reflected in birth-cohort differences in aging trajectories of two aspects of SPA – viewing aging as ongoing development or as increasing physical losses. Using large-scale cohort-sequential data assessed across 21 years (N ≈ 19,000), the analyses modeled birth-cohort differences in aging trajectories of SPA from 40 to 85 years of age. The results illustrated differential birth-cohort differences: Later-born cohorts may experience more potential for ongoing development with advancing age than earlier-born cohorts. However, later-born cohorts seem to view their own aging as more negative than earlier-born cohorts during their early forties but may associate their aging less with physical losses after the age of fifty.

Partner Selection Across the Life-Course: Age Variation in Partner Preferences in the Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042199237
Author(s):  
Jana Klímová Chaloupková ◽  
Renáta Topinková ◽  
Markéta Šetinová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Partner Preferences ◽  
Age Variation ◽  
The Life Course

The proportion of people seeking a partner later in life has increased in recent decades. However, studies exploring age variation in partner preferences are quite rare. We aim to fill this gap by examining the partner preferences for household care skills, financial resources, and education of unpartnered individuals aged 19–65 years ( n = 1145) who participated in speed-dating events in the Czech Republic. We hypothesized that the importance of these characteristics varies with age, and that this variance may differ for men and women. The results show that gender differences concerning these characteristics are mostly stable across age groups. The exception is the importance of household care skills, which increases for older men and decreases for older women. We found that older adults value financial resources more than younger adults, and that this increase is true for women and men. Finally, we did not find evidence that the importance of education differs with age.

scholarly journals The Role of Self-Perceptions of Aging for Recovery of Older Adults After a Hospital Stay

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 588-588
Author(s):  
Anne Blawert ◽  
Ellen Freiberger ◽  
Susanne Wurm
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Fear Of Falling ◽  
Health Events ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of Aging ◽  
One Year ◽  
Psychological Pathway

Abstract For older adults, a hospital stay can lead to loss of physical function and frailty. It is therefore important to investigate factors for recovery after hospitalization. Recent studies suggest negative self-perceptions of aging (SPA) as a potential risk factor in the context of serious health events. This ongoing longitudinal study investigates how negative SPA might contribute to worse physical recovery (assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery) after hospital stay in a sample of 244 German adults aged 75 to 96. Preliminary mediation analysis based on available data of the first 50 participants indicate that negative SPA is related to increased fear of falling after 6 months, which predicts worse physical function one year after hospitalization (indirect effect: B = -0.70, SE = 0.41, p = .09). The results stress the importance of SPA for health recovery in old age and introduce fear of falling as a psychological pathway.

scholarly journals Satisfaction with Life: Mediating Role in the Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Coping Mechanisms

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 787
Author(s):  
Daniela Almeida ◽  
Diogo Monteiro ◽  
Filipe Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between fourteen coping strategies and depressive symptoms in the Portuguese population. To undertake this work, 313 Portuguese adults aged 18 to 70 years (M = 30.73; SD = 10.79) were invited to participate in this study. Their participation was completely voluntary, and participants granted and signed informed consent previously to the filling of the validated Portuguese questionnaires. These questionnaires measured depressive symptoms, coping, and life satisfaction. The results revealed that life satisfaction displayed a mediating role in the relationship between adaptive coping mechanisms, specifically between active coping, planning, reinterpretation, and acceptance and depressive symptoms, showing a negative and significant indirect effect. Maladaptive coping mechanisms of self-blame, denial, self-distraction, disengagement, and substance use had a significant positive association with depressive symptoms, considering the mediating role of satisfaction with life. Current investigation provides initial evidence of how each coping mechanism is associated with satisfaction with life and depressive symptoms. This study clearly demonstrates that not all coping strategies are capable of influencing well-being indicators and that health professionals should focus on endorsing those that are significantly associated with lowering depressive symptoms and increasing overall satisfaction with life.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document