scholarly journals Do socioeconomic inequalities in pain, psychological distress and oral health increase or decrease over the life course? Evidence from Sweden over 43 years of follow-up

2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Keller Celeste ◽  
Johan Fritzell
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Musculoskeletal Pain ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Life Course

BackgroundInequalities over the life course may increase due to accumulation of disadvantage or may decrease because ageing can work as a leveller. We report how absolute and relative socioeconomic inequalities in musculoskeletal pain, oral health and psychological distress evolve with ageing.MethodsData were combined from two nationally representative Swedish panel studies: the Swedish Level-of-Living Survey and the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old. Individuals were followed up to 43 years in six waves (1968, 1974, 1981, 1991/1992, 2000/2002, 2010/2011) from five cohorts: 1906–1915 (n=899), 1925–1934 (n=906), 1944–1953 (n=1154), 1957–1966 (n=923) and 1970–1981 (n=1199). The participants were 15–62 years at baseline. Three self-reported outcomes were measured as dichotomous variables: teeth not in good conditions, psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain. The fixed-income groups were: (A) never poor and (B) poor at least once in life. The relationship between ageing and the outcomes was smoothed with locally weighted ordinary least squares, and the relative and absolute gaps were calculated with Poisson regression using generalised estimating equations.ResultsAll outcomes were associated with ageing, birth cohort, sex and being poor at least once in live. Absolute inequalities increased up to the age of 45–64 years, and then they decreased. Relative inequalities were large already in individuals aged 15–25 years, showing a declining trend over the life course. Selective mortality did not change the results. The socioeconomic gap was larger for current poverty than for being poor at least once in life.ConclusionInequalities persist into very old age, though they are more salient in midlife for all three outcomes observed.

scholarly journals PROVIDING AND RECEIVING FAMILY CARE ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE: INSIGHTS FROM THE OLDEST OLD

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S612-S613
Author(s):  
Taylor Patskanick ◽  
Julie Miller ◽  
Chaiwoo Lee ◽  
Lisa D’Ambrosio
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Household Composition ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Unprecedented longevity comes with an increased need for providing and receiving care. A 2015 report estimated 39.8 million adults in the United States provided unpaid care to an adult in 2014 (NAC & AARP). Previous research has focused disproportionately on experiences of providing care to older adults, but little has explored experiences of providing care and receiving care among the oldest old. Adults aged 85 and older are likely to have provided care to an adult family member at some point in their lives, but now may be receiving care themselves. The presentation will report on findings from a mixed methods study investigating the experiences of providing and receiving care across the life course among a sample of the “oldest old.” Data draw from focus groups and a survey with the MIT AgeLab Lifestyle Leaders, a bimonthly panel study of adults ages 85 and older. Findings suggest the Lifestyle Leaders had extensive experience providing care, particularly in older age. They most often cared for family members with long-term physical or cognitive conditions. Opinions on learning new technologies to help with caregiving and robot caregivers were mixed. The majority of the Lifestyle Leaders received regular help with at least one care task regardless of household composition or living situation. Many reported help had improved their health, but they felt like a burden to their caregivers. Even in later life, the Lifestyle Leaders had few ideas about who might take care of them if they needed care in the future.

The lasting imprint of childhood disadvantage: cumulative histories of exposure to childhood adversity and trajectories of psychological distress in adulthood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loanna S. Heidinger ◽  
Andrea E. Willson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Childhood Adversities ◽  
Childhood Disadvantage ◽  
The Life Course

This study contributes to the literature on the long-term effects of childhood disadvantage on mental health by estimating the association between patterns of cumulative childhood adversity on trajectories of psychological distress in adulthood. There is little research that investigates how compositional variations in the accumulation of childhood adversity may initiate distinct processes of disadvantage and differentially shape trajectories of psychological distress across the adult life course. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics’ Childhood Retrospective Circumstance Study and latent class analysis, we first identify distinct classes representing varied histories of exposure to childhood adversities using 25 indicators of adversity across multiple childhood domains. Next, the latent classes are included as predictors of trajectories of psychological distress in adulthood. The results demonstrate that patterns of experiences of childhood adversity are associated with higher levels of adult psychological distress that persists, and in some cases worsens, in adulthood, contributing to disparities in mental health across the life course.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Cumulative adversity during childhood has an enduring influence on adult psychological distress.</li><br /><li>Childhood adversities of various types and severities tend to co-occur, which is important for measures of cumulative childhood adversity to consider.</li><br /><li>Childhood adversity increases adult psychological distress, contributing to disparities in mental health across the life course.</li></ul>

scholarly journals Mental health in higher education students and non-students: evidence from a nationally representative panel study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangeline Tabor ◽  
Praveetha Patalay ◽  
David Bann
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Lower Odds ◽  
Score Difference ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Nationally Representative

AbstractDespite increasing policy focus on mental health provision for higher education students, it is unclear whether they have worse mental health outcomes than their non-student peers. In a nationally-representative UK study spanning 2010–2019 (N = 11,519), 17–24 year olds who attended higher education had lower average psychological distress (GHQ score difference =  − 0.37, 95% CI − 0.60, − 0.08) and lower odds of case-level distress than those who did not (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.81, 1.02). Increases in distress between 2010 and 2019 were similar in both groups. Accessible mental health support outside higher education settings is necessary to prevent further widening of socioeconomic inequalities in mental health.

Does Neighborhood Cohesion Moderate the Association between Cancer and Psychological Distress?

2021 ◽  
pp. 193672442110430
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Reynolds ◽  
Manacy Pai
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Neighborhood Cohesion ◽  
Breast And Cervical Cancer ◽  
Neighborhood Social Cohesion ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Interview Survey ◽  
Nationally Representative

The purpose of this study is to examine (a) the association between cancer diagnosis and psychological distress and (b) the extent to which this association is moderated by perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. Data are drawn from the 2013 wave of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a nationally representative survey on broad health topics. We employ ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to examine the links between cancer, neighborhood cohesion, and distress. Findings reveal no statistically significant difference in psychological distress between women with breast and cervical cancer. However, neighborhood social cohesion does moderate the effect of cancer on distress. While perceptions of neighborhood cohesion do not affect levels of psychological distress among women with breast cancer, perceived connectedness with neighbors translates into significantly lower levels of mental distress among women diagnosed with cervical cancer.

scholarly journals Interrelationship of substance use and psychological distress over the life course among a cohort of urban African Americans

2012 ◽  
Vol 123 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 239-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry M. Green ◽  
Katarzyna A. Zebrak ◽  
Judith A. Robertson ◽  
Kate E. Fothergill ◽  
Margaret E. Ensminger
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Life Course ◽  
The Life Course

scholarly journals Transpersonal Genetic Effects Among Older U.S. Couples: A Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-194
Author(s):  
Aniruddha Das
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Genetic Effects ◽  
Genetic Associations ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Genetics Research ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Background Emerging social genetics research suggests one’s genes may influence not just one’s own outcomes but also those of close social alters. Health implications, particularly in late life, remain underexplored. Using combined genetic and survey data, this study examined such transpersonal genetic associations among older U.S. couples. Method Data were from married or cohabiting couples in the 2006–2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, nationally representative of U.S. adults over 50. Measures included a polygenic score for educational attainment, and self-rated health. Analysis was through parallel process latent growth models. Results Women’s and men’s genetic scores for education had transpersonal linkages with their partner’s health. Such associations were solely with life-course variations and not late-life change in outcomes. Moreover, they were indirect, mediated by educational attainment itself. Evidence also emerged for individual-level genetic effects mediated by the partner’s education. Discussion In addition to the subject-specific linkages emphasized in extant genetics literature, relational contexts involve multiple transpersonal genetic associations. These appear to have consequences for a partner’s and one’s own health. Life-course theory indicates that a person is never not embedded in such contexts, suggesting that these patterns may be widespread. Research is needed on their implications for the life-course and gene–environment correlation literature.

scholarly journals Life course socioeconomic inequalities and oral health status in later life

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. 7s ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabíola Bof de Andrade ◽  
José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes ◽  
Paulo Roberto Borges de Souza Junior ◽  
Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa ◽  
Cesar De Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Socioeconomic Position ◽  
Tooth Loss ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Dental Prostheses ◽  
Absolute And Relative Inequalities ◽  
Index Of Inequality

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between life course socioeconomic conditions and two oral health outcomes (edentulism and use of dental prostheses among individuals with severe tooth loss) among older Brazilian adults. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) which includes information on persons aged 50 years or older residing in 70 municipalities across the five great Brazilian regions. Regression models using life history information were used to investigate the relation between childhood (parental education) and adulthood (own education and wealth) socioeconomic circumstances and edentulism and use of dental prostheses. Slope index of inequality and relative index of inequality for edentulism and use of dental prostheses assessed socioeconomic inequalities in both outcomes. RESULTS: Approximately 28.8% of the individuals were edentulous and among those with severe tooth loss 80% used dental prostheses. Significant absolute and relative inequalities were found for edentulism and use of dental prostheses. The magnitude of edentulism was higher among individuals with lower levels of socioeconomic position during childhood, irrespective of their current socioeconomic position. Absolute and relative inequalities related to the use of dental prostheses were not related to childhood socioeconomic position. CONCLUSIONS: These findings substantiate the association between life course socioeconomic circumstances and oral health in older adulthood, although use of dental prostheses was not related to childhood socioeconomic position. The study also highlights the long-lasting relation between childhood socioeconomic inequalities and oral health through the life course.

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.

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