Stability and Change in Motherhood Status and Fertility Problem Identification: Implications for Changes in Self-Esteem

Because motherhood is a valued status, the life course perspective and the theory of conjunctural action suggest the following hypotheses: for women in the United States, gaining the valued identity “mother” should lead to an increase in self-esteem, while identification with a fertility problem identity should lead to a decrease in self-esteem. Using the nationally representative two-wave National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB), we conducted change-score analysis with chained multiple imputation (MICE) to model attrition. We compared changes in self-esteem by change and stability in motherhood and self-identified fertility problem status among women who initially had no children. Results provide support for the hypotheses. All but one group—those who no longer identified a problem and who had a baby—had declines in self-esteem. Women who persisted with a fertility problem identity and did not have a baby had the steepest decline in self-esteem.

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Social Disadvantage, Severe Child Abuse, and Biological Profiles in Adulthood

Journal of Health and Social Behavior ◽

10.1177/0022146516685370 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 371-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Chioun Lee ◽

Christopher L. Coe ◽

Carol D. Ryff

Keyword(s):

Childhood Abuse ◽

Process Model ◽

Latent Class ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Adult Health ◽

Socially Disadvantaged ◽

Physiological Dysregulation ◽

Physiological Profiles ◽

The Life Course

Guided by the stress process model and the life course perspective, we hypothesize: (1) that childhood abuse is concentrated, in terms of type and intensity, among socially disadvantaged individuals, and (2) that experiencing serious abuse contributes to poor biological profiles in multiple body systems in adulthood. Data came from the Biomarker subsample of Midlife in the United States (2004–2006). We used latent class analysis to identify distinct profiles of childhood abuse, each reflecting a combination of type and severity. Results indicate that disadvantaged groups, women, and those from disadvantaged families are at greater risk of experiencing more severe and multiple types of abuse. Those with more severe and multifaceted childhood abuse show greater physiological dysregulation. Childhood abuse experiences partially accounted for the social status differences in physiological profiles. Our findings underscore that differential exposure to serious childhood stressors plays a significant role in gender and class inequalities in adult health.

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The U-Shape of Happiness: A Response

Perspectives on Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/1745691620984393 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174569162098439

Author(s):

David G. Blanchflower ◽

Carol L. Graham

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Literature Review ◽

Life Course ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Late Adolescence ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

The Life Course

We write in response to an article published in this journal, “The U Shape of Happiness Across the Life Course: Expanding the Discussion,” by Galambos, Krahn, Johnson and Lachman. The authors claim that “support for the purported U shape is not as robust and generalizable as is often assumed” and “we believe the conclusion that happiness declines from late adolescence to midlife (the first half of the U shape) is premature, and possibly wrong.” We respectfully disagree. The authors’ main evidence is based on summaries of 33 articles; they find 12 to have U shapes, seven to have none, and 14 to be mixed. We found that most of these articles are misclassified: Four of them are ineligible for inclusion, 25 find a U, and four are mixed. We then identified a further 353 articles, including 329 in peer-reviewed journals, that all found U shapes that were not identified in the literature review. This is a major omission. We also present our own evidence of midlife nadirs in well-being using around eight and a half million individual observations from nationally representative surveys for the United States and Europe. The midlife low occurs in the mid-40s and its drop is equivalent to roughly three quarters of the unprecedented drop observed in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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ALWAYS TRY TO DO MY BEST: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF CHINESE AMERICAN DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2499 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S676-S676

Author(s):

Jinyu Liu ◽

Bei Wu ◽

Ada Mui ◽

Yifan Lou ◽

Wenxing Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Chinese American ◽

Chinese Americans ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Chinese Family ◽

Older Chinese ◽

The Life Course

Abstract Objectives: Given the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) in the United States and the rapid growth of the older Chinese American population, many older Chinese Americans are expected to need intensive care because of cognitive impairment. Prior studies on Chinese ADRD caregivers lack comprehensive examinations from a life course perspective that emphasizes the importance of time, context, process and meaning on human development. Using the life course perspective, this study aims to identify challenges and strength of caregiving experience for this population. Methods: We conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 28 Chinese family caregivers of persons with ADRD in New York City. Thematic analysis method was used to assess the interview data. Results: Seven life-course themes emerged from the data. In the domain of challenges, four themes were identified: (1) physical and emotional exhaustion, (2) limited understanding on cognitive health, (3) difficulty in accessing effective and culturally-sensitive health care services for care recipients, and (4) caregivers’ inability to do self-care. Other three themes were found in the domain of strengths: (1) commitment to care due to cultural and religious values, (2) emotional closeness as resource to sustain caregiving, and (3) family support and cohesion. Conclusion: This study indicates that the life course perspective is an important lens to understand challenges and strengths of Chinese American caregivers. This study also suggests that health professionals could incorporate the life course perspective into assessment and intervention development when working with minority and immigrant ADRD family caregivers.

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THE INFLUENCE OF RECESSION HARDSHIPS ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING OF SANDWICHED AND FILIAL CAREGIVERS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2282 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S613-S613

Author(s):

Barbara Hodgdon ◽

Jen D Wong

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Family Caregiving ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Multiple Generations ◽

Multigenerational Households ◽

Environmental Mastery ◽

The Life Course

Abstract The 2007-2009 U.S. Great Recession impacted the lives of many families, and it has been documented that multigenerational households in the U.S. increased by 10% during this period. Given the vulnerability of providing care to multiple generations, there is a need to examine the influence of recession hardships on sandwiched caregiving and psychosocial well-being in the context of more normative caregiving (e.g., filial caregiving). Informed by the life course perspective, this study assessed the impacts of types of family caregiving (sandwiched and filial caregivers) on psychosocial well-being (e.g., affect, environmental mastery, and social actualization) and the moderating role of recession hardships (e.g., job loss, foreclosure). Sandwiched and filial caregivers (N=127; Mage=53; SD=11.02) from the Refresher Cohort of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Survey provide information on demographics, recession hardships, family caregiving, and well-being. Results from regression analyses showed that sandwiched caregivers exhibited lower levels of positive affect and environmental mastery than filial caregivers. Moderation analyses showed that filial caregivers with lower recession hardships exhibited lower positive affect and social actualization when compared to sandwiched caregivers with lower recession hardships. Filial caregivers with lower recession hardships exhibited lower positive affect and social actualization than sandwiched and filial caregivers with greater recession hardships. These results illustrate the complexity of family caregiving in that providing care to multiple generations does not necessarily translate to lower levels of well-being. Study findings have the potential to inform programs that may promote sandwiched caregivers’ well-being and support filial caregivers navigating financial disruptions.

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ADDRESSING RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HEALTH USING LIFE COURSE PERSPECTIVES

Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race ◽

10.1017/s1742058x11000075 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 79-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Cynthia G. Colen

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Racial Disparities ◽

African American Women ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Socioeconomic Mobility ◽

Marginalized Groups ◽

Interactive Nature ◽

The Life Course ◽

Racial Disparities In Health

AbstractIn the United States, African Americans face stark inequalities in health. The life course perspective offers a unique viewpoint through which racial disparities in morbidity and mortality may be understood as the result of repeated exposures to risk factors during both childhood and adulthood. However, the utility of this approach is limited by its failure to investigate the degree to which racial/ethnic minorities are able to translate gains in socioeconomic status into favorable health outcomes, both for themselves and for their children. In order to adequately reflect the realities of marginalized groups, life course models must explore the interactive nature of linkages across lifecourse stages, pay particular attention to the unique processes that create and maintain health disparities over time, and consider the specific contexts in which these processes occur. To this end, I examine the ways in which exclusionary forces and discriminatory conditions are likely to prevent African American women and their children from reaping the health benefits typically associated with upward socioeconomic mobility.

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Types of Family Caregiving and Daily Experiences in Midlife and Late Adulthood: The Moderating Influences of Marital Status and Age

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027516681050 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 719-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jen D. Wong ◽

Yetunde Shobo

Keyword(s):

Family Caregivers ◽

Family Caregiving ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Late Adulthood ◽

Daily Diary Study ◽

Daily Experiences ◽

The Life Course

Guided by the life-course perspective, this study contributes to the family caregiving, aging, and disability literature by examining the daily experiences of three types of family caregivers in midlife and late adulthood. A sample of 162 caregivers from the National Survey of Midlife in the United States study completed interviews, questionnaires, and a Daily Diary Study. Multilevel models showed the patterns of daily time use did not differ by caregiver types. Caregivers of sons/daughters with developmental disabilities (DD) experienced more daily stressors than caregivers of parents with health conditions (HC) and caregivers of spouses with HC. Unmarried caregivers of sons/daughters with DD reported spending more time on daily leisure activities and exhibited greater daily stressor exposure than other family caregivers. Age did not moderate the associations between caregiver types and daily experiences. Findings highlight the important consideration of the caregivers’ characteristics to better determine the quality of their daily experiences in midlife and late adulthood.

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Predictors of College Enrollment across the Life Course: Heterogeneity by Age and Gender

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11070344 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 344

Author(s):

David B. Monaghan

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Marital Dissolution ◽

Social Background ◽

The United States ◽

Academic Preparation ◽

Involuntary Job Loss ◽

College Going ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

And Gender ◽

The Life Course

Undergraduate college-going is now undertaken well into adulthood, but knowledge about what leads individuals to enroll derives nearly entirely from the study of the “traditionally-aged”. I examine whether and how predictors of enrollment vary as individuals progress through the life-course using nationally representative data from the United States, following a cohort from ages 18–45. Measures of social background and academic preparation are only weakly predictive beyond age 24, while the effects of gender are largest after age 35. Marriage appears to be a barrier to enrollment among males and females, but only until age 25. Involuntary job loss spurs college-going most strongly among those aged 35 or older, and particularly among women. Among those over age 25, marital dissolution predicts enrollment positively among females but negatively among males.

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Beyond the Cross-Lagged Panel Model: Next-Generation Statistical Tools for Analyzing Interdependencies Across the Life Course

10.31234/osf.io/zfy85 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Marcus Mund ◽

Steffen Nestler

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Change Score ◽

Latent Trajectory ◽

Panel Model ◽

Random Intercept ◽

The Cross ◽

Individual Variables ◽

Score Model ◽

The Life Course

For decades, researchers have employed the Cross-Lagged Panel Model (CLPM) to analyze the interactions and interdependencies of a wide variety of inner- or supra-individual variables across the life course. However, in the last years the CLPM has been criticized for its underlying assumptions and several alternative models have been proposed that allow to relax these assumptions. With the Random-Intercept CLPM, the Autoregressive Latent Trajectory Model with Structured Residuals, and the Dual Change Score Model, we describe three of the most prominent alternatives to the CLPM and provide an impression about how to interpret the results obtained with these models. To this end, we illustrate the use of the presented models with an empirical example on the interplay between self-esteem and relationship satisfaction. We provide R and Mplus scripts that might help life course researchers to use these novel and powerful alternatives to the CLPM in their own research.

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LIFE COURSE EXAMINATION OF GLOBAL AND DAILY PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACTS OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN MIDLIFE AND LATE ADULTHOOD

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3020 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S819-S819

Author(s):

Jen D Wong ◽

Yetty Shobo ◽

Barbara T Hodgdon

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Marital Status ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Family Caregiving ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Psychosocial Impacts ◽

The Life Course

Abstract Family members often serve as informal caregivers for the first line of care. The complexity of family caregiving suggests the need to examine the personal and environmental resources that contribute to caregivers’ psychosocial well-being. Informed by the life course perspective, this study investigates the impacts of providing care to a family member on global and daily psychosocial well-being, and the moderating influences of age, gender, marital status, and social support. The sample consists of 1449 (M=55.99, SD=9.31) participants from Midlife in the United States (MIDUS-II: Main and Diary) survey. Regression and multilevel models results indicated greater global negative affect and daily stressors in caregivers as compared to non-caregivers. In line with the positive correlates of caregiving, caregivers reported greater daily positive events. Age, gender, and marital status significantly moderated the associations between caregiving and well-being. Findings showed that services aimed at family caregivers should take into account of personal resources.

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Family Caregivers’ Psychosocial Well-being in the Context of the Great Recession

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.1177/00914150211037650 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 009141502110376

Author(s):

Barbara T. Hodgdon ◽

Jen D. Wong

Keyword(s):

Family Caregivers ◽

Great Recession ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

The Great Recession ◽

Multigenerational Households ◽

Financial Challenges ◽

The Life Course ◽

Support Family

The economic instability of the Great Recession contributed to a rise in multigenerational households as more individuals took on unanticipated care responsibilities for older family members while navigating financial uncertainties. Guided by the life course perspective, this study compared the psychological and social well-being of family caregivers and examined the moderating influences of financial challenges experienced during the Great Recession. Filial and sandwiched caregivers ( N = 138; Mage = 52.80; SDage = 11.25) from the Refresher Cohort of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey provided information on demographics, caregiving, financial challenges, and well-being. Findings from regression analyses showed that sandwiched caregivers exhibited lower environmental mastery and positive relations with others than filial caregivers ( p = .07). Moderation analyses showed that sandwiched caregivers with fewer than average financial challenges exhibited lower social actualization than the other family caregivers ( p = .01). Study findings underscore the need to support family caregivers’ psychosocial well-being as they navigate caregiving responsibilities and financial disruptions.

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