Socioeconomic differences in informal caregiving in Europe

Disclosing socioeconomic differences in informal care provision is increasingly important in aging societies as it helps to identify the segments of the population that may need targeted support and the types of national investments to support family caregivers. This study examines the association between individual-level socioeconomic status and informal care provision within the household. We also examine the role of contextual factors, income inequality, and the generosity of social spending, to identify how macro-level socioeconomic resource structures shape individuals’ provision of care to household members. We use pooled data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE, waves 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, waves 2, 3, 4, 6, 7). Poisson regression multilevel models estimate the associations between household socioeconomic status (education, income, and wealth), and country socioeconomic resources (income inequality and social spending as a percentage of GDP), and the likelihood of older adults’ informal care provision within the household. Results indicate that lower individual socioeconomic resources—education, income, and wealth—were associated with a higher incidence of older adults’ informal care provision within the household. At the macro-level, income inequality was positively associated while social spending was negatively associated with older adults’ care provision within the household. Our findings suggest that socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are more likely to provide informal care, which may reinforce socioeconomic inequalities. At the national level, more equitable resource distribution and social spending may reduce intensive family caregiving.

From Day to Day to Year to Year: Developmental Antecedents and Outcomes of Changes in Emotion

Research shows that emotions play an important role in successful aging. However, less is known about how day-to-day fluctuations and multi-year changes in positive and negative emotions are implicated in adaptive development. Thus, the present studies address the developmental antecedents and outcomes of micro- and macro-longitudinal changes in different positive and negative emotions. Blöchl, Oertzen, and Kunzmann use 12-year data from the Health and Retirement Study to examine whether socioeconomic resources influence trajectories of positive emotion and physical functioning and their interrelations. Hamm, Wrosch, Barlow, and Kunzmann investigate psychosocial and health-related resources that predict two-year stability and change in adaptive and maladaptive daily patterns of calmness, excitement, sadness, and anger. Pauly et al. examine the extent to which health status moderates the association between daily fluctuations in seven affective states and corresponding changes in stress-related cortisol secretion. Turner, Mogle, Hill, Bhargava, and Rabin study how positive and negative emotions experienced in response to daily challenges (memory lapses) mediate the association between age-related challenges and life satisfaction in a coordinated analysis of two datasets. Finally, Barlow addresses the extent to which variations in daily experiences of positive and negative emotions exhibit age-differential associations with daily satisfaction with life (i.e., emotion globalizing). This symposium thus integrates new research on emotional aging and contributes to a deeper understanding of how adaptive development shapes and is shaped by day-to-day fluctuations and long-term changes in different emotions.

John Henryism and Cognitive Function and Decline

Older Black adults in the US have higher prevalence and incidence of dementia and perform lower on cognitive tests than whites. Some of these differences have been attributed to facets of structural racism such as access to and quality of education and fewer socioeconomic resources. Here, we consider whether John Henryism (JH), a measure of self-perceived high-effort coping in the face of chronic environmental and psychosocial stressors, is associated with cognitive function and decline. JH has been associated with adverse cardiovascular health outcomes among African-Americans, especially those with fewer socioeconomic resources. Using data from MARS, we assessed whether JH, measured with an 8-item questionnaire (mean=16.9, sd=4.8, range: 4-27), was associated with level of cognitive function and rate of cognitive decline. We found one standard deviation increase in JH was associated with lower average cognitive function (□=-0.05, 95% CI: -0.09, -0.01). Higher JH was not associated with rate of cognitive decline.

Governance and Vulnerability in Small Island States

<p>In general, communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are socioeconomically and environmentally vulnerable due to their geographical and ecological conditions. Small archipelagic states are even more vulnerable in terms of natural and human-induced disasters because of their fragmentation, isolation and smallness. Good governance is a vital precondition to reduce the vulnerability of these states. This study examines these two correlated phenomena, governance and vulnerability, their inter-related implications and complications, and the role of governance in reducing vulnerability of SIDS and their island communities. It also proposes some practical remedies for the challenges of these communities. Qualitative research using multiple methods, secondary data collection, informal semi-structured interviews, open-ended discussions, informal conversational interviews and direct observations, was carried out through case studies of two archipelagos, the republics of Maldives and Vanuatu. In addition, the New Zealand local government model with a focus on Bay of Plenty Region was also studied in order to seek policy models and best practices from a developed state. The field inquiry revealed that an effective local governance system is vitally important to address socio-economic and environmental vulnerability of these archipelagic communities. Neither a rigid centralised system, like the Maldives, nor a decentralised system, as in the case of Vanuatu, was found to be appropriate and effective unless certain functions are delegated and local authorities are made selfreliant, financially and functionally self-sufficient and aware of their responsibilities through education, while community members are empowered by providing more socio-economic opportunities. Based on the research findings, the thesis highlights four key causes of increasing vulnerability in these communities: absence of a reliable outreach mechanism for emergency management, lack of a strong local governance system, scarcity of socioeconomic resources and opportunities, and inadequate socio-economic infrastructures. The thesis suggests possible ways forward by proposing a four tier cluster approach with a decentralised emergency management system and local governance model. The transient vulnerability (natural or weather related disasters) of these archipelagic communities cannot be addressed unless their chronic vulnerability, lack of socio-economic opportunities, is addressed through sound local governance.</p>

Governance and Vulnerability in Small Island States

<p>In general, communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are socioeconomically and environmentally vulnerable due to their geographical and ecological conditions. Small archipelagic states are even more vulnerable in terms of natural and human-induced disasters because of their fragmentation, isolation and smallness. Good governance is a vital precondition to reduce the vulnerability of these states. This study examines these two correlated phenomena, governance and vulnerability, their inter-related implications and complications, and the role of governance in reducing vulnerability of SIDS and their island communities. It also proposes some practical remedies for the challenges of these communities. Qualitative research using multiple methods, secondary data collection, informal semi-structured interviews, open-ended discussions, informal conversational interviews and direct observations, was carried out through case studies of two archipelagos, the republics of Maldives and Vanuatu. In addition, the New Zealand local government model with a focus on Bay of Plenty Region was also studied in order to seek policy models and best practices from a developed state. The field inquiry revealed that an effective local governance system is vitally important to address socio-economic and environmental vulnerability of these archipelagic communities. Neither a rigid centralised system, like the Maldives, nor a decentralised system, as in the case of Vanuatu, was found to be appropriate and effective unless certain functions are delegated and local authorities are made selfreliant, financially and functionally self-sufficient and aware of their responsibilities through education, while community members are empowered by providing more socio-economic opportunities. Based on the research findings, the thesis highlights four key causes of increasing vulnerability in these communities: absence of a reliable outreach mechanism for emergency management, lack of a strong local governance system, scarcity of socioeconomic resources and opportunities, and inadequate socio-economic infrastructures. The thesis suggests possible ways forward by proposing a four tier cluster approach with a decentralised emergency management system and local governance model. The transient vulnerability (natural or weather related disasters) of these archipelagic communities cannot be addressed unless their chronic vulnerability, lack of socio-economic opportunities, is addressed through sound local governance.</p>

‘I Felt Like Being Upgraded’: Emerging Adults’ Experiences of Socioeconomic Resources in Relation to Their Vocational Identity Development in Turkey

The present study aimed to explore how economic and social resources interact with emerging adults’ vocational identity development. Emerging adults ( N = 108) from different socioeconomic backgrounds in Turkey were interviewed. Participants' reflections on the intersection between socioeconomic resources and vocational identity development were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results revealed that access to economic and social resources was described as a mediating factor between vocational choices and identity expression. Participants’ reports also showed that economic and social resources interacted with vocational identity development by affecting vocational exploration, expectations of vocational choices, perceived support and guidance, and future projections. While participants’ socioeconomic background was a significant factor affecting the prevalence of participants’ experiences, connections between the subthemes also indicated different clusters of experiences. Results provide important insights regarding the intersection between socioeconomic resources and vocational identity and the boundary and promoting factors leading emerging adults to pursue their vocational aspirations.

Defining Disparities in Cochlear Implantation through the Social Determinants of Health

Hearing loss is a global public health problem with high prevalence and profound impacts on health. Cochlear implantation (CI) is a well-established evidence-based treatment for hearing loss; however, there are significant disparities in utilization, access, and clinical outcomes among different populations. While variations in CI outcomes are influenced by innate biological differences, a wide array of social, environmental, and economic factors significantly impact optimal outcomes. These differences in hearing health are rooted in inequities of health-related socioeconomic resources. To define disparities and advance equity in CI, there is a pressing need to understand and target these social factors that influence equitable outcomes, access, and utilization. These factors can be categorized according to the widely accepted framework of social determinants of health, which include the following domains: healthcare access/quality, education access/quality, social and community context, economic stability, and neighborhood and physical environment. This article defines these domains in the context of CI and examines the published research and the gaps in research of each of these domains. Further consideration is given to how these factors can influence equity in CI and how to incorporate this information in the evaluation and management of patients receiving cochlear implants.

Combining Data Mining Techniques to Analyse Factors Associated with Allocation of Socioeconomic Resources at IFMG

The granting of socioeconomic assistance to students from Federal Education Institutions is one of the ways found to provide finantial support during their studies, focusing primarily on those who are more socially vulnerable. Institutions carry out selection processes to identify students with a profile of demand and appropriately distribute the grants according to the budget available for this purpose. This article applied Data Mining techniques to a set of information from students who applied to receive scholarships at IFMG - Campus Bambuí, seeking to identify the attributes associated with the distribution of benefits and analyzing the adequacy of the current indicator used by the institution to classify the level of social vulnerability of students. The proposed methodology involved combining different machine learning algorithms, such as data classification and feature selection techniques. In addition to identifying the degree of importance of each attribute in the constructed model, the differential of this article is to present well-founded suggestions for new attributes that could be able to improve the index used by the institution and, consequently, optimize the workload of those involved with the analysis of selective processes. The composition of the institution's index with five new attributes resulted in a gain of around 10% in rating performance.

LGBT discrimination, harassment and violence in Germany, Portugal and the UK: A quantitative comparative approach

This article examines the incidents of discrimination, harassment and violence experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) individuals in Germany, Portugal and the UK. Using a large cross-national survey and adopting an intra-categorical intersectional approach, it documents how the likelihood of experiencing discrimination, harassment and violence changes within LGBT communities across three national contexts. Moreover, it explores how individual characteristics are associated with the likelihood of experiencing such incidents. The results show that trans people are more at risk compared to cisgender gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals to experience discrimination, harassment and violence. However, other factors, such as socioeconomic resources, also affect the likelihood of individuals experiencing such incidents. The three countries in our study show some nuanced differences in likelihood levels of experiencing discrimination, harassment and violence with regard to differential categories of sexual orientation and gender identity.