scholarly journals Birth of the Society of Divorees – Changing Patterns of Civil Status in Later Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 924-924
Author(s):  
Torbjorn Bildtgard ◽  
Peter Öberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Civil Status ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
High Age ◽  
Late Life Divorce ◽  
Substantial Change

Abstract Half a century ago Lopata used the concept “society of widows” to describe the gendered reality of late life singlehood, where widowed women were excluded from coupled social life, depended on a community of other widows for social integration, and refrained from initiating new relationships due to “sanctification” of their former husbands. We use Swedish, American and EU census data and a national survey to Swedes 60-90 years old (n=1225; response rate 42%) to illustrate a substantial change in the demographic landscape of late life singlehood. More people enter later life as divorcees or become divorced at a high age. Among Swedes 60+ divorcees outnumber widowed people, and the incidence of late life divorce has more than doubled since the millennium in what has been called the “grey divorce revolution”. Many other Western countries follow the same demographical trend, posing important questions about the transformation of late life singlehood. Based on two Swedish studies we will show that the structure of the late life single community is becoming less gender skewed as a consequence of the emerging society of divorcees, and that in this society relationship careers are increasingly complex, attitudes to repartnering increasingly liberal and partner sanctification seldom an issue. We conclude by proposing the concept “society of divorcees” for this new demographic landscape of late life singlehood, argue that research is needed to capture this new reality, and discuss the implications of this change for access to social support later life.

scholarly journals THE TRANSFORMATION OF LATE-LIFE SINGLEHOOD: EMERGENCE OF THE SOCIETY OF DIVORCEES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S618-S618
Author(s):  
Torbjorn Bildtgard ◽  
Peter Öberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Demographic Trend ◽  
High Age ◽  
Late Life Divorce

Abstract More than four decades ago Lopata coined the concept “society of widows” to describe the gendered reality of late life singlehood, where widowed women were excluded from coupled social life and had to depend on other widows for social integration. We have coined the concept “society of divorcees” to describe the changing reality of late life singlehood. Swedish, American and EU census data and a national survey to Swedes 60-90 years old (n=1225; response rate 42%). Results show that more people enter later life as divorcees or become divorced at a high age. Among Swedes 60+ divorcees outnumber widowed people, and the incidence of late life divorce has more than doubled since the millennium in what has been called the grey divorce revolution. Many other Western countries follow the same demographic trend, posing important questions about late life singlehood. Based on two Swedish studies we will show that the structure of the late life single community is becoming less gender skewed as a consequence of the emerging society of divorcees, and that in this society relationship careers are increasingly complex, attitudes to repartnering increasingly liberal and partner sanctification seldom an issue. We conclude by discussing the consequences of the emerging society of divorcees for late life support structures.

scholarly journals Relocation and Network Turnover in Later Life: How Distance Moved and Functional Health Are Linked to a Changing Social Convoy

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Badawy ◽  
Markus H. Schafer ◽  
Haosen Sun
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Core Network ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Core Networks ◽  
The Social

Life-course transitions among older adults often produce a reshuffling of social network members. Moving is a common experience for U.S. seniors, but relatively little is known about how core networks change amid the relocation process. Drawing on longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, the present study examines how late-life moving is associated with changes to network size and the loss and gain of particular network members. We find that when older adults undertake a long-distance move, they tend to add more family to their core network—yet this is moderated by their initial level of functional health. Long-distance moves are also associated with losing nonkin members from the core network. These empirical patterns are interpreted in light of developmental perspectives on late-life relocation, continuity theory, and the social convoy model.

scholarly journals Volunteering and Friendship in Later Life: Does Gender Moderate the Relationship?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 416-416
Author(s):  
Emily Lim ◽  
Changmin Peng ◽  
Jeffrey Burr
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Friendship Quality ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Contact Frequency

Abstract Friendship, which is an essential part of social life and beneficial to individuals’ well-being, plays a crucial role in maintaining social connectedness in late life. Volunteering is an avenue for older adults to stay socially engaged, and also provides older adults the opportunity to meet and make new friends. A limited literature suggests that volunteering may be associated with friendship, but many studies are limited by reliance on small, non-probability samples and overly simplistic analytic approaches. The literature is also unclear with respect to how volunteering behaviors relate to specific characteristics of friendships and whether there are gender differences underlying these relationships. Using the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,306), this study investigates the association between volunteering characteristics (i.e., volunteer status and hours) and friendship characteristics (i.e., the number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency) among community-dwelling older adults. We also examine whether gender moderated these relationships. Results from linear regression analyses indicate that volunteer status and the number of volunteer hours were positively associated with each dimension of friendship. Also, the positive association between volunteering at 1–99 hours, 100–199 hours, and 200 hours or more and number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency were stronger for older women than for older men. Findings demonstrated that volunteering is integral in shaping late-life friendships. The differential benefits of volunteering between older men and women also suggest that volunteering might be more critical for older women’s friendships.

scholarly journals Body size throughout the life-course and incident benign prostatic hyperplasia-related outcomes and nocturia

BMC Urology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saira Khan ◽  
K. Y. Wolin ◽  
R. Pakpahan ◽  
R. L. Grubb ◽  
G. A. Colditz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Prostate Volume ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
The Life Course

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.

Community Access and Satisfaction: Racial Differences in Later Life

1983 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell A. Ward ◽  
Harold Kilburn
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Community Mobility ◽  
Community Access

Community access can be expected to have an important influence on the life satisfaction of the aged because of age-linked restrictions in social life space. Such access may be less important for older blacks, however, as a consequence of lifelong “ghettoization.” These hypotheses are tested using national survey data. Community mobility is found to have a stronger association with life satisfaction for older whites, while having only an indirect effect through social interaction for older blacks. Directions for future research are suggested.

scholarly journals Driving Cessation and Social Participation in Late Life: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 464-464
Author(s):  
Weidi Qin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
The Us

Abstract Driving cessation is a major life transition in late life, and can affect the quality of social life in older adults. The present study aims to systematically review the literature on how driving cessation affects social participation among older adults in the US. The study selection followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Extant literature published from 1990 to 2019 that examined driving cessation and social participation or social engagement among older adults in the US was searched using eight search engines: PsycINFO, CINAHL, SocIndex, AgeLine, MedLine, Scopus, Transportation Research Board Publication Index, and Cochrane Library. Quantitative studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The assessment of methodological quality was also conducted for included studies. In total, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Six of the included studies found significant relationships between driving cessation and at least one domain of social participation, such as volunteering, employment, leisure-time activities, and the frequency of contacts. However, the measures of social participation were inconsistent across studies, which might explain that no effects of driving cessation were found on the structure of social network, such as contacts with friends and extended family. There is a need to assist older adults in successfully transitioning to driving cessation and maintaining the social participation. The overall quality of included studies is moderate based on the assessment of risk of bias and confounding.

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.

Divorce among Elderly Women: A Growing Social Phenomenon

1988 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara S. Cain
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Late Life Divorce ◽  
Mourning Process

This exploratory study highlights key psychosocial dimensions of late-life divorce among elderly women. The author discusses three variables — the mourning process, the aging process, and generational attitudes — that make divorce especially difficult for elderly women.

Abstract P010: Mid-life Vitamin D Levels and Later Life Performance on Neuropsychological Testing: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun E Fashanu ◽  
Di Zhao ◽  
Andrea L Schneider ◽  
Andreea M Rawlings ◽  
Richey A Sharrett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Age Range

Background: Prior cross-sectional studies among older adults have found associations between low vitamin D (vitD) levels and reduced cognitive performance but were unable to distinguish the temporal order between vitD and the onset of dementia. We examined the association between mid-life vitD levels, assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitD, with later life performance on neuropsychological testing. Methods: We conducted a non-concurrent cross-sectional analysis of 5,887 white and black participants enrolled in the ARIC Neurocognitive Study. We included participants who had serum vitD concentrations measured at visit 2 (1990-1992; age range 47-69 years) and who had neuropsychological and functional testing at visit 5 (2011-2013; age range 67-91 years). Neuropsychological tests were grouped into memory, language, and executive function domains and were standardized. We categorized vitD using clinical cut points as deficient (<20 ng/mL), intermediate (20-<30 ng/mL), or sufficient (≥ 30 ng/mL). We used Poisson and linear regression models adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic factors to examine the associations between vitD with prevalent dementia and performance on neuropsychological testing. Results: In mid-life, the mean (SD) age of participants was 56 (5) years, 60% were female, and 22% black. Mean (SD) vitD was 24.6 (8.4) ng/mL; 30% had deficient, 46% intermediate, and 24% sufficient vitD levels. Compared to participants with sufficient vitD levels, the prevalence ratios (95% CI) of late-life dementia were 1.35 (0.99, 1.84) and 1.27 (0.90, 1.80) for participants with intermediate and deficient vitD levels, respectively. We found no significant association between mid-life vitD and late-life performance on neuropsychological testing ( Table ). Further adjustments for cardiovascular, genetic, and metabolic factors yielded similar results. Conclusion: In this cohort, mid-life serum vitD levels were not associated with prevalent dementia or with performance on neuropsychological testing 20 years later.

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