Parental Death and Mid-adulthood Depressive Symptoms: The Importance of Life Course Stage and Parent’s Gender

2021 ◽  
pp. 002214652110611
Author(s):  
Christina Kamis ◽  
Allison Stolte ◽  
Molly Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Parental Death ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Parental Bereavement ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Using Data

Traditional theories of grief suggest that individuals experience short-term increases in depressive symptoms following the death of a parent. However, growing evidence indicates that effects of parental bereavement may persist. Situating the short- and long-term effects of parental death within the life course perspective, we assess the combined influence of time since loss and life course stage at bereavement on mental health for maternal and paternal death. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 11,877) to examine biological parental death from childhood to mid-adulthood, we find that those who experience recent maternal or paternal death have heightened depressive symptoms. Furthermore, those who experience maternal death in childhood or paternal death in young adulthood exhibit long-term consequences for mental health. Our findings underscore the theoretical importance of early life course stages and parent’s gender when determining whether depressive symptoms persist following parental bereavement.

scholarly journals Long-Term Effects of Abuse in Later Life Perpetrated by Family Members

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 444-445
Author(s):  
Naomi Meinertz ◽  
Pi-Ju Liu ◽  
Ron Acierno
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Long Term Impact

Abstract Abuse in later life could potentially lead to lower levels of social support, especially when perpetrated by family members who are charged with protecting the older adult in their care. Using both waves of the National Elder Mistreatment longitudinal data (wave one collected in 2008 and wave two in 2015; N=774), long-term effects of abuse (i.e., physical, emotional, sexual, and financial) on levels of social support, physical health, and clinical depressive symptoms for respondents at or above the age of 60 years were analyzed. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that respondents abused at wave one (n=261) by a family member (B=-0.55, p≤0.001), a spouse or ex-partner (B=-0.349, p=0.02), or a non-relative or stranger (B=-0.301, p=0.026) had lower levels of social support eight years later at wave two. Those abused by a family member at wave one also experienced higher levels of depressive symptoms at wave two (B=-0.187, p=0.01). Perpetrator type did not predict general health at wave two. These results emphasize the long-term impact of abuse on the lives of older adults and highlight the importance trusted relationships, such as with family members, have on older adult health and wellbeing.

scholarly journals Trajectories of Unsecured Debt across the Life Course and Mental Health at Midlife

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Ruining Sun ◽  
Jason N. Houle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Debt Accumulation ◽  
Unsecured Debt ◽  
Trajectory Models ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Substantial Heterogeneity

In this paper, we contribute to a growing literature on debt and mental health and ask whether patterns of unsecured debt accumulation and repayment over two decades are associated with depressive symptoms at age 50. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 Cohort and group trajectory models, we have three key findings. First, we find substantial heterogeneity in debt trajectories across the life course. Second, respondents who report consistently high debt levels across the life course or who cycle in and out of high debt report significantly more depressive symptoms than respondents who hold consistently low levels of debt. These findings hold for both absolute and relative (debt-to-income) debt. Third, we find that the association between debt and depressive symptoms is strongest among respondents with less than a college degree, but we find less evidence for heterogeneity by race in this cohort.

The Long-Term Impact of Childhood Disability on Mental Health Trajectories in Mid- to Late-Life

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110661
Author(s):  
Jessica S. West ◽  
Christina Kamis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Data File ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Childhood Disability ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Growth Curve Models ◽  
Disability Status

Objectives We draw from the life course and stress process frameworks to examine how experiencing disability in early life influences mental health in adulthood. Methods Data come from the Health and Retirement Study Cross-Wave Childhood Health and Family Aggregated Data file (2008-2018, n = 15,289). Childhood disability status is a retrospective self-report of whether respondents were disabled for six months or more because of a health problem before the age of 16 ( n = 581). We used age-based growth curve models to construct trajectories of depressive symptoms by childhood disability status. Results Respondents who experienced childhood disability exhibit more depressive symptoms at age 50 compared to those who did not experience this stressor. However, there is no difference in the growth of depressive symptoms with age between these groups, suggesting maintained inequality over the late adulthood life course. Discussion Findings suggest that childhood disability has long-term implications for life course mental health.

Does youth matter? Long-term effects of youth characteristics on the diversity of partnership trajectories

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Jung
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Religious Commitment ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Marriage And Family ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Attitudes Towards Marriage

Previous research has mainly concentrated on the study of certain transitions and the influence of economic and socio-structural factors on partnership status. From a life course perspective, it remains unclear how factors anchored in youth are related to the diversity of partnership biographies. Arguing that individuals act and behave based on prior experiences and resources, I analyse how personal and social resources as well as socio-demographic characteristics influence the turbulence of longitudinal partnership trajectories.Using a longitudinal dataset from the German LifE Study, I examine partnership histories from the ages 16 to 45. The results suggest that in addition to the influence of an individual’s socio-demographic placement (for example, religious commitment and regional living conditions), personal and social resources anchored in youth also have a long-term effect on the diversity of partnership trajectories. This article shows that women are influenced by their attitudes towards marriage and family, while men are influenced by their attitudes towards their careers.<br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Partnership trajectories are influenced by individual’s socio-structural placement as well as resources in youth.</li><br /><li>Attitudes towards family and career shape future life course and set young women and men on certain paths.</li><br /><li>Positive attitudes towards marriage and family stabilize women’s partnership trajectories.</li><br /><li>Men’s attitudes towards their career opportunities destabilize partnership trajectories.</li></ul>

scholarly journals The Long-Term Impact of Childhood Disability on Mental Health in Mid- to Late-Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 863-863
Author(s):  
Jessica West
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Childhood Disability ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
The Impact

Abstract For decades, life course and stress process scholars have documented that negative, stressful experiences in childhood have consequences for health across the life course. One aspect of the childhood adversity that deserves more research attention is childhood disability. Children with disabilities experience higher levels of psychological distress compared to their peers and having a disability can negatively impact traditional markers of the transition to adulthood (e.g., education, employment, family status). At present, there is limited evidence regarding the impact of childhood disability on mental health over multiple years of adulthood. This study applies random effects models to nationally representative data from five waves (2008-2016) of the Health and Retirement Study (n=15,380; n=590 with a childhood disability), to examine how experiencing disability before the age of 16 shapes depressive symptoms over multiple years of adulthood. Given known gender differences in mental health, the models are stratified by gender to examine how the association between childhood disability and adult mental health varies by gender. Preliminary results suggest that experiencing a childhood disability is associated with different patterns of depressive symptoms in adulthood. Men who experienced childhood disability report more depressive symptoms in adulthood, net of sociodemographic, adult health, and childhood disadvantage covariates. Women who experienced childhood disability report more depressive symptoms in adulthood, net of all covariates except for childhood depression. Next steps are to conduct age-based growth curve models using Stata’s mixed function to estimate whether childhood disability influences baseline and growth of depressive symptoms in adulthood.

scholarly journals Marital Biography and Health at Mid-Life

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Elizabeth Hughes ◽  
Linda J. Waite
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Marital Disruption ◽  
Mobility Limitations ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Current Marital Status

This article develops a series of hypotheses about the long-term effects of one's history of marriage, divorce, and widowhood on health, and it tests those hypotheses using data from the Health and Retirement Study. We examine four dimensions of health at mid-life: chronic conditions, mobility limitations, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms. We find that the experience of marital disruption damages health, with the effects still evident years later; among the currently married, those who have ever been divorced show worse health on all dimensions. Both the divorced and widowed who do not remarry show worse health than the currently married on all dimensions. Dimensions of health that seem to develop slowly, such as chronic conditions and mobility limitations, show strong effects of past marital disruption, whereas others, such as depressive symptoms, seem more sensitive to current marital status. Those who spent more years divorced or widowed show more chronic conditions and mobility limitations.

scholarly journals Long-Term Development of Urban Agriculture: Resilience and Sustainability of Farmers Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4316
Author(s):  
Shingo Yoshida ◽  
Hironori Yagi
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Direct Marketing ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Urban People

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has forced global food systems to face unprecedented uncertain shocks even in terms of human health. Urban agriculture is expected to be more resilient because of its short supply chain for urban people and diversified farming activities. However, the short-and long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on urban farms remain unclear. This study aims to reveal the conditions for farm resilience to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the relationship between short-term farm resilience and long-term farm development using data from a survey of 74 farms located in Tokyo. The results are as follows. First, more than half of the sample farms increased their farm sales during this period. This resilience can be called the “persistence” approach. Second, short-term farm resilience and other sustainable farm activities contributed to improving farmers’ intentions for long-term farm development and farmland preservation. Third, the most important resilience attributes were the direct marketing, entrepreneurship, and social networks of farmers. We discussed the necessity of building farmers’ transformative capabilities for a more resilient urban farming system. These results imply that support to enhance the short-term resilience of urban farms is worth more than the short-term profit of the farms.

Older and Wiser? Age Moderates the Association Between Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms in American Indians and Alaska Natives

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (7-8_suppl) ◽  
pp. 10S-17S
Author(s):  
Chad Danyluck ◽  
Irene V. Blair ◽  
Spero M. Manson ◽  
Mark L. Laudenslager ◽  
Stacie L. Daugherty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Alaska Natives ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Qualitative Work

Objectives: To examine age differences in the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms among urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Methods: A sample of 303 urban AI/AN (18–78 years old) reported on lifetime and past-week experiences of racial discrimination and depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were regressed on racial discrimination, age, and their interaction, adjusting for demographic factors and other life stressors. Results: Lifetime and past-week discrimination were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, and these associations were stronger among younger than older adult AI/AN. Discussion: The results are consistent with prior reports in other populations, but this is the first such study to focus on AI/AN, and it highlights the importance of considering life course perspectives. Conclusions are limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data. Longitudinal and qualitative work is needed to understand why discrimination may have a stronger effect on mental health for younger than older AI/AN.

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