Job Characteristics, Job Preferences, and Physical and Mental Health in Later Life

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Halliday Hardie ◽  
Jonathan Daw ◽  
S. Michael Gaddis
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 237802311983600
Author(s):  
Jessica Halliday Hardie ◽  
Jonathan Daw ◽  
S. Michael Gaddis

Existing research linking socioeconomic status with work focuses primarily on the precursors (educational attainment) and outcomes (income) of work, rather than asking how diverse facets of work influence health. Using four waves of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the authors evaluate whether multiple measures of respondent job characteristics, respondent preferences for those characteristics, and their interaction substantially improve the fit of sociological models of men’s and women’s physical and mental health at midlife and old age compared with traditional models using educational attainment, parental socioeconomic status, and income. The authors find that nonwage job characteristics predict men’s and women’s physical and mental health over the life course, although there is little evidence that the degree to which one’s job accords with one’s job preferences matters for health. These findings expand what is known about how work matters for health, demonstrating how the manner and condition under which one works has lasting impacts on well-being.


Author(s):  
Oliver Arránz Becker ◽  
Katharina Loter

Abstract This study examines consequences of parental education for adult children’s physical and mental health using panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel study. Based on random-effects growth curve models (N = 15,144 West German respondents born between 1925 and 1998 aged 18–80), we estimate gender-, age-, and cohort-specific trajectories of physical and mental health components of the SF-12 questionnaire for low and high parental education measured biennially from 2002 to 2018. Findings suggest more persistent effects of parental education on physical than mental health. In particular, both daughters and sons of the lower educated group of parents (with neither parent qualified for university) exhibit markedly poorer physical health over the whole life course and worse mental health in mid-life and later life than those of higher educated parents. Thus, children’s health gradients conditional on parental education tend to widen with increasing age. Once children’s educational attainment is held constant, effects of parental education on children’s health mostly vanish. This suggests that in the strongly stratified West German context with its rather low social mobility, intergenerational transmission of education, which, according to our analyses, has been declining among younger cohorts, contributes to cementing long-term health inequalities across the life course.


2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-368
Author(s):  
Joanne Allen ◽  
Fiona M Alpass

ObjectiveAged pension schemes aim to support material and non-material well-being of older populations. The current work aimed to describe dominant trajectories of material living standards in the decades prior to and following eligibility for an aged pension, and describe associated trajectories of physical and mental health.MethodsLongitudinal data on living standards and indices of health Short Form 12 were collected over 2–12 years follow-up from 4811 New Zealand adults aged 55–76. Growth mixture models were used to identify dominant trajectories of living standards with age. Latent growth curve models were used to describe trajectories of physical and mental health associated with each living standards trajectory class.ResultsA group characterised by good living standards with age (81.5%) displayed physical and mental health scores comparable to those of the general adult population. Smaller groups experienced hardship but increasing living standards (11.8%) and hardship and declining living standards (6.8%). While both groups in hardship experienced poor health in the decade prior pension eligibility, mental health improved among those with increasing living standards, while physical and mental health declined among those with declining living standards.ConclusionUnder the current policy settings, a majority of older adults in New Zealand maintain a good level of living standards and health in later life. However, significant proportions experience material hardship and poor health in the decade prior to pension eligibility. Alleviation of material hardship may reduce health inequalities in later life.


Author(s):  
Neelam Verma

Estimated research findings suggest that almost two-thirds of adults with psychiatric conditions do not receive the required treatment services. This chapter enables readers to understand various aspects of ageing, how physical and mental health aspects are correlated, and which mental health conditions are most common in later life. The chapter also discusses major models of mental health in the context of ageing. Major psychiatric and psychological conditions that are most common in old age are outlined along with a major milestone of old age (i.e., retirement: a major lifestyle change that pushes older people towards psychological problems and adjustment issues with a new phase of life). A brief description is presented on the current status of psychiatric and psychological services for mental health issues of the elderly. The chapter concludes by summarizing the contents of discussed areas. Studies are presented throughout the chapter to accompany and enrich the discussion and validate the chapter content.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S619-S620
Author(s):  
Dorina Cadar ◽  
Lucy Stirland ◽  
Graciela Muniz Terrera

Abstract The close interlink between physical and mental health outcomes has long been recognised in gerontological research. Mental-physical comorbidities – the presence of at least one physical health long term condition, and at least one mental health-related long term condition are common in older age individuals. Numerous studies have shown a positive association between the prevalence of multimorbidity and age so, as the population of older individuals in developed nations continues to grow, multimorbidity is likely to become increasingly higher in ageing populations. A major goal in current gerontological neuropsychology and neuroepidemiological research is to better understand how interindividual differences in cognitive and mental health in old age emerge. Cognitive reserve (a marker of brain resilience) may come into play when facing stressors that affect cognitive decline and mental health, such as suffering from chronic diseases. We present data from three different longitudinal studies of ageing i) the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1921, ii) PREVENT and iii) the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing from the United Kingdom. These studies are ideally placed to address key research questions related to mental ageing, psychological health, terminal decline and their determinants. We explored the following objectives: 1) to investigate the association between an increasing number of chronic physical conditions, medication and mental disorders 2) to assess the role of childhood intelligence and education on the terminal decline in later life 3) to investigate the associations between different markers of cognitive reserve and dementia


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 1057-1058
Author(s):  
Ilan Kwon ◽  
Sojung Park ◽  
BoRin Kim ◽  
ByeongJu Ryu

Abstract Despite consistent evidence on the negative effect of social and economic challenges on health, little is known about the pattern of economic difficulties people experience and the impact of those challenging patterns on long-term health in later life. This study used the national data, Mid Life in the United States (MIDUS 3 in 2013-2014), to identify the different patterns of socio-economic challenges that older Americans (50-64 ages old) experienced during the Recession in 2008 and to examine the impact of past challenging experiences on physical and mental health in their later life. Socio-economic challenges included twenty-six items such as losing or moving a job, missing rent, selling or losing a home, bankruptcy, having debts, and cutting spending. We conducted the latent class analysis and regression while controlling other social determinant factors (e.g., education, employment status, poverty, etc.). The latent class analysis result found five patterns during the Recession: people who experienced various difficulties during the Recession, who moved their jobs, who experienced financial difficulties, who bought a home with decreased debts, and who experienced no difficulty. Compared to people with no challenging experience, those who needed to move their jobs but could make debt off during the Recession reported physically healthier, but not mentally healthier in later life. Interestingly, among this group, women reported more long-term physical health problems than men. The findings suggest the close connection between physical and mental health and the importance of long-term care for mental health among older adults in recovering from socio-economic challenges.


Author(s):  
Neelam Verma

Estimated research findings suggest that almost two-thirds of adults with psychiatric conditions do not receive the required treatment services. This chapter enables readers to understand various aspects of ageing, how physical and mental health aspects are correlated, and which mental health conditions are most common in later life. The chapter also discusses major models of mental health in the context of ageing. Major psychiatric and psychological conditions that are most common in old age are outlined along with a major milestone of old age (i.e., retirement: a major lifestyle change that pushes older people towards psychological problems and adjustment issues with a new phase of life). A brief description is presented on the current status of psychiatric and psychological services for mental health issues of the elderly. The chapter concludes by summarizing the contents of discussed areas. Studies are presented throughout the chapter to accompany and enrich the discussion and validate the chapter content.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 705-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Lai ◽  
Vicki Bruce ◽  
Daniel Collerton

Background: A previous study (Gauntlett-Gilbert and Kuipers, 2005) has suggested that distress associated with complex visual hallucinations (CVHs) in younger adults with psychosis may more strongly relate to appraisals of meaning than to the content of the hallucination. However, visual hallucinations are most commonly seen in the disorders of later life, where this relationship has not been investigated. Aim: To establish if there is a relationship between appraisals of CVHs and distress in older, non-psychotic people with CVHs. Method: All variables were measured using a semi-structured interview and were compared between a high distress group (n = 16) and a low distress group (n = 19). Results: The high distress group rated their hallucinations as more malevolent and omnipotent, with greater negative implications for physical and mental health. There was no significant difference between groups on ratings of hallucination content (independently rated), frequency, awareness or control. Conclusion: Appraisals of CVHs are linked to distress.


Author(s):  
Jieun Song ◽  
Marsha R. Mailick ◽  
Jan S. Greenberg ◽  
Jinkuk Hong

Parenting a child with developmental or mental health problems is a lifelong process with unique challenges and adjustments. Parents of children with these conditions often experience chronic stress and an elevated risk of mental and physical health problems and cognitive decline in later life, although profiles of resilience have been noted. This chapter reviews Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies that have examined the lifelong effects of parenting children with developmental or mental health problems. MIDUS research has found that midlife and older parents of children with these conditions have poorer physical and mental health profiles and poorer cognitive functioning in later life than counterparts whose children do not have such conditions, and that mental and physical health disparities increase as parents age. Possible mechanisms underlying these differences have been examined in studies utilizing the multidisciplinary data of MIDUS, which include a variety of psychosocial, cognitive, and biological assessments.


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