scholarly journals Changing living arrangements, family dynamics and stress during lockdown: evidence from four birth cohorts in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Evamdrou ◽  
Jane Falkingham ◽  
Min Qin ◽  
Athina Vlachantoni
Keyword(s):  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
The People ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

On 23 March 2020 the UK went into lockdown in an unprecedented step to attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus. Since then, many families have found themselves spending an unprecedented amount of time together, with some facing the additional challenge of adapting to changes in who they are living with as some families have found themselves unexpectedly brought back together. School and university closures, the move to remote working, furlough or the loss of employment have all meant that many adult children who had previously left the parental home have returned. Other individuals have moved to provide care and support for a family member or friend who has been ‘shielding’, and conversely some vulnerable and/or older people have moved in with a younger relative or friend. This paper provides an overview of the changes in living arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing upon recently available data from five large scale nationally representative surveys, including the second wave of Understanding Society Covid-19 Study, conducted in May 2020 and the special Covid-19 surveys conducted with the participants of the 1958, 1970, 2000-01 British birth cohorts and Next Steps (born in 1989-90). The paper then goes on to explore the impact of the unexpected changes in living arrangements and mental health, as measured by self-reported stress and interpersonal conflict.Data from the Understanding Society May Covid-19 survey shows that for most of the respondents (95.5%) their living arrangements during the three months since 1st March 2020 had not changed. Just over 2% had changed their address and a further 1.5% reported other people had moved in, whilst under 1% reporting people moving out. However, the likelihood of having changed living arrangements varied significantly by age with one in seven of those aged 20-24 reporting a change in living arrangements. Young people aged 16-29 accounted for over half (57%) of all respondents reporting that they had moved themselves. By contrast, respondents in mid-life (45-59) and early later life (60-74) accounted for the majority of respondents reporting other people had moved in or out. Analysis of the cohort data confirmed this picture with nearly a quarter (24%) of the Millennium Cohort Study, currently aged 19 reporting a change in the people they were living with as a result of covid-19, compared to under one in ten of the 1958 cohort, now aged 62. Logistic regression models were used to assess the odds of reporting increased stress and conflict increase amongst those respondents who had experienced a change in living arrangement change compared to those who had not. The results provide strong evidence that those individuals whose living arrangements have changed as a result of the covoid-19 pandemic have a higher likelihood of reported increased stress and family conflict than those whose living arrangements remained unchanged. This has important implications for public health and wider policy as prolonged periods of stress can lead to serious health problems and policy makers need to be mindful that services may need to flex to take these new, albeit for many temporary, forms of living into account.

Older People's Experiences of Loneliness in the UK: Does Gender Matter?

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina R. Victor ◽  
Sasha J. Scambler ◽  
Louise Marston ◽  
John Bond ◽  
Ann Bowling
Keyword(s):  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Survey Response Rate ◽  
Ordered Logistic Regression ◽  
Previous Decade ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Older Men And Women

The extent and nature of loneliness in later life does not show a consistent relationship with gender. Our study investigates whether there are differences in the nature and extent of loneliness amongst older men and women in contemporary Britain.Loneliness was measured using a self-report four-point scale in a nationally representative survey of people aged 65+ living in the community.Survey response rate was 77 per cent and the sample of 999 approximates to that of the general population. Approximately half of our sample 53 per cent were women. Compared with males in the sample women were significantly more likely to be widowed, live alone and have direct contact with friends and relatives. Preliminary analysis identified statistically significant differences between men and women in and self-reported loneliness (and changes over the previous decade). Ordered logistic regression, indicated that gender was no longer independently associated with loneliness once the confounding influences of marital status, age and living arrangement were excluded.The overall self-reported prevalence of severe loneliness shows little difference between men and women, challenging the stereotype that loneliness is a specifically female experience.

Trust, efficacy and ethicacy when testing prisoners for COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Lambert ◽  
Dean Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Current System ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Scale Testing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus and subsequent COVID-19 illness has had a major impact on all levels of society internationally. The extent of the impact of COVID-19 on prison staff and prisoners in England and Wales is unknown. Testing for COVID-19 both asymptomatic and symptomatic, as well as for antibodies, to date, has been minimal. The purpose of this paper is to explore the widespread testing of COVID-19 in prisons poses philosophical and ethical questions around trust, efficacy and ethicacy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is both descriptive, providing an overview of the widespread testing of COVID-19 in prisoners in England and Wales, and conceptual in that it discusses and argues the issues associated with large-scale testing. This paper provides a discussion, using comparative studies, of the issues associated with large-scale testing of prisoners across the prison estate in England and Wales (120 prisons). The issues identified in this paper are contextualised through the lens of COVID-19, but they are equally transferrable to epidemiological studies of any pandemic. Given the prevalence of COVID-19 globally and the lack of information about its spread in prisons, at the time of writing this paper, there is a programme of asymptomatic testing of prisoners. However, there remains a paucity of data on the spread of COVID-19 in prisons because of the progress with the ongoing testing programme. Findings The authors argue that the widespread testing of prisoners requires careful consideration of the details regarding who is included in testing, how consent is gained and how tests are administered. This paper outlines and argues the importance of considering the complex nuance of power relationships within the prison system, among prisoner officers, medical staff and prisoners and the detrimental consequences. Practical implications The widespread testing of COVID-19 presents ethical and practical challenges. Careful planning is required when considering the ethics of who should be included in COVID-19 testing, how consent will be gained, who and how tests will be administered and very practical challenges around the recording and assigning of COVID-19 test kits inside the prison. The current system for the general population requires scanning of barcodes and registration using a mobile number; these facilities are not permitted inside a prison. Originality/value This paper looks at the issues associated with mass testing of prisoners for COVID-19. According to the authors’ knowledge, there has not been any research that looks at the issues of testing either in the UK or internationally. The literature available details countries’ responses to the pandemic rather and scientific papers on the development of vaccines. Therefore, this paper is an original review of some of the practicalities that need to be addressed to ensure that testing can be as successful as possible.

HIV/AIDS

2020 ◽  
pp. 901-933
Author(s):  
Sarah Fidler ◽  
Timothy E.A. Peto ◽  
Philip Goulder ◽  
Christopher P. Conlon
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The People ◽  
Reduce Life Expectancy ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
The Impact

Since its discovery in 1983, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been associated with a global pandemic that has affected more than 78 million people and caused more than 39 million deaths. Globally, 36.9 million (34.3–41.4 million) people were living with HIV at the end of 2013. An estimated 0.8% of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions. Sub-Saharan Africa remains most severely affected, with nearly 1 in every 20 adults living with HIV and accounting for nearly 71% of the people living with HIV worldwide. The impact of HIV in some African countries has been sufficient to reverse population growth and reduce life expectancy into the mid-30s, although HIV incidence has declined in some of these high-prevalence countries. However, there are large-scale HIV epidemics elsewhere (e.g. India, the Russian Federation, and Eastern Europe).

Socio-economic disadvantage and poverty

2020 ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Alisoun Milne
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Fundamental Building Block ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension ◽  
The Impact

Chapter 5 is the first of three chapters exploring the impact of age related risks affecting particular sub populations of older people. Socioeconomic disadvantage in later life tends to reflect a lifecourse status. It amplifies what is already present. In 2016/17 one million older people were living in poverty; an additional 1.2 million were living just above the poverty line. These numbers are rising. Those aged 85 years or over, frail older people, older women and single older people are particularly at risk. Poor older people are also more likely to live in poor housing and be exposed to fuel poverty. Being poor - and its concomitants - compromises mental health in a number of profound ways. It undermines an older person’s capacity to make choices, retain independence, save for a crisis, maintain social contacts and be digitally included. It is linked with worry, loss of control over life and shame. Poor older people are at heightened risk of isolation and loneliness, stress, anxiety and depression. The UK has a weak policy record, compared with other developed countries, of sustainably and coherently addressing poverty in later life. One of the cornerstones of doing so is a continued commitment to the basic state pension as a fundamental building block of a secure old age. Addressing poor housing is also pivotal.

UK Fiscal Prospects

2010 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. F66-F70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Barrell ◽  
Simon Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Spare Capacity ◽  
Intention To Move ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The UK is restructuring the fiscal policy framework once again, with an intention to move toward independent assessment and forecasting in the budget process. At the same time a large-scale, if delayed, fiscal consolidation is planned at a time when there is significant spare capacity in the economy. Economic growth is also projected to be below trend, at least this year and perhaps next. It is unusual to see a fiscal tightening when the output gap appears to be widening. These policy settings should be seen in the context of the most radical change in the nature of the relationship between the government and the economy for at least thirty years. This note assesses the impact of the new programme on the economy as well as setting out a projection for the medium-term public finances.

The impact of time-varying CO 2 injection rate on large scale storage in the UK Bunter Sandstone

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 77-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clea Kolster ◽  
Simeon Agada ◽  
Niall Mac Dowell ◽  
Samuel Krevor
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Injection Rate ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Network size and support in old age: differentials by socio-economic status in childhood and adulthood

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 625-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARJOLEIN I. BROESE VAN GROENOU ◽  
THEO VAN TILBURG
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Occupational Prestige ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the impact of childhood and adulthood socio-economic status (SES) on personal network characteristics in later life. Data are derived from 2,285 married older adults (born between 1903 and 1937) who participated in face-to-face interviews for the Dutch survey on ‘Living arrangements and social networks of older adults’ conducted in 1992. Childhood and adulthood SES were indicated by the father's and own level of education and occupation. Multivariate analyses showed that SES in adulthood has more impact on network features in old age than father's SES. People with low lifetime SES or with downward SES mobility had small networks, low instrumental and emotional support from non-kin, but high instrumental support from kin, when compared with the upwardly mobile or those with high lifetime SES. The level of education was a better indicator of network differences than occupational prestige. It is concluded that obtaining a high SES during life pays off in terms of having more supportive non-kin relationships in old age. The small networks and less supportive non-kin relationships of low-status older adults make them more vulnerable to situations in which kin are unavailable or less willing to provide support. This study underscores the distinction between types of support and types of relationships in the SES–network association. Further research on the social pathways of socio-economic inequality in health and wellbeing should take these distinctions into account.

scholarly journals An investigation of Social Class Inequalities in General Cognitive Ability in Two British Birth Cohorts

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxanne Connelly ◽  
Vernon Gayle
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
British Cohort Study ◽  
Nationally Representative

The ‘Flynn effect’ describes the substantial and long-standing increase in average cognitive ability test scores, which has been observed in numerous psychological studies. Flynn makes an appeal for researchers to move beyond psychology’s standard disciplinary boundaries and to consider sociological contexts, in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive inequalities. In this article we respond to this appeal and investigate social class inequalities in general cognitive ability test scores over time. We analyse data from the National Child Development Study (1958) and the British Cohort Study (1970). These two British birth cohorts are suitable nationally representative large-scale data resources for studying inequalities in general cognitive ability.We observe a large parental social class effect, net of parental education and gender in both cohorts. The overall finding is that large social class divisions in cognitive ability can be observed when children are still at primary school, and similar patterns are observed in each cohort. Notably, pupils with fathers at the lower end of the class structure are at a distinct disadvantage. This is a disturbing finding and it is especially important because cognitive ability is known to influence individuals later in the lifecourse.

scholarly journals Defensible inferences from a nested sequence of logistic regressions: a guide for the perplexed

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gulsah Gurkan ◽  
Yoav Benjamini ◽  
Henry Braun
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Family Background ◽  
National Income ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEmploying nested sequences of models is a common practice when exploring the extent to which one set of variables mediates the impact of another set. Such an analysis in the context of logistic regression models confronts two challenges: (i) direct comparisons of coefficients across models are generally biased due to the changes in scale that accompany the changes in the set of explanatory variables, (ii) conducting a large number of tests induces a problem of multiplicity that can lead to spurious findings of significance if not heeded. This article aims to illustrate a practical strategy for conducting analyses in the face of these challenges. The challenges—and how to address them—are illustrated using a subset of the findings reported by Braun (Large-scale Assess Educ 6(4):1–52, 2018. 10.1186/s40536-018-0058-x), drawn from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international, large-scale assessment of adults. For each country in the dataset, a nested pair of logistic regression models was fit in order to investigate the role of Educational Attainment and Cognitive Skills in mediating the impact of family background and demographic characteristics on the location of an individual’s annual income in the national income distribution. A modified version of the Karlson–Holm–Breen (KHB) method was employed to obtain an unbiased estimate of the true differences in the coefficients between nested logistic models. In order to address the issue of multiplicity, a recent generalization of the Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) False Discovery Rate (FDR)-controlling procedure to hierarchically structured hypotheses was employed and compared to two conventional methods. The differences between the changes in coefficients calculated conventionally and with the KHB adjustment varied from negligible to very substantial. When combined with the actual magnitudes of the coefficients, we concluded that the more proximal factors indeed act as strong mediators for the background factors, but less so for Age, and hardly at all for Gender. With respect to multiplicity, applying the FDR-controlling procedure yielded results very similar to those obtained by applying a standard per-comparison procedure, but quite a few more discoveries in comparison to the Bonferroni procedure. The KHB methodology illustrated here can be applied wherever there is interest in comparing nested logistic regressions. Modifications to account for probability sampling are practicable. The categorization of variables and the order of entry should be determined by substantive considerations. On the other hand, the BH procedure is perfectly general and can be implemented to address multiplicity issues in a broad range of settings.

scholarly journals Deaths, Disparities, and Cumulative (Dis)Advantage: How Social Inequities Produce an Impairment Paradox in Later Life

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heide Jackson ◽  
Michal Engelman
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Groups ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Research on health across the life course consistently documents widening racial and socioeconomic disparities from childhood through adulthood, followed by stabilization or convergence in later life. This pattern appears to contradict expectations set by cumulative (dis)advantage (CAD) theory. Informed by the punctuated equilibrium perspective, we examine the relationship between midlife health and subsequent health change and mortality and consider the impact of earlier socioeconomic exposures on observed disparities. Methods Using the Health and Retirement Study, we characterize the functional impairment histories of a nationally-representative sample of 8,464 older adults between 1994-2016. We employ non-parametric and discrete outcome multinomial logistic regression to examine the competing risks of mortality, health change, and attrition. Results Exposures to disadvantages are associated with poorer functional health in midlife and mortality. However, a higher number of functional limitations in midlife is negatively associated with the accumulation of subsequent limitations for white men and women and for Black women. The impact of educational attainment, occupation, wealth, and marriage on later life health differs across race and gender groups. Conclusions Observed stability or convergence in later-life functional health disparities is not a departure from the dynamics posited by CAD, but rather a result of the differential impact of racial and socioeconomic inequities on mortality and health at older ages. Higher exposure to disadvantages and a lower protective impact of advantageous exposures lead to higher mortality among Black Americans, a pattern which masks persistent health inequities later in life.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document