@article {13089, title = {Body mass index and cognition: Associations across mid- to late-life and gender differences.}, journal = {J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci}, year = {2023}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Higher mid-life body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower late-life cognition. Associations between later-life BMI and cognition are less consistent; evidence suggests reverse causation may play a role. We aimed to characterize associations between BMI and cognition across a wide age range during mid- to late-life (55-85 years) and examine whether associations vary by gender.

METHODS: We used data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) (N=39,153) to examine the association between BMI and three cognitive outcomes: cognitive level, cognitive decline, and cognitive impairment. We used a series of linear regression, mixed effects regression, and logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS: Higher BMI before age 65 (mid-life) was associated with lower cognitive performance, faster rates of cognitive decline, and higher odds of cognitive impairment in late-life. Averaging across analyses assessing associations between BMI measured before age 60 and late-life cognition, a 5-unit higher level of BMI was associated with a 0.26 point lower cognitive score. Beyond age 65, associations flipped, and higher BMI was associated with better late-life cognitive outcomes. Associations in both directions were stronger in women. Excluding those with BMI loss attenuated findings among women in older ages, supporting the reverse causation hypothesis.

CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, age 65 represented a critical turning point between mid- and late-life for the association between BMI and cognition, which has important implications for recruitment strategies for studies focused on risk factors for late-life cognitive outcomes. Evidence of gender differences raises the need to further investigate plausible mechanisms.

}, keywords = {Body Mass Index, Cognition, Gender Differences}, issn = {1758-535X}, doi = {10.1093/gerona/glad015}, author = {Crane, Breanna M and Nichols, Emma and Carlson, Michelle C and Deal, Jennifer A and Gross, Alden L} } @article {13443, title = {Life, Longevity, and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Role of Disability in Shaping Racial and Sex Disparities in Living a Long and Happy Life}, journal = {Population Research and Policy Review}, volume = {42}, year = {2023}, pages = {72}, abstract = {Disability-free life expectancy is a common measure used by demographers to gauge quantity and quality of life. Yet, the extent to which positive dimensions of quality of life differ by disability status remains unexplored. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 16,614), we estimated happy life expectancy by age, race, sex, and severe Activities of Daily Living (ADL) limitations. First, results show that happy life expectancy differed substantially by disability status, as older adults with severe ADL limitations experienced 50{\textendash}60\% fewer remaining years of their life happy compared to their more able-bodied peers. Second, healthy Black women and men at age fifty can expect to live five fewer years of their remaining life happy compared to their White peers, but there were no significant race or sex differences among individuals with severe ADL limitations. Finally, the racial gap in Happy Life Expectancy between Black and White women was largely accounted for by group differences in marital status, education, and wealth, but Black men continued to be disadvantaged compared to their White peers. Implications of this study point to a need to critically examine the intersections of race and sex to develop a clearer portrait of the pattern and underlying factors associated with social disparities in longevity and quality of life. Findings highlight the importance of considering positive dimensions of quality of life alongside measures of illness, disability, or disease when determining whether we are adding life to years or just years to life.}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Black People, Black white differences, Black women, Business And Economics{\textendash}Economic Situation And Conditions, Data quality, Demographers, Demography, Disability, Disadvantaged, Gender Differences, Happiness, health, Inequality, Intersectionality, Life Expectancy, Life span, limitations, Longevity, Marital Status, Men, Older people, Peers, Quality of Life, race, Racial differences, Racial inequality, Retirement, Severity, Sex differences, Subjective well-being, Wealth, women}, isbn = {01675923}, url = {https://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/life-longevity-pursuit-happiness-role-disability/docview/2849184861/se-2}, author = {Bardo,Anthony R. and Cummings,Jason L.} } @article {12868, title = {The Relationship Between Volunteering and the Occurrence of Loneliness Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study with 12 Years of Follow-Up.}, journal = {Journal of Gerontological Social Work}, year = {2023}, abstract = {

Informed by the social model of health promotion, this study examined the association between formal volunteering and the occurrence of loneliness among older adults over 12 years of follow-up and whether the association differs by gender. Data came from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2018). The study sample included 5,000 individuals aged 60 and over who did not experience loneliness in 2006. Self-reported participation in formal volunteer work was classified into three levels: (0) no volunteering, (1) less than 100 hours of volunteering per year, and (2) more than 100 hours of volunteering per year. Cox regression was used to examine the relationship between volunteering level and the onset of loneliness during the 12 years of follow-up. Volunteering more than 100 hours per year was associated with a lower risk of loneliness compared to non-volunteers (HR = 0.55, p = .008). This protective effect was not observed for those who volunteered less than 100 hours per year (HR = 0.84, p = .246). The benefits of volunteering in mitigating loneliness did not differ by gender. Engagement in moderate to high levels of volunteering can protect against loneliness. More volunteering programs can be offered to older adults to reduce loneliness in later life.

}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Loneliness, Volunteering}, issn = {1540-4048}, doi = {10.1080/01634372.2022.2139322}, author = {Cho, Joonyoung and Xiang, Xiaoling} } @article { WOS:001025547700001, title = {Which Grandparents? Multigenerational Education Associations by Grandparent Gender and Paternal versus Maternal Side}, journal = {SOCIUS}, volume = {9}, year = {2023}, pages = {23780231231184221}, abstract = {A growing body of research focuses on multigenerational mobility, but few studies show how grandparents{\textquoteright} gender and gender-specific lineage (paternal vs. maternal side) are differentially associated with the process of status transmissions across generations. This article uses data from the Health and Retirement Study 1992-2018 (N = 15,623) to examine gender and gender-specific lineage differences in grandparent-grandchild education associations. Grandfathers{\textquoteright} educational attainment is more strongly associated with grandchildren{\textquoteright}s education than is grandmothers{\textquoteright} education. Variation in shared lifetimes and residential proximity do not account for these differences, but shared lifetimes between grandmothers and grandchildren are positively associated with grandchildren{\textquoteright}s educational attainment.}, keywords = {education mobility, Gender Differences, grandparents{\textquoteright} effects, multigenerational family, shared lifetime}, issn = {2378-0231}, doi = {10.1177/23780231231184221}, author = {Li, Anita} } @article {BEST2021, title = {Age and sex trends in depressive symptoms across middle and older adulthood: Comparison of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to American and European cohorts}, journal = {Journal of Affective Disorders}, volume = {295}, year = {2021}, pages = {1169-1176}, abstract = {Background : The literature suggests depressive symptoms differ in a non-linear fashion across adulthood and are more commonly reported in women as compared to men. Whether these trends are observed across countries in population-based cohorts is unclear. Methods : Cross-sectional observational study of approximately 138,000 women and men between the ages of 45 and 95 from three population-based cohorts representing Canadian, European, and American populations. Age, gender, educational attainment and annual income were assessed in each cohort. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale in the US and Canadian cohorts, and by the EURO-D in the European cohort. Results : Across all three cohorts, non-linear age trends and gender differences were observed in the report of depressive symptoms, independent from educational attainment and annual income effects. The non-linear age trends reflected a negative association between depressive symptoms and age during midlife and then a positive association in late life. Females reported greater depressive symptoms than males; however, an interaction between gender and age was also observed in the Canadian and European cohorts. Among Canadians, the gender differences were largest after age 70, whereas among Europeans, gender differences where largest among those approximately aged 60. Limitations : Limitations include: 1) the cross-sectional nature of the study, resulting in age differences potentially reflecting cohort effects rather than a developmental process; and 2) the use of different depressive symptoms measures across cohorts. Conclusions : Characterization of depressive symptoms over mid and late adulthood in women and men provides insights into potential focal points for intervention and allocation of resources.}, keywords = {Cross-cohort comparison, Gender Differences, Mental Health, Population-based trends, SHARE}, issn = {0165-0327}, doi = {10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.109}, author = {John R. Best and Daniel R.Y. Gan and Andrew V. Wister and Theodore D. Cosco} } @mastersthesis {11601, title = {Examining the Relationship of Physical Activity, Inflammation \& Adiposity on Physical Function with Gender Differences}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2021}, school = {Marquette University}, address = {Milwaukee, WI}, abstract = {Older adults are a rapidly growing segment of the population in the United States. The ability to maintain physical function declines with age and is a critical factor that contributes to living independently. Physical activity has been shown to slow declines in physical function and decrease chronic inflammation. Increases in adipose tissue and decreases in muscle mass are associated with aging. The increase in adipose tissue produces inflammatory markers that can negatively impact older adults{\textquoteright} health. Males and females{\textquoteright} biological changes with aging have been hypothesized to differ. The purposes of this study were to :1) examine the relationship between physical activity, inflammation, with physical function 2) determine if adiposity was a predictor and moderator of physical function and 3) determine if there were gender differences in these relationships for community dwelling older adults. This study was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)Wave 13 (2016) core biennial data and Venous Blood Study (n=4042). The mean age of study participants was 68.38 years old (SD = 9.64) and included 57.7\% females (n=2332) and 42.3\% males (n= 1710). Physical function, the outcome variable, included semi-tandem balance test and 3 self-report items addressing balance, grip strength, and walking endurance. Physical activity was measured using five self-report items assessing frequency of walking, sports or activity and mild, moderate, and vigorous activity. Chronic low-level inflammation was measured with the pro-inflammatory markers interleukin-6 and high sensitive c-reactive protein and anti-inflammatory biomarker interleukin-10. BMI was used to measure of adiposity. Using confirmatory factor analysis, latent factors were created for physical function, physical activity, and inflammation. Factor loadings and acceptable model fit (CFI scaled 0.871, CFI robust 0.879, SRMR 0.050, and gamma hat scaled 0.964) supported the indicators represented the measurement model. Latent regressions were significant (p<.001) and showed physical activity is positively associated with physical function and inflammation negatively impacts physical function. Correlations showed inflammation is negatively correlated with both physical activity and function. Adiposity was not a significant predictor and further moderation testing was not indicated. Model comparison between genders supported using the overall model versus gender specific models.}, keywords = {Adiposity, Gender Differences, Inflammation, Physical activity}, url = {https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/1068/}, author = {Jeanne Hlebichuk} } @article {10065, title = {Association of parenthood with incident heart disease in United States{\textquoteright} older men and women: A longitudinal analysis of health and retirement study data.}, journal = {Journal of Aging and Health}, volume = {32}, year = {2020}, pages = {517-529}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of number of children birthed/fathered with incident heart disease, accounting for socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics.

METHODS: We analyzed data from 24,923 adults 50 and older (55\% women) in the Health and Retirement Study. Participants self-reported number of children and doctor-diagnosed incident heart disease. Cox proportional hazards models estimated heart disease risk.

RESULTS: Compared to women with one to two children, those with five or more had increased risk of heart disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13, 95\% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 1.25]). Compared to men with one to two children, those with five or more had a marginally increased risk of heart disease (HR = 1.11, 95\% CI = [0.99, 1.25]), but this association attenuated in models adjusting for socioeconomic and lifestyle variables. Compared to men with no children, those with five or more retained a borderline significant association in the fully adjusted model (HR = 1.15, 95\% CI = [0.99, 1.35]).

DISCUSSION: Social and lifestyle pathways appear to link parenthood to cardiovascular health.

}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Heart disease, Parents, Risk Factors, Socioeconomic factors}, issn = {1552-6887}, doi = {10.1177/0898264319831512}, author = {Sarah L Hipp and Wu, Yan Yan and Nicole T A Rosendaal and Catherine M. Pirkle} } @article {10690, title = {Dyadic profiles of personality among older couples: Associations with marital quality}, journal = {Journal of Social and Personal Relationships}, volume = {37}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Understanding dyadic personality configurations and their associations with marital quality helps identify couples who are at high risk of marital strain. However, current research on personality similarity among spouses usually confounds couples with similarly positive and similarly negative personalities. This study aimed to (1) provide a clearer classification of dyadic personality profiles among older couples, (2) examine the associations between these profiles and both partners{\textquoteright} marital quality, and (3) explore gender differences in these associations. Data came from 3,178 older couples drawn from the 2010/2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Latent profile analysis was used to identify dyadic personality profiles based on spouses{\textquoteright} standardized Big Five personality scores. Multilevel models examined associations between dyadic personality profiles and each partner{\textquoteright}s marital quality, testing for gender differences as well. Six dyadic personality profiles were identified, including two opposite profiles (52\%; positive wife{\textendash}negative husband and positive husband{\textendash}negative wife), two similar profiles (40\%; similarly positive and similarly negative), and two extreme profiles (8\%; extremely negative husband and extremely negative wife). Couples in the similarly positive profile reported the best marital quality, whereas couples in the similarly negative profile and the two extreme profiles reported the worst marital quality. The associations between profiles characterized by negative traits and marital quality were more pronounced among wives than husbands. This study advances the understanding of personality similarity and its consequences, suggesting heterogeneous subgroups of dyadic personalities among older couples and providing evidence of gender differences in the implications of personality similarity for relationship quality.}, keywords = {Dyadic data analysis, Gender Differences, Marriage, Personality}, issn = {02654075}, doi = {10.1177/0265407520916246}, author = {Wang, S. and Kyungmin Kim and Jeffrey E Stokes} } @mastersthesis {10897, title = {Essays on inter vivos transfers and choice of college major}, volume = {Doctor of Philosophy}, year = {2020}, school = {Indiana University }, address = {Bloomington, IN}, abstract = {My dissertation analyzes inter vivos transfers from parents to children, the heterogeneity of pecuniary and nonpecuniary benefits across different fields of study, and how these factors jointly contribute to the choice of field in college.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Inter Vivos Transfers}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/openview/ec7251dc627bd5f649cca343995d99c7/1?pq-origsite=gscholar\&cbl=18750\&diss=y}, author = {Loxton, Abigail} } @article {CASANOVA2019100226, title = {Gender Differences in Cognitive Function among Older Mexican Immigrants}, journal = {The Journal of the Economics of Ageing}, volume = {16}, year = {2020}, abstract = {This paper uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) to study the cognitive function of Mexican-born older adults residing in the United States (Mexican immigrants). We find that, once differences in socioeconomic factors are accounted for, the cognitive function of male Mexican immigrants is statistically indistinguishable from that of male non-Hispanic (NH) whites, but the cognitive scores of female Mexican immigrants remain significantly below those of their NH white counterparts. We explore four potential hypotheses that may explain the cognition gap for female Mexican immigrants. Namely, we investigate whether the relative incidence of risk factors for dementia, when compared to NH whites, is higher for female than for male Mexican immigrants (the {\textquotedblleft}risk factor hypothesis{\textquotedblright}); whether the mortality rate of male Mexican immigrants with low cognition is higher, relative to their white counterparts, than that of female Mexican immigrants (the {\textquotedblleft}survival bias hypothesis{\textquotedblright}); whether female Mexican immigrants are less positively selected than their male counterparts in terms of predisposition to cognitive decline when compared with either the non-migrant Mexican population or the population of return migrants (the {\textquotedblleft}differential selection hypothesis{\textquotedblright}); and whether male immigrants are better acculturated to life in the United States than female immigrants (the {\textquotedblleft}acculturation hypothesis). We find no support for the risk-factor, survival, or acculturation hypotheses but we find evidence suggesting that the differential selection hypothesis may explain part of the female cognitive gap. Our results imply that older Mexican females currently residing in the U.S. may be at elevated risk for dementia and should be targeted by campaigns aimed at preventing or diagnosing the condition.}, keywords = {Cognition, Gender Differences, MHAS, Older Adults}, issn = {2212-828X}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeoa.2019.100226}, author = {Maria Casanova and Emma Aguila} } @article {10859, title = {Life After Death: Widowhood and Volunteering Gendered Pathways Among Older Adults}, journal = {Demographic Research}, volume = {43}, year = {2020}, pages = {581-616}, abstract = {Background: Spousal loss is one of the most traumatic events an individual can experience. Studies on behavioral changes before and after this event are scarce. Objective: This study investigates gender differences in pathways of volunteering before and after transition to widowhood among older adults in the United States. Methods: We use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study and estimate fixed-effect models with lags and leads to identify pathways of volunteering on a sample of 1,982 adults aged 50 and over. Results: The results show a U-shape pattern with a decline in volunteering activities before the death of the partner and then a slight process of adaptation and recovery. The process is strongly gendered with women considerably more resilient than men. Whether death was expected or not influences the effect of partner death on volunteering likely due to the pre-death burden of caregiving. Looking at the role of pre-death partner{\textquoteright}s volunteering we found, for both genders, but especially for women, that the odds of volunteering increase (decrease) if the partner was (was not) volunteering (complementarity hypothesis). Contribution: Given the positive effects of volunteering both for the volunteer and the society as a whole, our findings contribute to the literature highlighting that critical family events may affect participation in society of older people and demonstrating the heterogeneity of the effects especially in terms of gender differences.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Older Adults, trajectories of social activities, Volunteering, Widowhood}, doi = {10.4054/DemRes.2020.43.21}, author = {Bolano, Danilo and Bruno Arpino} } @article {9546, title = {Persistent, Consistent, and Extensive: The Trend of Increasing Pain Prevalence in Older Americans.}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology, Series B}, volume = {75}, year = {2020}, pages = {436-447}, abstract = {

Objectives: Assess trends in pain prevalence from 1992 to 2014 among older U.S. adults and by major population subgroups, and test whether the trends can be explained by changes in population composition.

Methods: Health and Retirement Study data include information on any pain, pain intensity, and limitations in usual activities due to pain. Average annual percent change in prevalence is calculated for any and for 2 levels of pain-mild/moderate and nonlimiting and severe and/or limiting-across demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and for those with and without specific chronic conditions. Generalized linear latent and mixed models examine trends adjusting for covariates.

Results: Linear and extensive increases in pain prevalence occurred across the total population and subgroups. The average annual percent increase was in the 2\%-3\% range depending upon age and sex. Increases were consistent across subgroups, persistent over time, and not due to changes in population composition. Without increases in educational attainment over time, pain prevalence increases would be even higher.

Discussion: The increases in pain prevalence among older Americans are alarming and potentially of epidemic proportions. Population-health research must monitor and understand these worrisome trends.

}, keywords = {Chronic pain, Gender Differences, Population Health}, issn = {1758-5368}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbx162}, author = {Zachary Zimmer and Zajacova, Anna} } @article {12253, title = {Retirement Security: Older Women Report Facing a Financially Uncertain Future}, year = {2020}, institution = {U.S. Government Accountability Office}, abstract = {In all 14 focus groups GAO held with older women, women described some level of anxiety about financial security in retirement. Many expressed concerns about the future of Social Security and Medicare benefits, and the costs of health care and housing. Women in the groups also cited a range of experiences that hindered their retirement security, such as divorce or leaving the workforce before they planned to (see fig.). Women in all 14 focus groups said their lack of personal finance education negatively affected their ability to plan for retirement. Many shared ideas about personal finance education including the view that it should be incorporated into school curriculum starting in kindergarten and continuing through college, and should be available through all phases of life.}, keywords = {gender, Gender Differences, gender issues, Retirement, retirement security, women}, url = {https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-435}, author = {Charles Jeszeck} } @article {9862, title = {Changes in cognitive function among older adults: A latent profile transition analysis}, journal = {Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics}, volume = {80}, year = {2019}, pages = {12-19}, abstract = {Cognitive decline in late life is a crucial health problem. It is important to understand the consistency and change of older adults{\textquoteright} cognitive function in late life. Data for older adults (78 years and above) from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 1680) were used to explore meaningful subtypes of cognitive function and transitions patterns between those profiles across times. Age, gender, levels of education and nursing home were incorporated as covariates to explore the association between these variables and cognitive function transition pattern. Three cognitive function subgroups (Normal Cognitive Function, Fluid Intelligence Impairment and Cognitive Impairment) were identified. Individuals in Normal Cognitive Function status had a high probability to convert to the Fluid Intelligence Impairment status whereas the Cognitive Impairment status appeared a predominant tendency for stability. Increasing age played a significant role in fluid intelligence impairment and cognitive impairment process. Female and individuals with nursing home might be at higher risk of subsequent fluid intelligence impairment, while higher education did not protect against fluid intelligence impairment. These findings highlighted the usefulness to adopt a person-centered approach rather than a variable-centered approach, suggesting directions for future research and tailored interventions approaches to older adults with particular characteristics.}, keywords = {Cognitive Ability, Gender Differences, Latent Variable Modeling}, issn = {01674943}, doi = {10.1016/j.archger.2018.09.006}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167494318301821https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0167494318301821?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0167494318301821?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Huang, Feifei and Zhang, Minqiang and Wang, Shaojie} } @article {10025, title = {Changes in depressive symptoms over age among older Americans: Differences by gender, race/ethnicity, education, and birth cohort}, journal = {SSM - Population Health}, volume = {7}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Despite concerns about recent trends in the health and functioning of older Americans, little is known about dynamics of depression among recent cohorts of U.S. older adults and how these dynamics differ across sociodemographic groups. This study examined sociodemographic differences in mid- and late-life depressive symptoms over age, as well as changes over time. Using nationally representative data from the Health and Retirement Study (1994{\textendash}2014), we estimated mixed effects models to generate depressive symptoms over age by gender, race/ethnicity, education, and birth cohort in 33,280 adults ages 51{\textendash}90 years. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 8-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Women compared to men, low compared to high education groups, and racial/ethnic minorities compared to whites exhibited higher depressive symptoms. The largest disparity resulted from education, with those without high school degrees exhibiting over two more predicted depressive symptoms in midlife compared to those with college degrees. Importantly, war babies and baby boomers (born 1942{\textendash}1959) exhibited slightly higher depressive symptoms with more decreasing symptoms over age than their predecessors (born 1931{\textendash}1941) at ages 51{\textendash}65. We additionally observed an age-as-leveler pattern by gender, whereby females compared to males had higher depressive symptomology from ages 51{\textendash}85, but not at ages 86{\textendash}90. Our findings have implication for gauging the aging population{\textquoteright}s overall well-being, for public health policies aimed at reducing health disparities, and for anticipating demand on an array of health and social services.}, keywords = {Depressive symptoms, Education, Gender Differences, Racial/ethnic differences, Women and Minorities}, issn = {23528273}, doi = {10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100399}, author = {Leah R. Abrams and Neil K Mehta} } @article {9798, title = {Cohort Trends in the Gender Distribution of Household Tasks in the United States and the Implications for Understanding Disability}, journal = {Journal of Aging and Health}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objectives: Measures of disability depend on health and social roles in a given environment. Yet, social roles can change over time as they have by gender. We document how engagement in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) is shifting by gender and birth cohort among older adults, and the challenges these shifts can create for population-level estimates of disability. Method: We used the Health and Retirement Study (N = 25,047) and multinomial logistic regression models with an interaction term between gender and birth cohort to predict limitation and nonperformance relative to no difficulty conducting IADLs. Results: Nonperformance of IADLs have significantly decreased among younger cohorts. Women in younger cohorts were more likely to use a map, whereas men in younger cohorts were more likely to prepare meals and shop. Discussion: Failing to account for gender and cohort changes in IADL, performance may lead to systematic bias in estimates of population-level disability.}, keywords = {Cohort Studies, Disabilities, Gender Differences, Household, Women and Minorities}, issn = {0898-2643}, doi = {10.1177/0898264318793469}, author = {Connor M Sheehan and Benjamin W Domingue and Eileen M. Crimmins} } @article {King20191122, title = {Depressive Symptoms and the Buffering Effect of Resilience on Widowhood by Gender}, journal = {The Gerontologist}, volume = {59}, year = {2019}, note = {cited By 0}, pages = {1122-1130}, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Spousal loss is a stressful life event that often results in significant depressive symptoms, with men often experiencing more significant depressive symptoms than women. Recent research suggests that psychological resilience may play a role in shaping how well people recover from the loss of a spouse. This study examined the moderating effect of resilience on widowhood in relation to changes in depressive symptoms for men and women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study used data from the Health and Retirement Study to examine a change in depressive symptoms for men and women who experience spousal loss compared to those who remain continuously married (N = 5,626). We used the Simplified Resilience Score, which is based on measures drawn from the psychosocial and lifestyle questionnaire. Ordinary least squares regression was used to assess depression following reported spousal loss for widows relative to their continuously married counterparts. RESULTS: Results show resilience moderated depressive symptoms following spousal loss, but these effects varied by gender. Resilience was significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms for married but not for widowed women. However, for widowed men, resilience was significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms, and a high resilience score buffered the effect of widowhood. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our study suggests that having high levels of resilience prior to spousal loss may help offset persistent depressive symptoms, especially for men. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed. {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.}, keywords = {depression, gender, Gender Differences, Widowhood, Widows}, issn = {17585341}, doi = {10.1093/geront/gny115}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30247641}, author = {Brittany M. King and Dawn C Carr and Miles G Taylor} } @article {10081, title = {Does gender differentiate the effects of retirement on cognitive health?}, journal = {Research on Aging}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Prior research on change in cognitive performance before and after retirement suffers from inattention to gender context. This study theoretically motivates the testing of gender differences in cognitive decline after retirement. I drew 67,905 observations of cognitive function based on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status from 18,453 participants (7,830 men and 10,623 women) in the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2014). I used fixed-effects two-stage least square models to account for unobserved heterogeneity between men and women in the sample and the endogeneity of retirement decision. I also controlled for change in depressive symptoms, mobility limitations, individual wealth, medical expenses, and spousal income. Retirement predicts a decrease in the cognitive score by 2.168 on a scale of 0-35 for women, but no change for men. Continued employment may buffer against risk factors that aggravate women{\textquoteright}s cognitive health.}, keywords = {Cognition \& Reasoning, Gender Differences, Retirement Planning \& Satisfaction}, issn = {1552-7573}, doi = {10.1177/0164027519828062}, author = {Oi, Katsuya} } @article {10083, title = {End-of-life care planning: The importance of older adults{\textquoteright} marital status and gender.}, journal = {Journal of Palliative Medicine}, year = {2019}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: As the U.S. population ages, dramatic shifts are occurring in the proportion of older adults who are divorced and widowed. Health status and behaviors are known to differ across marital status groups, yet research on end-of-life (EOL) care planning has only compared married and unmarried persons, overlooking differences between divorced and widowed individuals, by gender.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine marital status differences in EOL care planning by comparing the likelihood of discussions about EOL care, designation of medical durable power of attorney (MDPOA) for health care decisions, and completion of a living will for married, divorced, and widowed older adults, by gender.

METHODS: Analyses used data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study for 2243 adults (50 years of age and older), who died during the course of the study. Post-death, proxy respondents reported on the decedents{\textquoteright} EOL care discussions, living will completion, and establishment of an MDPOA. Multivariate regressions were estimated to test differences in care planning across marital status groups, for men and women.

RESULTS: Divorced men were less likely than married men to have had care discussions and to have engaged in any of the three planning behaviors. Widowers were more likely to have established an MDPOA. Both divorced and widowed women were more likely to have performed any of these EOL planning activities than married women.

CONCLUSIONS: Divorced men and married women are at risk for lacking EOL care planning. Practitioners are encouraged to discuss the importance of such planning as they encounter these at-risk groups.

}, keywords = {Advance care planning, Gender Differences, Marriage}, issn = {1557-7740}, doi = {10.1089/jpm.2018.0451}, author = {Teresa M Cooney and Shapiro, Adam and Channing E Tate} } @article {9635, title = {Gender differences in the effect of social resources and social status on the retirement satisfaction and health of retirees.}, journal = {Journal of Gerontological Social Work}, year = {2019}, abstract = {This study explores the effect of positive and negative social support, social reciprocity, and subjective social status on the retirement satisfaction and health of retirees and gender differences therein. Using cross-sectional data from the 2010 and 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we found that social support seems to matter more for the retirement satisfaction and health of women, while social reciprocity matters more for the health of men and subjective social status for the retirement satisfaction of men. Implications for the development of social programs and policies over the life course are discussed.<}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Social Support}, issn = {1540-4048}, doi = {10.1080/01634372.2018.1474156}, author = {Wang, Yihan and Matz-Costa, Christina} } @article {9760, title = {His and Her Retirement: Effects of Gender and Familial Caregiving Profiles on Retirement Timing.}, journal = {International journal of aging \& human development}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objectives: Retirement timing has been linked to a host of outcomes for individuals, families, and societies. The present study predicted retirement timing using profiles of preretirement family caregiving and gender. Method: Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, cluster analysis was used to create profiles of preretirement family caregiving (operationalized as time and financial transfers to aging parents and adult children). These profiles, as well as gender, were used to predict later retirement timing. Result:s Four distinct preretirement caregiving profiles were evident. All profiles retired, on average, earlier than their full eligibility for Social Security benefits. A main effect of caregiving profile, but not gender, was evident. The Eldercare profile, which was characterized by high levels of time and financial transfers to aging parents, retired the earliest. There was not a significant interaction between caregiving profile and gender. Discussion: When men enacted female-typical caregiving roles, their retirement timing resembled women{\textquoteright}s. Eldercare, in particular, was associated with earlier retirement timing. Implications for individual retirement decision-making and policy are discussed.}, keywords = {Caregiving, Gender Differences, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Women and Minorities}, issn = {1541-3535}, doi = {10.1177/0091415018780009}, author = {Rachel R Stoiko and Strough, JoNell} } @article {10108, title = {The joint effect of health shocks and eligibility for Social Security on labor supply}, journal = {The European Journal of Health Economics}, year = {2019}, pages = {969{\textendash}988}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {This paper investigates whether or not suffering a health shock, and becoming eligible for social security, have a joint effect on labor supply. Despite millions of people experiencing both of these events each year, no paper has focused exclusively on the joint effect that these events may have on work outcomes. This is surprising given that experiencing a health shock may impact on how a worker responds to becoming eligible for social security. With data from the Health and Retirement Study, I model weekly hours of work as a function of health shocks, social security eligibility, and their interaction. I find that this interaction leads to a 3{\textendash}4 h reduction in weekly hours of work for men, but has no effect for women. The results are robust to using different work outcomes, age groups, health shock definitions, subgroups, as well as falsification and placebo tests. The results appear to be driven by men who would have had to return to work with impaired health. Policies that promote a more flexible work situation for older men may alleviate these problems in the future.}, keywords = {Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences, Health Conditions and Status, Health Shocks, Social Security}, issn = {1618-7598}, doi = {10.1007/s10198-019-01053-2}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10198-019-01053-2}, author = {Candon, David} } @article {9940, title = {Longitudinal investigation of the reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and glycemic control: The moderation effects of sex and perceived support.}, journal = {Journal of Diabetes Investigation}, volume = {10}, year = {2019}, pages = {801-808}, abstract = {

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated the longitudinal associations between depressive symptoms and glycemic control in nationally representative adults with type~2 diabetes, and tested the effects of sex and perceived family support in moderating this association.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this longitudinal study of middle-aged and older adults who participated in the 2002 and 2006 Health and Retirement Study, and the 2003 and 2006 Diabetes Study (n~=~398), we applied a cross-lagged structural equation~model to examine the reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and glycemic control over a 3-year period.

RESULTS: Men and women were not different in terms of the depressive symptoms and glycemic control relationship, with a stronger association noted for higher depressive symptom scores predicting worse glycemic control (β~=~0.22, critical ratio 3.03), as opposed to worse glycemic control predicting higher depressive symptom scores. Family and friend support for diabetes self-management serves as an important buffer. In patients with low family and friend support, more depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with subsequent worse glycemic levels (β~=~0.36, critical ratio 4.03). In contrast, in individuals who had strong support, depressive symptoms did not predict subsequent glycemic control.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided evidence for the relationship between glycemic control and depression, finding that depressive symptoms predicted poorly controlled glycemic status, especially when the participants perceived inadequate support from their family or friends. A quick survey in clinics to assess the level of family or friend support for diabetes management and depressive symptoms might be an important part of individualized diabetic care.

}, keywords = {Biomarkers, Depressive symptoms, Diabetes, Gender Differences, Social Support}, issn = {2040-1124}, doi = {10.1111/jdi.12969}, author = {Chiu, Ching-Ju and Du, Ye-Fong} } @article {10066, title = {Optimism and healthy aging in women and men.}, journal = {American Journal of Epidemiology}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Mounting evidence indicates specific associations between higher levels of optimism and healthier behaviors, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and lower mortality. Yet, for public health purposes, it is critical to consider how optimism may be related to a full scope of health conditions in aging-from cognitive to physical health. Using prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,698), we examined if higher baseline optimism was associated with subsequent increased likelihood of maintaining healthy aging over 6-8 years of follow-up. Optimism was assessed at study baseline (2006 or 2008), and components of healthy aging were assessed every two years, defined as: 1) remaining free of major chronic diseases; 2) having no cognitive impairment; and 3) good physical functioning. Hazard ratios were obtained using Cox proportional hazards models, and a range of relevant covariates were considered (sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, health behaviors). After adjusting for sociodemographics and depression, the most (top quartile) versus least (bottom quartile) optimistic participants had a 24\% increased likelihood of maintaining healthy aging (95\% CI: 1.11, 1.38). Further adjustment for health behaviors did not meaningfully change the findings. Optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further research for its potential to improve likelihood of health in aging.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Health Trajectories, Optimism, Personality, Well-being}, issn = {1476-6256}, doi = {10.1093/aje/kwz056}, author = {Eric S Kim and James, Peter and Emily S Zevon and Trudel-Fitzgerald, Claudia and Laura D Kubzansky and Grodstein, Francine} } @article {9797, title = {Religion, Life Expectancy and Disability-Free Life Expectancy Among Older Women and Men in the United States}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology: Series B}, volume = {74}, year = {2019}, pages = {e107{\textendash}e118}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES Existing literature shows religion is associated with health and survival separately. We extend this literature by considering health and survival together using a multi-state life table approach to estimate total, disability-free and disabled life expectancy, separately for women and men, for two disability measures, and by two indicators of religion. METHOD Data come from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014 waves). Predictors include importance of religion and attendance at religious services. The disability measures are defined by ADLs and IADLs. Models control for sociodemographic and health covariates. RESULTS Attendance at religious services shows a strong and consistent association with life and health expectancy. Men and women who attend services at least once a week (compared to those who attend less frequently or never) have between 1.1 and 5.1 years longer total life expectancy and between 1.0 and 4.3 years longer ADL disability-free life expectancy. Findings for IADL disability are similar. Importance of religion is related to total and disabled life expectancy (both ADL and IADL), but the differentials are smaller and less consistent. Controlling for sociodemographic and health factors does not explain these associations. DISCUSSION By estimating total, disability-free and disabled life expectancy we are able to quantify the advantage of religion for health. Results are consistent with previous studies that have focused on health and mortality separately.}, keywords = {Disabilities, Gender Differences, Mortality, Religion}, issn = {1079-5014}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gby098}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article-abstract/74/8/e107/5078835?redirectedFrom=fulltext}, author = {Mary Beth Ofstedal and Chi-Tsun Chiu and Jagger, Carol and Saito, Yasuhiko} } @article {9244, title = {Spousal breadwinning across 30 years of marriage and husbands{\textquoteright} health: A gendered life course stress approach.}, journal = {Journal of Aging and Health}, volume = {31}, year = {2019}, pages = {37-66}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Wives increasingly outearn their husbands, and gender relations theory suggests this arrangement may undermine men{\textquoteright}s well-being. We explore how long-term histories of spousal breadwinning may be associated with older men{\textquoteright}s self-rated mental and physical health, and risk of nine health diagnoses.

METHOD: Using 30 years of couple-level income data from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 1,095 couples), we use latent class analyses to identify six classes that differ with respect to the timing and level of wife breadwinning. We link these classes to older husbands{\textquoteright} later-life health.

RESULTS: Classes that transitioned from husband breadwinning to wife breadwinning in early or later adulthood were associated with husbands{\textquoteright} poorer overall physical health and risk of cardiometabolic and stress-related diseases. Patterns persist net of sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, health behaviors, and adolescent health.

DISCUSSION: Violating cultural expectations, such as the masculinity ideal of male breadwinning, is associated with older men{\textquoteright}s poorer health.

}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Income, Marriage, Women and Minorities}, issn = {1552-6887}, doi = {10.1177/0898264317721824}, author = {Kristen W Springer and Lee, Chioun and Deborah Carr} } @article {10008, title = {The wage penalty for parental caregiving: Has it declined over time?}, journal = {Journal of Marriage and Family}, volume = {81}, year = {2019}, pages = {415-433}, abstract = {Objective: This study analyzed differences in the wage penalty for parental caregiving between early Baby Boomers and the previous generation. Background: Research has explored the association between parental caregiving and women{\textquoteright}s labor market outcomes, but few studies have conducted cross-cohort analyses. Method: This study used nationally representative data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and compared two cohorts of individuals aged 50 to 64. One cohort was born between 1931 and 1941, and the other was born between 1948 and 1953. The 1994 to 2012 waves of the HRS were pooled, and multivariate fixed effects regression models were used to estimate the associations among birth cohort, parental caregiving, and women{\textquoteright}s and men{\textquoteright}s log hourly wages. Results: Intense parental caregiving was associated with a 4.8\% reduction in women{\textquoteright}s wages. Baby Boom women did not fare better than their predecessors. Moreover, despite a substantial increase in Baby Boom men{\textquoteright}s parental care, the association between caregiving and their labor market outcomes was negligible. Similar to their predecessors, married and unmarried Baby Boom men did not pay wage penalties for parental caregiving. Conclusion: These results extend our understanding of the gendered life course and suggest that parental caregiving may contribute to older women{\textquoteright}s economic disadvantage.}, keywords = {Adult children, Caregiving, Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences}, issn = {00222445}, doi = {10.1111/jomf.12555}, author = {Glauber, Rebecca} } @article {9162, title = {The aggregate implications of gender and marriage}, journal = {The Journal of the Economics of Ageing}, volume = {11}, year = {2018}, month = {05/2018}, pages = {6-26}, abstract = {Wages, labor market participation, hours worked, and savings differ by gender and marital status. In addition, women and married people make up a large fraction of the population and of labor market participants, total hours worked, and total earnings. For the most part, macroeconomists have been ignoring women and marriage in setting up structural models and in calibrating them using data on males only. In this paper, we ask whether ignoring gender and marriage in both models and data implies that the resulting calibration matches well the key economic aggregates. We find that it does not and we ask whether there are other calibration strategies or relatively simple models of marriage that can improve the fit of the model to aggregate data.}, keywords = {Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences, Marriage, Women and Minorities}, issn = {2212828X}, doi = {10.1016/j.jeoa.2017.01.005}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212828X16300494}, author = {Borella, Margherita and Mariacristina De Nardi and Yang, Fang} } @article {9738, title = {The association between hardship and self-rated health: does the choice of indicator matter?}, journal = {Annals of Epidemiology}, volume = {28}, year = {2018}, pages = {462-467}, abstract = {Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between four specific forms of hardship (difficulty paying bills, ongoing financial stress, medication reduction due to cost, and food insecurity) and self-rated health among older men and women. Methods: Cross-sectional logistic regression analysis was conducted using the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study Leave-Behind Questionnaire (N = 7619) to determine the association between four hardship indicators and self-rated health. Hardship indicators (difficulty paying bills, ongoing financial stress, medication reduction due to cost, and food insecurity) were dichotomized (0 = no hardship, 1 = yes hardship) for this analysis. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, participants reporting difficulty paying bills had an 1.8 higher odds of reporting poor self-rated health (95\% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.57, 2.15) and those reporting taking less medication due to cost had a 2.5 times higher odds of poor self-rated health (95\% CI: 1.97, 3.09) compared to those not reporting these hardships. When stratified by gender, and adjusting for sociodemographic factors, men who took less medication due to cost had a 1.93 higher odds of low self-rated health (95\% CI: 1.39, 2.67) and women who took less medications due to cost had a 2.9 higher odds of reporting poor self-rated health (95\% CI: 2.23, 2.70) compared to women not reporting these hardships. Conclusions: Research in this area can provide greater conceptual and measurement clarity on the hardship experience and further elucidate the pathway between specific hardships and poor health outcomes to inform intervention development.}, keywords = {Depressive symptoms, Finances, Gender Differences, Self Report}, issn = {10472797}, doi = {10.1016/j.annepidem.2018.03.013}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1047279717306178http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S1047279717306178?httpAccept=text/xmlhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S1047279717306178?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Gillian L Marshall and Reginald D. Tucker-Seeley} } @article {9747, title = {Association of telomere length with general cognitive trajectories: a meta-analysis of four prospective cohort studies}, journal = {Neurobiology of Aging}, volume = {69}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-09-2018}, pages = {111 - 116}, abstract = {To investigate the association of telomere length (TL) with trajectories of general cognitive abilities, we used data on 5955 participants from the Sex Differences in Health and Aging Study and the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging in Sweden, and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, and the Health and Retirement Study in the United States. TL was measured at baseline, while general cognitive ability was assessed repeatedly up to 7 occasions. Latent growth curve models were used to examine the associations. One standard deviation increase of TL was associated with 0.021 unit increase (95\% confidence interval [CI]: 0.001, 0.042) of standardized mean general cognitive ability. After controlling for sex, the point estimate remained similar (0.019) with a wider CI (95\% CI: 0.002, 0.039). The association was attenuated with adjustment for educational attainment (0.009, 95\% CI: 0.009, 0.028). No strong evidence was observed for the association of TL and decline in general cognitive ability. Longer TL was associated with higher general cognitive ability levels in the age-adjusted models but not in the models including all covariates, nor with cognitive decline.}, keywords = {Cognitive Ability, Gender Differences, Telomeres}, issn = {01974580}, doi = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.05.004}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S019745801830160Xhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S019745801830160X?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S019745801830160X?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Zhan, Yiqiang and Clements, Mark S. and Rosebud O. Roberts and Vassilaki, Maria and Druliner, Brooke R. and Boardman, Lisa A. and Ronald C Petersen and Chandra A Reynolds and Nancy L Pedersen and H{\"a}gg, Sara} } @article {9863, title = {Is Bridge Job Activity Overstated?}, journal = {Work, Aging and Retirement}, volume = {4}, year = {2018}, pages = {330-351}, abstract = {Considerable prior research has shown that most older Americans with career employment transition to bridge jobs before exiting the labor force. One criticism of this research is that bridge job activity may be overstated because the definition of a bridge job in the existing literature does not require a change in occupation. For some, the "bridge job" may just be another in a series of job changes, and not a prelude to retirement. This article investigates the extent to which bridge jobs involve a change in occupation or a switch to part-time status, both of which may signal the start of a retirement transition, as opposed to continued career employment, albeit with a different employer. We utilize the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative longitudinal dataset of older Americans that began in 1992. Among HRS respondents who were on a full-time career job at the time of the first interview and who changed jobs in subsequent waves, 48\% of the men and 39\% of the women also changed their (two-digit) occupation at the time of their first transition. Further, when hours worked is also considered, about 3 quarters of men and women experienced a change in occupation and/or a switch from full-time to part-time status. We conclude that most career workers who changed jobs later in life did in fact do so as part of a retirement transition. Ignoring these subtleties does result in an overestimate of bridge job activity, but only a modest one.}, keywords = {Bridge employment, Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction}, issn = {2054-4642}, doi = {10.1093/workar/way006}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/workar/article/4/4/330/4999804http://academic.oup.com/workar/article-pdf/4/4/330/25835505/way006.pdf}, author = {Kevin E. Cahill and Michael D. Giandrea and Joseph F. Quinn}, editor = {Henkens, Kene} } @article {9557, title = {Cancer, Body, and Mastery at the Intersection of Gender and Race}, journal = {Society and Mental Health}, volume = {8}, year = {2018}, pages = {50-68}, abstract = {Using the 2006-2014 data from the Health and Retirement Study, the author compares changes in personal mastery after a new cancer diagnosis among white men, white women, black men, and black women. The author further examines the physical burden of cancer (incontinence, fatigue, pain, and decreased strength) as a mechanism mediating the effect of cancer on mastery in each group and finds that white men experience a substantially more pronounced decline in mastery after the onset of cancer than all women and black men, despite white men{\textquoteright}s advantaged material resources and favorable cancer-related symptoms. This steepest decline in mastery among white men is entirely due to a disproportionately adverse effect of physical symptoms on mastery. The author argues that the physical burden of cancer might pose a profound threat to white men{\textquoteright}s cultural privilege by undermining the masculine body{\textemdash}a critical and highly visible resource for {\textquotedblleft}doing{\textquotedblright} masculinity.}, keywords = {Cancer, Gender Differences, Gender Identity, Mastery, Racial/ethnic differences}, issn = {2156-8693}, doi = {10.1177/2156869317719484}, url = {http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2156869317719484}, author = {Tetyana Pudrovska} } @article {9850, title = {Divorce and health in middle and older ages}, journal = {Review of Economics of the Household}, year = {2018}, month = {May-10-2018}, abstract = {The prevalence and incidence of divorce at older ages have doubled since 1990. We use Health and Retirement Study data to describe associations between divorce, remarriage and health in middle and later life, following individuals and couples through divorce and remarriage in models with individual or couple fixed effects. At middle and older ages, divorce is more often associated with adverse physical and mental health changes for women than for men. Remarriage is associated with a restoration of health and depression to pre-divorce levels for men and women. However, men are more likely to remarry. Evidence from couple models suggests that for husbands, but not wives, remarriage may be associated with less depression than the baseline marriage. Differences in self-reported health associated with divorce appear linked to (diagnosed) mental health conditions among wives and physical health conditions among husbands. }, keywords = {Depressive symptoms, Divorce, Gender Differences, health, Mental Health, Remarriage}, issn = {1569-5239}, doi = {10.1007/s11150-018-9435-z}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11150-018-9435-zhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11150-018-9435-z.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11150-018-9435-z.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11150-018-9435-z/fulltext.html}, author = {Alice Zulkarnain and Korenman, Sanders} } @mastersthesis {10242, title = {Does In-home Social Engagement Mitigate Depressive Symptoms after Driving Reduction or Cessation?}, volume = {Doctor of Philosophy}, year = {2018}, month = {2018}, pages = {101}, school = {Miami University}, address = {Oxford, OH}, abstract = {Driving offers people a sense of independence, the ability to connect with other people, and access to goods and services. Yet, many older Americans reduce or cease driving each year, with detrimental effects. Previous studies have shown associations between driving cessation, decreased social engagement, increased numbers of depressive symptoms, and mortality. Little information examines driving reduction and social engagement. Role theory and stressors occurring during life transitions may provide a theoretical understanding of these outcomes.This study uses four administrations of Health and Retirement Study survey data to determine whether driving reduction and/or cessation are associated with increased numbers of depressive symptoms or decreased levels of social engagement that takes place away from the home setting. Additionally, this study examines the effects of driving reduction and cessation on depressive symptoms when considering levels of social engagement that may occur within the home setting and aims to determine if in-home social engagement mitigates depressive symptoms after driving reduction or cessation. Finally, this study considers males and females separately to determine if gender differences occur.Results indicated that depressive symptoms increase and away from home social engagement decreases after driving reduction, but not cessation, for both men and women. When factoring in at-home social engagement, depressive symptoms still increase after driving reduction, but not cessation. Additionally, when considering the direct and interactive effects of in-home social engagement on depressive symptoms after driving reduction or cessation, mitigating effects of in-home social engagement were not evident.These results suggest that practitioners may wish to allocate resources to extend the safe driving careers of older adults and provide transportation to older adults who reduce or stop driving. Given these results, increasing in-home social engagement is, unfortunately, not a promising approach to mitigating depressive symptoms after driving reduction or cessation. Future research may include a wider variety of measures of social engagement, driving reduction, and cessation. Additionally, future research may enhance the understanding of factors that may mitigate depressive symptoms after driving reduction or cessation. Ultimately, such research may provide answers to enhance the quality of life for older adults who reduce or cease driving.}, keywords = {Depressive symptoms, driving cessation, driving reduction, Gender Differences, Older Adults, social engagement}, url = {http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1532348747212058}, author = {Brown, Karen M.} } @article {9864, title = {The effect of cancer on the labor supply of employed men over the age of 65}, journal = {Economics \& Human Biology}, volume = {31}, year = {2018}, pages = {184-199}, abstract = {This paper investigates the relationship between cancer diagnosis and the labor supply of employed men over the age of 65. While almost 60\% of male cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65, no previous research has examined the effect that cancer has on this age group, which is surprising given the relevance of this group to public policy. With data from the Health and Retirement Study, I show that cancer has a significant negative effect on the labor supply of these workers. Using a combination of linear regression models and propensity score matching, I find that respondents who are diagnosed with cancer work 3 fewer hours per week than their non-cancer counterparts. They are also 10 percentage points more likely to stop working. This reduction seems to be driven by a deterioration in physical and mental health.}, keywords = {Cancer, Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences}, issn = {1570677X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ehb.2018.08.010}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1570677X17302605https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S1570677X17302605?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S1570677X17302605?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Candon, David} } @article {9493, title = {Exploring the Risks and Consequences of Elder Fraud Victimization: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study}, number = {WP397}, year = {2018}, month = {12/2017}, institution = {Michigan Retirement Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan}, address = {Ann Arbor, MI}, abstract = {This is the first study to use longitudinal data to explore both the antecedents and consequences of fraud victimization in the older population. Because older persons are close to or past the peak of their wealth accumulation, they are often the targets of fraud. This paper reports on analysis of the Leave Behind Questionnaires (LBQs) fielded on Health and Retirement Study (HRS) respondents over three survey waves in 2008, 2010, and 2012. We evaluate the demographic determinants and risk factors of reporting financial fraud victimization in the survey, and explore whether there are demographic subgroups of older victims. In addition, we examine the financial, physical and psychological consequences of fraud. Overall results suggest that there is no single reliable predictor of fraud victimization across all three LBQ samples. When LBQ responses were pooled across survey years, we found that younger, male, better-educated, and depressed persons reported being defrauded significantly more often. Victimization was associated with lower nonhousing wealth in the combined sample controlling for other factors, but had no measurable impact on cognitive, psychological, or physical health outcomes. Future research should examine predictors and outcomes based on the type of financial fraud experienced and the amount of money lost.}, keywords = {Crime, Elder fraud, Gender Differences, Risk Factors}, url = {http://mrrc.isr.umich.edu/wp374/}, author = {DeLiema, Marguerite and Deevy, Martha and Annamaria Lusardi and Olivia S. Mitchell} } @article {10033, title = {Financial status and body mass index of middle-aged and older men and women}, journal = {Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning}, volume = {29}, year = {2018}, pages = {19 - 35}, abstract = {Using data from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study examined the association of financial status and body weight for retirement-aged men and women. The descriptive results show that more men (80.3\%) were overweight or obese than women (77\%). However, the prevalence of obesity was higher for women (46.3\%) than men (39.2\%), and obese women had significantly lower levels of income and net worth than those of normal weight and overweight women. The multivariate results indicate that poor financial status was significantly associated with high body mass index (BMI) for both men and women; however, poor health conditions played an even more important role than financial status in determining high BMI for men and women aged 51{\textendash}64. }, keywords = {BMI, Financial Health, Gender Differences}, issn = {1052-3073}, doi = {10.1891/1052-3073.29.1.19}, url = {http://connect.springerpub.com/lookup/doi/10.1891/1052-3073.29.1.19https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1891/1052-3073.29.1.19}, author = {Lee, Yoon G.} } @article {9767, title = {Gender differences in longitudinal relationships between depression and anxiety symptoms and inflammation in the Health and Retirement Study.}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {95}, year = {2018}, pages = {149-157}, abstract = {Depression and anxiety have been linked to elevated inflammation in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Yet, in terms of longitudinal studies, findings are inconsistent regarding whether depression predicts worsening inflammation or vice versa, and anxiety has been infrequently examined. Further, we know little about longitudinal relationships between inflammation and specific symptom profiles of depression and anxiety. The current study examined longitudinal associations between depression and anxiety symptoms and inflammation in 13,775 people (59\% women, average age = 67) participating in the Health and Retirement Study - a population-based study focused on older adults. High sensitivity C-reactive protein and depression and anxiety symptoms were measured at two time-points separated by four years. We used cross-lagged panel models to examine bidirectional relationships, and tested interactions with gender. We found that depressive symptoms predicted increasing inflammation for men, but not for women, and inflammation predicted worsening depression for women, but not for men. These gender differences were driven by somatic symptoms. Specifically, somatic symptoms predicted increasing inflammation for men only and were predicted by inflammation for women only. Regardless of gender, inflammation predicted worsening dysphoric symptoms of depression, and lack of positive affect predicted increasing inflammation over time. Anxiety was not associated with inflammation longitudinally. These findings indicate bidirectional relationships between depressive symptoms and inflammation, but not between anxiety symptoms and inflammation, and that the direction of these effects may differ by gender and type of depressive symptom.}, keywords = {Anxiety, Biomarkers, C-reactive protein, Depressive symptoms, Gender Differences, Women and Minorities}, issn = {1873-3360}, doi = {10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.035}, author = {Andrea N Niles and Smirnova, Mariya and Joy E. Lin and Aoife O{\textquoteright}Donovan} } @article {9568, title = {Gender, Spousal Caregiving, and Depression: Does Paid Work Matter?}, journal = {Journal of Marriage and Family}, volume = {80}, year = {2018}, pages = {537-554}, abstract = {Studies have shown that spousal caregiving leads to psychological distress, but few have analyzed the moderating effect of paid work. Using the 2000 to 2012 Health and Retirement Study and two-stage least squares regression models, this study found that caregiving increased women{\textquoteright}s and men{\textquoteright}s depressive symptoms. Ordinary least squares models showed that caregiving had more adverse effects on women{\textquoteright}s mental health than on men{\textquoteright}s, but these differences were eliminated in two-stage least squares models that accounted for the bidirectional effects of depression and caregiving. The current study also found that for women, part-time work attenuated the depressive effect of spousal caregiving, whereas for men, part-time work exacerbated it. These gender differences persisted even for intensive spousal caregivers. The authors suggest that caregiving women who work part-time may benefit from work-related resources. Caregiving men who work part-time, however, may feel distressed, as their work-family experiences conflict with traditional gender norms.}, keywords = {Caregiving, Depressive symptoms, Gender Differences, Purpose in life, Social Support}, doi = {10.1111/jomf.2018.80.issue-210.1111/jomf.12446}, author = {Glauber, Rebecca and Day, Melissa D.} } @article {9550, title = {Genetic markers of dopaminergic transmission predict performance for older males but not females.}, journal = {Neurobiology of Aging}, volume = {66}, year = {2018}, pages = {.e11-180.e21}, abstract = {Mobility and memory declines with aging can limit independence. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been associated with cognitive performance, but studies investigating motor function are scant. We examined 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms involved in dopaminergic metabolism: BDNF (Val66Met), DRD3 (Ser9Gly), DBH (C>T), and COMT (Val158Met) for their relationship to motor and cognitive function in healthy older adults (n~= 4605 and n~= 7331) who participated in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study. Individuals with genotypes associated with reduced dopamine metabolism exhibited poorer balance and memory. We found the most pronounced effects in the oldest participants (aged 85+ years), supporting the notion that age-related declines in dopamine availability contribute to magnified genotype effects with advancing age. Moreover, males demonstrated stronger associations than did females between a number of beneficial dopamine alleles and cognitive scores, suggesting that sex differences in dopaminergic transmission interact with genotype to influence performance. These findings point to common genetic variants related to dopaminergic metabolism that characterizes individual differences in motor and cognitive function in older adults.}, keywords = {Cognitive Ability, Gender Differences, Genetics}, issn = {1558-1497}, doi = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.02.005}, author = {Kathleen E Hupfeld and David E Vaillancourt and Rachael D Seidler} } @article {9878, title = {Health Equity and Hospital Readmissions: Does Inclusion of Patient Functional and Social Complexity Improve Predictiveness?}, journal = {Journal of General Internal Medicine}, volume = {34}, year = {2018}, pages = {26-28}, abstract = {Medicare{\textquoteright}s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was intended to encourage hospitals to improve care for older adults. However, the program has raised health equity concerns because its risk-adjustment model does not account for patient social complexity; the concern is that HRRP may aggravate healthcare disparities by penalizing financially challenged hospitals and reducing their resources to improve care.1 While the HRRP assesses hospitals for penalties based upon readmission performance that is adjusted for patient age, sex, and clinical severity of illness, it does not account for functional and social patient factors. }, keywords = {Age differences, Gender Differences, Health Disparities, Hospitalization}, issn = {0884-8734}, doi = {10.1007/s11606-018-4635-z}, author = {Geoffrey J Hoffman and Hsuan, Charleen and Thomas M Braun and Ninez Ponce} } @article {9419, title = {How Are Money Worries Affecting Middle-Aged, Young-Old, and Old{\textendash}Old People{\textquoteright}s Perceived Couple Relationship?}, journal = {Journal of Family and Economic Issues}, volume = {39}, year = {2018}, month = {03/2018}, pages = {34-48}, abstract = {While the association between financial strain and couple interaction has been well-established in the literature on economic stress, little research has investigated the association among middle-aged and older populations. The present study examined the relationships between financial strain and couple functioning of middle-aged, young-old, and old{\textendash}old people using the 2010 Health and Retirement Study. Findings show that subjective financial strain was positively associated with partner undermining and negatively with partner support, controlling for the effects of objective financial situations among middle-aged, young-old, and old{\textendash}old couples. There were gender and age differences in the interaction effects of financial strain and financial control on couple functioning. For middle-aged men, financial control may have different associations with couple behaviors depending on the level of financial strain. When the level of financial strain is high, the positive effect of financial control disappears and the effect changes even in a negative way. Findings provide suggestions for practitioners and researchers.}, keywords = {Age differences, Anxiety, Couples, Depressive symptoms, Financial security, Gender Differences}, issn = {1058-0476}, doi = {10.1007/s10834-017-9547-2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-017-9547-2http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10834-017-9547-2.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10834-017-9547-2.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10834-017-9547-2/fulltext.html}, author = {Park, Woochul} } @article {9597, title = {How Does Self-Rated Health Differ among Older Vietnamese Men and Women?}, journal = {Journal of Population Ageing}, year = {2018}, month = {Jun-04-2020}, abstract = {Due to gender differences in life expectancy, women outlive their male counterparts but experience more years of poor health. Whereas the correlates of gender differences in later life health have been examined in Western countries there is a limited but growing body of research among older adults in developing countries. Utilizing data from the 2011 Vietnam National Aging Study, this study examines gender differentials in self-rated health among Vietnamese aged 60 years and over (N = 2467) within the differential exposure and differential vulnerability frameworks. Logistic regression analyses show women had higher odds of reporting poor health but this differential was significantly reduced after adjusting for socio-demographic factors. Differential exposure to socio-economic resources did not explain the gender gap in perceived health status. After controlling for health behaviors, physical and mental health conditions, the gender differential was reversed with women showing lower odds of reporting poor health than similar men. Gender specific associations were evidenced by social participation, educational attainment, and employment status, which were protective for women{\textquoteright}s health but unrelated to men{\textquoteright}s. Older Vietnamese men and women show many similarities in the correlates of self-rated health. Comorbidity of chronic conditions, functional limitations, symptoms of psychological distress, and living in the Central region of Viet Nam were positively associated with poor self-rated health for men and women. The findings provide insight for gender sensitive social policies and investments in health systems to address the changing health profile of the Vietnamese population.}, keywords = {Aging, Gender Differences, Health Conditions and Status}, issn = {1874-7884}, doi = {10.1007/s12062-018-9223-9}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12062-018-9223-9http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12062-018-9223-9.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12062-018-9223-9.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12062-018-9223-9/fulltext.html}, author = {Le, Dung Duc and Quashie, Nekehia T. and Prachuabmoh, Vipan} } @article {9920, title = {Loneliness does (not) have cardiometabolic effects: A longitudinal study of older adults in two countries.}, journal = {Social Science \& Medicine}, year = {2018}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: Mass media increasingly report a "loneliness epidemic." A growing academic literature claims downstream effects of this experience on surrogate markers of cardiometabolic risk. Evidence on such influences is based on flawed samples and methodologies, rendering inferences questionable. The current study tested these claims.

METHODS: Analysis was based on three-wave data on older adults from two national probability samples-the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Models were gender-differentiated. Cardiovascular states were indexed by systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and metabolic condition by hemoglobin A1c. Fixed effects models were used for initial investigation, and subsequent triangulation was through a first-differencing approach with instrumental variables.

RESULTS: Loneliness had no linkage with any of the three outcomes. Nor were prevalences indicative of an epidemic of this affective state. Both gender and cross-national variations emerged: women were lonelier than men in each sample, while ELSA participants of both genders were less so than their HRS counterparts.

DISCUSSION: Contra previous literature, loneliness may not have cardiometabolic implications. Such nonreplications are increasingly common in the emerging "biosocial science" literature. Potential sources are discussed. More rigorous methods are available and urgently need incorporation to root out flawed inferences and conceptual models.

}, keywords = {Cross-National, Depressive symptoms, ELSA, Gender Differences, Loneliness}, issn = {1873-5347}, doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.021}, author = {Aniruddha Das} } @article {9484, title = {Longitudinal state-level effects on change in body mass index among middle-aged and older adults in the USA}, journal = {Health Education Journal}, volume = {77}, year = {2018}, pages = {59-72}, abstract = {Objective: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the effects of state-level socioeconomic status (SES), the density of fast food restaurants and walking to work on body mass index (BMI) among US adults aged 50 years and older. The study sought further to account for the interaction effects of three different hierarchical levels of variables, including time-varying variables and time-invariant variables such as individual and state-level variables. Confounding related to environmental/neighbourhood effects was controlled for through sample selection. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2000{\textendash}2010 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the 2010 US Census. HRS survey participants aged 50 years and older in 2000, residing in the same census tract during 2000{\textendash}2010 (N = 6,156) comprised the study sample. A three-level growth model was fitted to BMI trajectories. Results: BMI significantly increased over time showing both a linear and quadratic decelerating trajectory (p < .001) where BMI grew faster among sampled adults in their early 50s. Women living in the US states with a lower state-level SES had higher BMIs, while men with higher state-level SES had a higher BMI (b = -.242, p = .013). In states with a higher proportion of people who walked to work, Hispanics had higher BMIs at baseline and a lower BMI growth rate, compared with non-Hispanic whites (b = -.033, p < .001). Conclusions: Obesity interventions specific to adults aged 50 years and older require greater emphasis. Potential health inequalities regarding weight gain can be ameliorated through tailoring interventions based on sex, environmental and state-level SES influences.}, keywords = {BMI, Eating habits, Gender Differences, Health Trajectories, Regional associations, Socioeconomic factors}, issn = {0017-8969}, doi = {10.1177/0017896917733016}, author = {Chen, Cheng-Chia and Seo, Dong-Chul and Hsien-Chang Lin} } @article {9907, title = {The minimum wage and incentives for full-time work under the Social Security retirement earnings test}, number = {CRR WP 2018-13}, year = {2018}, month = {10/2018}, pages = {1-39}, institution = {Center for Retirement Research at Boston College}, address = {Chestnut Hill, MA}, abstract = {This paper examined how the earnings test affects the hours and employment of men who claim early benefits. It uses 1982-2016 data from the Current Population Survey and 1992-2014 data from the Health and Retirement Study. Critical components of the analysis include the idea that for any fixed earnings-test threshold amount, an increase in the hourly wage at which a beneficiary can work reduces the number of hours needed annually to hit the threshold. This feature of the test and substantial state-by-calendar year variation from increases in the minimum wage, which lower the threshold level of hours at which the earnings test binds, are used to identify the impact of the test on labor supply on the intensive and extensive margins for men who claim early. }, keywords = {Gender Differences, Policy, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Social Security}, url = {http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/wp_2018-13.pdf}, author = {Gary V. Engelhardt} } @article {9440, title = {The Moderating Role of Employment Status and Gender on Relationships Between Psychological Age and Health: A Two-Wave Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis of Data From the Health and Retirement Study}, journal = {Work, Aging and Retirement}, volume = {4}, year = {2018}, pages = {79-95}, abstract = {In this study we explored the direction of over-time relationships between psychological age (PA) and 4 facets of health for older adults, with social comparison theory (SCT) and stereotype embodiment theory (SET) providing the rationale for competing causal orderings of these relationships. Expanding on recent longitudinal work (Petery, 2015; Spuling, Miche, Wurm, \& Wahl, 2013) we investigated whether over-time employment status (employed, transition to retired, retired), gender, and the interaction of employment status and gender moderate the nature of these relationships for older (over 50 years old) adults. We examined data on PA and indicators of general, functional, physical, and mental health from the Health and Retirement Study collected at 2 time points, 4 years apart. Hypothesis testing on the causal ordering of the 2 constructs and the proposed moderations were conducted, with each health facet examined independently using cross-lagged panel path analysis and multigroup analysis of employment by gender subgroups. Effect sizes for relationships between PA and health were small in magnitude for all health facets and all employment status and gender subgroups. The apparent primary causal direction of relationships differed by health facet, with support provided for both Health > PA and PA > Health temporal orderings. Furthermore, with the exception of physical health, which exhibited consistent support for a Health -> PA relationship, the primary causal direction of the relationship between PA and health depended on both employment status and gender, jointly. These provide further evidence of the complexity of the health-PA relationship.}, keywords = {Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences, Health Conditions and Status, Marriage, Subjective age}, issn = {2054-4642}, doi = {10.1093/workar/wax019}, url = {http://academic.oup.com/workar/article/4/1/79/4056158http://academic.oup.com/workar/article-pdf/4/1/79/23296319/wax019.pdf}, author = {Janet L. Barnes-Farrell and Petery, Gretchen A.}, editor = {Lindsay H Ryan} } @article {9983, title = {Personality similarity and marital quality among couples in later life}, journal = {Personal Relationships}, volume = {25}, year = {2018}, pages = {565-580}, abstract = {Using a modified actor-partner interdependence model, associations of individuals{\textquoteright} personality traits (i.e., actor and partner effects) and personality similarity (i.e., trait-level and profile-level similarity between spouses) with marital quality were examined among 2,228 older couples from the Health and Retirement Study (2010/2012). Actor and partner effects of personality traits were stronger than similarities in explaining older couples{\textquoteright} marital quality. Trait-level and profile-level similarities also contributed to marital quality. The effects of personality traits and personality similarity were similar for husbands and wives, although some gender differences in the partner effects were detected. Findings suggest that the effects of personality on marital quality persist into old age, indicating that being similar on personalities may be a benefit to older couples{\textquoteright} marriages.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Marriage, Personality}, doi = {10.1111/pere.2018.25.issue-410.1111/pere.12260}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/pere.2018.25.issue-4http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/pere.12260http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/pere.12260/fullpdfhttps://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111\%2Fpere.12260}, author = {Wang, Shuangshuang and Kyungmin Kim and Boerner, Kathrin} } @article {9299, title = {Religious Attendance and Body Mass: An Examination of Variations by Race and Gender.}, journal = {Journal of Religion and Health}, volume = {57}, year = {2018}, month = {12/2018}, pages = {2140-2152}, abstract = {Studies of the association between religious attendance and body mass have yielded mixed results. In this paper, we consider intersectional variations by race and gender to advance our understanding of these inconsistencies. We use data from the 2006-2008 Health and Retirement Study to examine the association between religious attendance and three indicators of body mass: overall body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio (n~=~11,457). For White women, attendance is either protective or unrelated to body mass. For Black women, attendance is consistently associated with increased body mass. We find that religious attendance is not associated with body mass among the men.}, keywords = {BMI, Gender Differences, Racial/ethnic differences, Religion}, issn = {1573-6571}, doi = {10.1007/s10943-017-0490-1}, author = {Godbolt, Dawn and Preeti Vaghela and Amy M. Burdette and Terrence D. Hill} } @article {9117, title = {Retirement sequences of older Americans: Moderately destandardized and highly stratified across gender, class, and race.}, journal = {Gerontologist}, volume = {58}, year = {2018}, pages = {1166-1176}, abstract = {

Purpose of the Study: A destandardization of labor-force patterns revolving around retirement has been observed in recent literature. It is unclear, however, to which degree and of which kind. This study looked at sequences rather than individual statuses or transitions and argued that differentiating older Americans{\textquoteright} retirement sequences by type, order, and timing and considering gender, class, and race differences yields a less destandardized picture.

Design and Methods: Sequence analysis was employed to analyze panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for 7,881 individuals observed 6 consecutive times between ages 60-61 and 70-71.

Results: As expected, types of retirement sequences were identified that cannot be subsumed under the conventional model of complete retirement from full-time employment around age 65. However, these retirement sequences were not entirely destandardized, as some irreversibility and age-grading persisted. Further, the degree of destandardization varied along gender, class, and race. Unconventional sequences were archetypal for middle-level educated individuals and Blacks. Also, sequences for women and individuals with lower education showed more unemployment and part-time jobs, and less age-grading.

Implications: A sequence-analytic approach that models group differences uncovers misjudgments about the degree of destandardization of retirement sequences. When a continuous process is represented as individual transitions, the overall pattern of retirement sequences gets lost and appears destandardized. These patterns get further complicated by differences in social structures by gender, class, and race in ways that seem to reproduce advantages that men, more highly educated individuals, and Whites enjoy in numerous areas over the life course.

}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Racial/ethnic differences, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Women and Minorities}, issn = {1758-5341}, doi = {10.1093/geront/gnx052}, author = {Calvo, Esteban and Madero-Cabib, Ignacio and Ursula M. Staudinger} } @article {10001, title = {Trajectories of allostatic load among older Americans and Britons: Longitudinal cohort studies.}, journal = {BMC Geriatrics}, volume = {18}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Oct 23}, pages = {255}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Difference in life expectancy between males and females has been suggested to rest on sex difference in physiological dysregulation. But allostatic load, a physiological index, has not been carefully examined for an extended period beyond middle age. We aim to draw longitudinal trajectories of allostatic load in a national sample of older Americans and Britons; also to examine sex-based trajectories and factors behind their differences.

METHODS: We studied men and women aged >=50~years participating in the Health and Retirement Study Waves 8-11, 2006-2012 (N = 15,583 person-years) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Waves 2, 4 and 6, 2004-2012 (N = 14,765 person-years). Because of the difference in provenance, we included different number of biomarkers to calculate allostatic load in HRS and ELSA. In HRS we used 8 biomarkers (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, haemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, waist circumference, cystatin C, and C-reactive protein), while ELSA allostatic load was constructed from 10 biomarkers (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, haemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, waist circumference, BMI, triglyceride, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein). A growth curve model was fitted to repeated observations of allostatic load, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic position, comorbidities and health behaviours (smoking, drinking, and physical exercise). To account for attrition, a joint model was applied.

RESULTS: The analysis showed that allostatic load increases linearly with age in the U.S. However, there are different levels for males and females. In England allostatic load follows such different paths that their trajectories cross in later life.

CONCLUSIONS: Sex-based trajectories of allostatic load showed distinct female advantage and are mostly consistent with female advantage in life expectancy.

}, keywords = {Cross-National, Depressive symptoms, Gender Differences}, issn = {1471-2318}, doi = {10.1186/s12877-018-0947-4}, author = {Tampubolon, Gindo and Maharani, Asri} } @article {9732, title = {Why is retirement often more costly for married women than for married men?}, year = {2018}, publisher = {Monthly Labor Review}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Marriage, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction}, url = {http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2050581532?accountid=14667}, author = {Hicks, Maureen Soyars} } @article {9417, title = {Cohort Differences in Joint Retirement: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study}, journal = {Journal of Labor Research}, volume = {38}, year = {2017}, pages = {475-495}, abstract = {The dramatic rise and sustained participation of recent cohorts of women in the labor force has coincided with their increased attachment to the labor market. In this paper we use twelve waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2014) and investigate how married couples belonging to more recent birth cohorts compare with their predecessors in terms of coordinating their retirement decisions. Using a multinomial logit model we estimate the labor force dynamics of dual-earner married couples and find that couples with wives belonging to more recent birth cohorts are less likely to jointly exit the labor force. Further, this declining cohort trend in joint retirement can only partially be explained by commonly observed socio-economic, employment, and health related factors that affect retirement decisions, suggesting an important role for cohort changes in preferences and social norms such as preference for work and attitudes toward gender roles.}, keywords = {Couples, Gender Differences, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Women and Minorities}, issn = {0195-3613}, doi = {10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3/fulltext.htmlhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3.pdf}, author = {Bhatt, Vipul} } @article {9402, title = {Cohort Measures of Internal Migration: Understanding Long-Term Trends}, journal = {Demography}, volume = {54}, year = {2017}, pages = {2201-2221}, abstract = {Internal migration intensities fluctuate over time, but both migration levels and trends show great diversity. The dynamics underpinning these trends remain poorly understood because they are analyzed almost exclusively by applying period measures to cross-sectional data. This article proposes 10 cohort measures that can be applied to both prospective and retrospective data to systematically examine long-term trends. To demonstrate their benefits, the proposed measures are applied to retrospective survey data for England that provide residential histories from birth to age 50 for cohorts born between 1918 and 1957. The analysis reveals stable lifetime migration for men but increased lifetime migration for women associated with earlier ages at moving in adulthood and a compression of intervals between consecutive moves. The proposed cohort measures provide a more comprehensive picture of migration behavior and should be used to complement period measures in exploring long-term trends. Increasing availability of retrospective and longitudinal survey data means that researchers can now apply the proposed measures to a wide range of countries.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Migration}, issn = {0070-3370}, doi = {10.1007/s13524-017-0626-7}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13524-017-0626-7http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13524-017-0626-7.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-017-0626-7/fulltext.htmlhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13524-017-0626-7.pdf}, author = {Bernard, Aude} } @article {8902, title = {Cut points for clinical muscle weakness among older Americans.}, journal = {American Journal of Preventative Medicine}, volume = {53}, year = {2017}, pages = {63-69}, abstract = {

INTRODUCTION: Muscle weakness is an important indicator of disability, chronic disease, and early mortality. Grip strength is a simple, cost-effective measure of overall muscle strength. The Foundation of the National Institutes of Health recently proposed sex-specific grip strength cut points for clinical muscle weakness. However, these criteria were established using non-nationally representative data. This study used nationally representative data on Americans aged >=65 years to identify race- and sex-specific cut points for clinical muscle weakness and quantify prevalence among older blacks and whites by sex.

METHODS: Classification and Regression Tree models were used to identify cut points based on individual-level grip strength associated with slow gait speed (<0.8 m/second) among 7,688 individuals (57\% female; 8\% black; mean age, 74.6 [SD=6.79] years) from the 2010/2012 Health and Retirement Study during January-April 2016. Identified cut points were then used to quantify the prevalence of weakness by race/sex subgroup.

RESULTS: Fifty-five percent of men (maximum grip strength <39 kg) and 47\% of women (maximum grip strength <22 kg) were classified as weak. Higher cut points were identified for black men (maximum grip strength <40 kg) and women (maximum grip strength <31 kg), and the prevalence of weakness (57\% and 88\%, respectively) was higher compared with whites. Fifty-five percent of individuals had slow gait speed (<0.8 m/second).

CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of weakness was substantially higher than previous reports, underscoring the importance of using population-level data to identify individuals at greatest risk for adverse health outcomes. This is the first study to establish cut points for muscle weakness in a nationally representative sample by race and sex.

}, keywords = {Cut points, Gender Differences, Grip strength, Muscle Weakness, Older Adults, Racial/ethnic differences}, issn = {1873-2607}, doi = {10.1016/j.amepre.2016.12.022}, author = {Kate A Duchowny and Mark D Peterson and Philippa J Clarke} } @article {9246, title = {The educational, racial and gender crossovers in life satisfaction: Findings from the longitudinal Health and Retirement Study.}, journal = {Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics}, volume = {73}, year = {2017}, month = {11/2017}, pages = {60-68}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: To examine variations in life satisfaction by education, gender, and race/ethnicity over a period of eight years among middle-aged and older Americans.

METHODS: Mixed-effects models were used to analyze five waves (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014) of longitudinal data from 16,163 participants born 1890-1953 in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study.

RESULTS: Life satisfaction was higher in older adults, and the Great Recession had great impact on life satisfaction. Crossover interactions were found by gender, education, and race/ethnicity. Higher education was associated with higher life satisfaction for both genders, with stronger effects for females. Hispanics had the higher level of life satisfaction than non-Hispanic Whites and African Americans.

DISCUSSION: Longitudinal evidence revealed disparities in life satisfaction. The racial/ethnic differences in the impact of education suggest that the economic and health returns of education vary by social group. Researchers should continue to examine reasons for these disparities.

}, keywords = {Education, Gender Differences, Life Satisfaction, Racial/ethnic differences}, issn = {1872-6976}, doi = {10.1016/j.archger.2017.07.014}, author = {Wei Zhang and Kathryn L. Braun and Wu, Yan Yan} } @article {9114, title = {Gender and risk-bearing portfolio choices among older single workers: The role of human capital}, journal = {Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal}, volume = {45}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-06-2017}, pages = {406-421}, abstract = {Using data from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study, this study examined whether gender was associated with risk bearing in portfolio choices among single workers nearing retirement. Also, the study investigated how human capital was associated with the worker{\textquoteright}s allocation of risk-bearing assets by gender. The results of logistic regression revealed that while gender was statistically significant, education level was also a significant predictor of holding risky assets. Since differences in human capital explained the difference in portfolio choices for male and female workers, financial educators should consider this finding as they attempt to help the least financially savvy populations with financial education programs.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Singles, Women and Minorities}, doi = {10.1111/fcsr.12219}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/fcsr.12219http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/fcsr.12219/fullpdfhttps://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111\%2Ffcsr.12219}, author = {Lee, Yoon G. and Kim, Sungsook} } @article {9366, title = {His way, her way: Retirement timing among dual-earner couples}, journal = {Advances in Life Course Research}, volume = {33}, year = {2017}, pages = {23-37}, abstract = {This article examines how the retirement timing of husbands and wives has evolved in the face of women{\textquoteright}s rising economic resources. Using 11 waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study, I trace individuals into retirement, examining how spousal employment characteristics may facilitate or hinder one{\textquoteright}s own ability to retire and if such spousal influences have changed across cohorts. Results from event history models indicate that the retirement trajectories have changed for the leading baby boom cohort, as evidence implies they are delaying retirement longer than previous cohorts. Despite women{\textquoteright}s rising labor force attachment, the findings do not generally support the notion that wives are influencing their husbands{\textquoteright} retirement timing more or that the influence of husbands on wives{\textquoteright} retirement timing has declined across cohorts.}, keywords = {Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences, Marriage, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction}, issn = {10402608}, doi = {10.1016/j.alcr.2016.09.002}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S104026081630051Xhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S104026081630051X?httpAccept=text/xmlhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S104026081630051X?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Jonathan Jackson} } @article {9610, title = {How much does Out-of-Pocket Medical Spending Eat Away at Retirement Income?}, year = {2017}, month = {10/2017}, pages = {2-31}, institution = {Center for Retirement Research at Boston College}, address = {Boston, MA}, abstract = {The adequacy of retirement income {\textendash} from Social Security benefits and other sources {\textendash} is substantially reduced by Medicare{\textquoteright}s high out-of-pocket (OOP) costs. This project uses the 2002-2014 Health and Retirement Study to calculate post-OOP benefit ratios, defined as the share of either Social Security benefits or total income available for non-medical spending. The project decomposes the share of income that is going toward premium payments and services delivered and examines how these post-OOP benefit ratios differ by age, gender, income, supplemental insurance coverage, and health status. The project also updates previous studies{\textquoteright} estimates to document how OOP spending and the post-OOP income ratios changed following the introduction of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in 2006 and the closing of the {\textquotedblleft}donut hole{\textquotedblright} coverage gap in 2010, which decreased OOP costs under Part D for those spending moderate amounts on prescriptions.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Income, Medicare, Social Security}, url = {http://crr.bc.edu/working-papers/how-much-does-out-of-pocket-medical-spending-eat-away-at-retirement-income/}, author = {Melissa McInerney and Matthew S. Rutledge and Sara Ellen King} } @article {8892, title = {Lifecourse transitions, gender and drinking in later life}, journal = {Ageing and Society}, volume = {37}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-03-2017}, pages = {462 - 494}, abstract = {Older people consume less alcohol than any other adult age group. However, in recent years survey data on alcohol consumption in the United Kingdom have shown that while younger age groups have experienced a decline in alcohol consumption, drinking behaviours among the elderly have not reduced in the same way. This paper uses data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to analyse both the frequency and quantity of older adult{\textquoteright}s alcohol consumption using a lifecourse approach over a ten-year period. Overall drinking declined over time and the analysis examined how socio-economic characteristics, partnership, employment and health statuses were associated with differences in drinking behaviours and how these changed over time. Higher wealth and level of education were associated with drinking more and drinking more frequently for men and women. Poorer self-rated health was associated with less frequent consumption and older people with poor and deteriorating health reported a steeper decline in the frequency of alcohol consumption over time. Men who were not in a partnership drank more than other men. For women, loss of a partner was associated with a steeper decline in drinking behaviours. These findings have implications for programmes to promote responsible drinking among older adults as they suggest that, for the most part, characteristics associated with sustaining wellbeing in later life are also linked to consuming more alcohol.}, keywords = {Alcohol Consumption, Gender Differences, Older Adults, Women and Minorities}, issn = {0144-686X}, doi = {10.1017/S0144686X15001178}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0144686X15001178/type/journal_article}, author = {Holdsworth, Clare and Frisher, Martin and Mendoca, Marina and de Olivieria, Cesar and Pikhart, Hynek and Shelton, Nicola} } @article {8903, title = {Marital Biography, Social Security Receipt, and Poverty.}, journal = {Research on Aging}, volume = {39}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Jan}, pages = {86-110}, abstract = {

Increasingly, older adults are unmarried, which could mean a larger share is at risk of economic disadvantage. Using data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, we chart the diverse range of marital biographies, capturing marital sequences and timing, of adults who are age eligible for Social Security and examine three indicators of economic well-being: Social Security receipt, Social Security benefit levels, and poverty status. Partnereds are disproportionately likely to receive Social Security and they enjoy relatively high Social Security benefits and very low poverty levels. Among singles, economic well-being varies by marital biography and gender. Gray divorced and never-married women face considerable economic insecurity. Their Social Security benefits are relatively low, and their poverty rates are quite high (over 25\%), indicating Social Security alone is not sufficient to prevent these women from falling into poverty. By comparison, gray widoweds are the most advantaged singles.

}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Marriage, Older Adults, Poverty, Social Security}, issn = {1552-7573}, doi = {10.1177/0164027516656139}, author = {Lin, I-Fen and Susan L. Brown and Anna M Hammersmith} } @article {8894, title = {Own Gender, Sibling{\textquoteright}s Gender, Parent{\textquoteright}s Gender: The Division of Elderly Parent Care among Adult Children}, journal = {American Sociological Review}, volume = {82}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-02-2017}, pages = {116 - 146}, abstract = {Research on the gender division of family labor largely focuses on housework and childcare in spousal couples. This article advances scholarship by examining the gender division of elderly parent care in sibling groups. Using the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of elderly Americans, I find that caregiving to elderly parents varies not only by an adult child{\textquoteright}s own gender, but also by the gender of the siblings with whom caregiving is shared and by the gender of the parent to whom care is provided. The salience of an adult child{\textquoteright}s gender manifests in two primary ways: not only do daughters provide more care than do sons to their elderly parents, but daughters{\textquoteright} caregiving is also more elastic with respect to their own and their parents{\textquoteright} attributes than is sons{\textquoteright} caregiving. With respect to the gender of the siblings, sons provide relatively less care if they have sisters, whereas daughters provide relatively more care if they have brothers. With respect to the gender of the parent, sons provide relatively more care to fathers, and daughters provide relatively more care to mothers. Finally, analyses did not reveal changes over time.}, keywords = {Caregiving, Gender Differences, Gender Identity, Older Adults, Siblings, Women and Minorities}, issn = {0003-1224}, doi = {10.1177/0003122416686521}, url = {http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0003122416686521}, author = {Grigoryeva, Angelina} } @article {9427, title = {Religion, a social determinant of mortality? A 10-year follow-up of the Health and Retirement Study}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, volume = {12}, year = {2017}, pages = {e0189134}, abstract = {The social determinants of health framework has brought a recognition of the primary importance of social forces in determining population health. Research using this framework to understand the health and mortality impact of social, economic, and political conditions, however, has rarely included religious institutions and ties. We investigate a well-measured set of social and economic determinants along with several measures of religious participation as predictors of adult mortality. Respondents (N = 18,370) aged 50 and older to the Health and Retirement Study were interviewed in 2004 and followed for all-cause mortality to 2014. Exposure variables were religious attendance, importance, and affiliation. Other social determinants of health included gender, race/ethnicity, education, household income, and net worth measured at baseline. Confounders included physical and mental health. Health behaviors and social ties were included as potential explanatory variables. Cox proportional hazards regressions were adjusted for complex sample design. After adjustment for confounders, attendance at religious services had a dose-response relationship with mortality, such that respondents who attended frequently had a 40\% lower hazard of mortality (HR = 0.60, 95\% CI 0.53{\textendash}0.68) compared with those who never attended. Those for whom religion was {\textquotedblleft}very important{\textquotedblright} had a 4\% higher hazard (HR = 1.04, 95\% CI 1.01{\textendash}1.07); religious affiliation was not associated with risk of mortality. Higher income and net worth were associated with a reduced hazard of mortality as were female gender, Latino ethnicity, and native birth. Religious participation is multi-faceted and shows both lower and higher hazards of mortality in an adult US sample in the context of a comprehensive set of other social and economic determinants of health.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Mortality, Racial/ethnic differences, Religion}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0189134}, author = {Idler, Ellen and Blevins, John and Kiser, Mimi and Hogue, Carol}, editor = {Anglewicz, Philip} } @article {9411, title = {Time-to-death patterns in markers of age and dependency}, journal = {Vienna Yearbook of Population Research}, volume = {1}, year = {2017}, pages = {229-254}, abstract = {We aim to determine the extent to which variables commonly used to describe health, well-being, and disability in old age vary primarily as a function of years lived (chronological age), years left (thanatological age), or as a function of both. We analyze data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study to estimate chronological age and time-to-death patterns in 78 such variables.We describe results for the birth cohort 1915-1919 in the final 12 years of life. Our results show that most of the markers used to study well-being in old age vary along both the age and the timeto- death dimensions, but that some markers are exclusively a function of either time to death or chronological age, while other markers display different patterns in men and women.}, keywords = {Disabilities, Gender Differences, Mortality}, issn = {1728-4414}, doi = {10.1553/populationyearbook10.1553/populationyearbook201610.1553/populationyearbook2016s229}, url = {http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/1728-4414http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/populationyearbook2016http://hw.oeaw.ac.at?arp=0x0036e636}, author = {Riffe, Tim and Chung, Pil H. and Spijker, Jeroen and MacInnes, John}, editor = {Lutz, Wolfgang} } @article {9036, title = {University Study Finds That Blacks Are More Likely Than Whites to Be Bullied at Work}, year = {2017}, publisher = {Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (Online)}, address = {New York City, NY}, keywords = {Gender Differences, News, Racial/ethnic differences}, url = {https://www.jbhe.com/2017/04/university-study-finds-that-blacks-are-more-likely-than-whites-to-be-bullied-at-work/}, author = {The Journal of Black in Higher Education} } @article {9021, title = {Why women{\textquoteright}s money behavior should be studied separately from men}, journal = {Marketwatch}, year = {2017}, publisher = {Marketwatch}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Marriage, Women and Minorities}, url = {http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-womens-money-behavior-should-be-studied-separately-from-men-2017-04-10}, author = {Alicia H. Munnell} } @article {9035, title = {Workplace bullying, perceived job stressors, and psychological distress: Gender and race differences in the stress process}, journal = {Social Science Research}, volume = {65}, year = {2017}, pages = {210-221}, abstract = {A large body of empirical research documents the adverse mental health consequences of workplace bullying. However, less is known about gender and race differences in the processes that link workplace bullying and poor mental health. In the current study, we use structural equation modeling of survey data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study (N = 2292) and draw on stress process theory to examine coworker support as a buffering mechanism against workplace bullying, and gender and race differences in the relationships between bullying and psychological distress. The results of the analysis indicate that coworker support serves as a protective buffer against workplace bullying, although the buffering effect is relatively small. We also find that the effects of workplace bullying more heavily impact women and persons of color. Specifically, women and African American individuals in our sample were less protected from the buffering mechanism of co-worker social support.}, keywords = {Employment and Labor Force, Gender Differences, Job stressors, Racial/ethnic differences, Women and Minorities}, issn = {0049089X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.02.001}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X16305087}, author = {Brandon K. Attell and Kummerow Brown, Kiersten and Linda A Treiber} } @article {9159, title = {Workplace bullying, perceived job stressors, and psychological distress: Gender and race differences in the stress process.}, journal = {Social Science Research}, volume = {65}, year = {2017}, month = {07/2017}, pages = {210-221}, abstract = {A large body of empirical research documents the adverse mental health consequences of workplace bullying. However, less is known about gender and race differences in the processes that link workplace bullying and poor mental health. In the current study, we use structural equation modeling of survey data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study (N~=~2292) and draw on stress process theory to examine coworker support as a buffering mechanism against workplace bullying, and gender and race differences in the relationships between bullying and psychological distress. The results of the analysis indicate that coworker support serves as a protective buffer against workplace bullying, although the buffering effect is relatively small. We also find that the effects of workplace bullying more heavily impact women and persons of color. Specifically, women and African American individuals in our sample were less protected from the buffering mechanism of co-worker social support.}, keywords = {Depressive symptoms, Gender Differences, Racial/ethnic differences, Stress}, issn = {1096-0317}, doi = {10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.02.001}, author = {Brandon K. Attell and Kummerow Brown, Kiersten and Linda A Treiber} } @article {8838, title = {The Aggregate Implications of Gender and Marriage}, number = {Working Paper No. 22817}, year = {2016}, month = {11/2016}, pages = {1-54}, institution = {National Bureau of Economic Research}, address = {Cambridge, MA}, abstract = {Wages and life expectancy, as well as labor market outcomes, savings, and consumption, differ by gender and marital status. In this paper we compare the aggregate implications of two dynamic structural models. The first model is a standard, quantitative, life-cycle economy, in which people are only heterogenous by age and realized earnings shocks, and is calibrated using data on men, as typically done. The second model is one in which people are also heterogeneous by gender, marital status, wages, and life expectancy, and is calibrated using data for married and single men and women. We show that the standard life-cycle economy misses important aspects of aggregate savings, labor supply, earnings, and consumption. In contrast, the model with richer heterogeneity by gender, marital status, wage, and life expectancy matches the observed data well. We also show that the effects of changing life expectancy and the gender wage gap depend on marital status and gender, and that it is essential to not only model couples, but also the labor supply response of both men and women in a couple.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Marriage, Older Adults, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Women and Minorities}, doi = {10.3386/w22817}, url = {http://www.nber.org/papers/w22817.pdf}, author = {Borella, Margherita and Mariacristina De Nardi and Yang, Fang} } @article {8549, title = {Assortative Mating on Education: A Genetic Assessment}, number = {791}, year = {2016}, pages = {1-42}, institution = {Department of Economics, University of Oxford}, address = {Oxford}, abstract = {Social scientists have overwhelmingly documented a strong and increasing educational homogamy between spouses. When estimating sorting by education, the presence of measurement error in the education variables or random factors in the matching process may underestimate the actual degree of assortative mating, simultaneity bias may overestimate it, while omitting other individual characteristics relevant in the marriage market may under- or overestimate it. We address these issues using an instrumental variables approach based on exploiting genetic variation in polygenic scores and controlling for population stratification. Specifically, we instrument spousal education with his/her educational polygenic score while controlling for own educational polygenic score. If the exclusion restriction is satisfied, our findings indicate that (1) assortative mating is underestimated when using OLS, and that (2) male education is correlated with other matching-relevant socioeconomic characteristics, while female education is productive per se in the matching. If the exclusion restriction is not satisfied, our evidence is consistent with (2). This suggests that individual socioeconomic attractiveness in the marriage market is multidimensional for men, but can be summarized with education for women.}, keywords = {Aging, Education, Gender Differences, Marriage}, issn = {1471-0498}, url = {http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/810373/1/paper-791.pdf}, author = {Nicola Barban and De Cao, Elisabetta and Oreffice, Sonia and Quintana-Domeque, Climent} } @mastersthesis {8725, title = {The Effects of Gender and Social Isolation on Depression among Older Americans}, volume = {M.A.}, year = {2016}, pages = {49}, school = {University of Central Oklahoma}, type = {Thesis}, abstract = {The number of older adults is expected to increase in the near future. Since women live longer than men, women tend to have more complex social networks than men, and women report higher rates of depression than men, it is important to determine whether gender and social isolation affect the rates of depressive symptoms reported by older adults. This thesis seeks to determine the relationship between gender and social isolation and the influence of these variables on depressive symptoms in older adults using selected data from two sections of the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was performed in SPSS in order to determine the main effects relationship between the dependent variable, depression, and independent variables, gender and social isolation. Two additional models were examined to test whether social isolation had a mediating and/or moderating effect on gender{\textquoteright}s relationship to depressive symptoms. As expected, women average more depressive symptoms than men; however, several aspects of social support, such as living with a spouse or partner, contact with children, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion, decreased depressive symptoms. Contact with children, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion moderated depressive symptoms. All five social isolation variables {\textemdash} living with a spouse or partner, contact with children, contact with family, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion {\textemdash} mediated depressive symptoms for gender. These results suggest that social isolation not only has a direct effect, but also moderates and mediates depressive symptoms for gender. This research supports the hypothesis that depressive symptoms are associated with gender and social isolation.}, keywords = {Depressive symptoms, Gender Differences, Isolation, Older Adults, Social Relationships, Women and Minorities}, isbn = {9781339938912}, url = {http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1820912961?accountid=14667}, author = {Jennifer E. Darling} } @mastersthesis {8739, title = {Financial Literacy Continuing Professional Education Cognitive Needs Assessment for Florida Small Business Owners}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2016}, pages = {449}, school = {University of South Florida}, type = {Dissertation}, abstract = {The purpose of this study was to assess the financial literacy continuing profession education cognitive needs of Florida small business owners through exploring their profile. To determine the financial literacy profile, an instrument containing 18 tested knowledge and 5 self-assessed knowledge questions was created. Using a panel of experts, the instrument was developed from previously tested financial literacy questions from several sources. Data were collected from clients of the West Central Region of the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida. The online survey completed by participants included demographic questions to provide data to profile small business owners{\textquoteright} financial literacy by gender, age, education level, and small business classification. The results indicated small business owners have a high financial literacy. There were significant differences found between the financial literacy of men and women. Men{\textquoteright}s scores were higher for both tested knowledge and self-assessed knowledge. Younger small business owners scored lower than older small business owners. There were significant scoring differences between the highest and lowest levels of education. Tested scores and self-assessed scores increased with higher education levels. Pre-venture/start-up business owners scored lower than the small-medium enterprise owners. Implications included developing educational programs attentive to women small business owner{\textquoteright}s needs, as well as newer and/or younger small business owners.}, keywords = {Cognitive Ability, Education, Financial literacy, Gender Differences, Older Adults, Small business owners, Women and Minorities}, isbn = {9781339617862}, url = {http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1781654615?accountid=14667}, author = {Dahmen, Pearl J.} } @article {8845, title = {Gender, Illness-Related Diabetes Social Support, and Glycemic Control Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences}, volume = {71}, year = {2016}, month = {May-11-2017}, pages = {1081 - 1088}, abstract = {This study examined whether the association between illness-related diabetes social support (IRDSS) and glycemic control among middle-aged and older adults is different for men and women. This cross-sectional analysis included 914 adults with diabetes who completed the Health and Retirement Study{\textquoteright}s 2003 Mail Survey on Diabetes. IRDSS is a composite score of 8 diabetes self-care measures. Hemoglobin A1c levels were obtained to measure good glycemic control (< 8.0\%). Gender-stratified multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios and examine the association between IRDSS and glycemic control after controlling for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics. The prevalence of good glycemic control was 48.9\% among women and 51.1\% among men. Mean composite IRDSS scores did not differ by gender. Among women, composite IRDSS was associated with adequate glycemic control (prevalence ratio: 1.06; 95\% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.08), and all individual components of IRDSS, with the exception of keeping appointments, were positively associated with adequate glycemic control. No significant associations were observed in men for composite or individual components of IRDSS. Determining the gender-specific impact derived from IRDSS is a worthwhile approach to highlighting factors that differentially predict optimal glycemic control among middle-aged and older adults.}, keywords = {Diabetes, Gender Differences, Older Adults, Social Support, Women and Minorities}, issn = {1079-5014}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbv061}, url = {http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbv061https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/71/6/1081/2194711/Gender-IllnessRelated-Diabetes-Social-Support-and}, author = {Mondesir, Favel L. and White, Kellee and Liese, Angela D. and Alexander C McLain} } @article {8561, title = {How Family Status and Social Security Claiming Options Shape Optimal Life Cycle Portfolios}, journal = {Review of Financial Studies}, volume = {29}, year = {2016}, month = {Jul-04-2016}, pages = {937 - 978}, abstract = {We show how optimal household decisions regarding work, retirement, saving, portfolio allocations, and life insurance are shaped by the complex financial options embedded in U.S. Social Security rules and uncertain family transitions. Our life cycle model predicts sharp consumption drops on retirement, an age-62 peak in claiming rates, and earlier claiming by wives versus husbands and single women. Moreover, life insurance is mainly purchased on men{\textquoteright}s lives. Our model, which takes Social Security rules seriously, generates wealth and retirement outcomes that are more consistent with the data, in contrast to earlier and less realistic models}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Older Adults, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Social Security}, issn = {0893-9454}, doi = {10.1093/rfs/hhv070}, url = {http://rfs.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/rfs/hhv070}, author = {Hubener, Andreas and Maurer, Raimond and Olivia S. Mitchell} } @mastersthesis {8722, title = {The impact of social network and neighborhood characteristics on the driving status of older adults: The moderating role of gender}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2016}, month = {05/2016}, pages = {189}, school = {University of Massachusetts Boston}, type = {Dissertation}, address = {Boston}, abstract = {Due to the automobile-dependent nature of the U.S., the rapidly growing population of older adults, and the association of several age-related impairments and unsafe driving, understanding the factors that impact changes in older adults{\textquoteright} driving behavior has important implications for policy and practice. Previous research has demonstrated the effect of sociodemographic characteristics and health factors on the driving status of older adults, however, the impact of broader social and environmental factors in decisions about driving is less established. The purpose of the current study is to advance understanding of the impact of the quality of social relationships as well as neighborhood social factors and physical attributes, controlling for sociodemographic and health characteristics, on the driving status of older adults. A second aim of this study is to assess the moderating role of gender in the investigated associations. Guided by the socioecological theoretical model, multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted, using the large, nationally representative Health and Retirement Study dataset (waves 2006-2008 and 2008-2010) to investigate the predictors of changes in driving status. Results suggest that social relationship quality, particularly relationship strain, and both components of neighborhood context, social cohesion and physical disorder, impact changes in driving status among older adults. Findings also suggest that gender moderates the relationship between social and environmental context factors and older adults{\textquoteright} decisions about driving. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.}, keywords = {Cognitive Ability, Driving, Functional limitations, Gender Differences, Older Adults, Social media, Social Relationships, Women and Minorities}, isbn = {9781339798707}, url = {http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1803936508?accountid=14667}, author = {Kelli N. Barton} } @article {8528, title = {Opportunity or Necessity? Disaggregating Self-Employment and Entry at Older Ages}, journal = {Social Forces}, volume = {94}, year = {2016}, month = {Jun-06-2016}, pages = {1539 - 1566}, abstract = {Bridging the literatures on entrepreneurship and the aging workforce, we study the factors, particularly job loss, wealth, education, and risk aversion, associated with entry into self-employment at older ages using a multinomial logit hazard model. Using the Health and Retirement Study, we disaggregate self-employment by defining four types through an interaction along two scopes: one that divides along those with supervisory responsibilities or business asset ownership and the other divided into so-called {\textquotedblleft}knowledge{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}non-knowledge{\textquotedblright} occupations. We find that job loss shows a strong association with entry into self-employment, particularly with less desirable forms of self-employment. In addition, we show that there are large differences between individuals in these alternative measures of self-employment and that there are distinctive factors that influence entry into these types. Additionally, we show that there are some differences in the factors affecting men{\textquoteright}s and women{\textquoteright}s entry into self-employment.}, keywords = {Entrepeneurship, Gender Differences, Older Adults, Risk Taking, Unemployment}, issn = {0037-7732}, doi = {10.1093/sf/sow026}, url = {http://sf.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/sf/sow026}, author = {Jeremy G. Moulton and John C. Scott} } @article {8527, title = {Reporting Heterogeneity and Health Disparities Across Gender and Education Levels: Evidence From Four Countries}, journal = {Demography}, volume = {53}, year = {2016}, month = {Jan-04-2016}, pages = {295 - 323}, abstract = {I use anchoring vignettes from Indonesia, the United States, England, and China to study the extent to which differences in self-reported health across gender and education levels can be explained by the use of different response thresholds. To determine whether statistically significant differences between groups remain after adjusting thresholds, I calculate standard errors for the simulated probabilities, largely ignored in previous literature. Accounting for reporting heterogeneity reduces the gender gap in many health domains across the four countries, but to varying degrees. Health disparities across education levels persist and even widen after equalizing thresholds across the two groups.}, keywords = {CHARLS, Education, ELSA, Gender Differences, IFLS, Psychosocial, Self-perception}, issn = {0070-3370}, doi = {10.1007/s13524-016-0456-z}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13524-016-0456-zhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13524-016-0456-zhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13524-016-0456-z.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-016-0456-z/fulltext.html}, author = {Molina, Teresa} } @conference {8762, title = {Subjective Life Expectancy: Differences by Smoking, Education and Gender}, booktitle = {European Population Conference 2016}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Despite the well-known higher mortality rates among smokers than non-smokers, little investigation has focused on subjective survival probabilities (SSP) by smoking behaviour. We give attention to sub-group differences in subjective survival probabilities, comparing subjective predictions to objective ones (SP) and accounting for the role of education. We use biannual data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 2000 to 2012 carried out in the USA. Based on a sample of 23,895 respondents aged 50-89, we calculate, for each respondent, the {\textquotedblleft}gap{\textquotedblright} between SSP and the estimated survival probability (SP) from the HRS data. We find that people currently smoking report lower survival probabilities especially if they are low educated. This is consistent with real mortality data that show higher mortality among these groups. When comparing subjective and objective survival probabilities we find that irrespectively of the smoking status, high educated people are more likely to correctly predict their survival probabilities than their low educated counterparts. Within education groups, people who smoked in the past are the best at predicting their mortality. Interestingly, those who currently smoke show the highest probability to incorrectly overestimate their survival probability (i.e., to underestimate the negative effect of smoking on mortality).}, keywords = {Education, Gender Differences, Longevity, Mortality, Older Adults, Smoking}, url = {http://epc2016.princeton.edu/uploads/160554}, author = {Sergei Scherbov and Bruno Arpino and Valeria Bordone} } @conference {Truskinovsky2016TheUC, title = {The Unintended Consequences of Informal Childcare Subsidies for Older Women {\textquoteright} s Retirement Security}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Grandmothers provide a significant amount of childcare in the US, but little is known about how this informal, and often uncompensated, time transfer impacts their economic and health outcomes. This project addresses the impact of federally funded, state-level means-tested programs that compensate grandparent-provided childcare on the retirement security of older women, an economically vulnerable group of considerable policy interest. Childcare assistance can be used to compensate grandparent-provided childcare and/or to substitute market care for grandparent care. I use the variation in the availability and generosity of childcare subsidies to model the effect of government payments for grandchild care on grandmothers{\textquoteright} time use, income, earnings, interfamily transfers, and health outcomes. After establishing that more generous government payments induce grandmothers to provide more hours of childcare, I find that grandmothers adjust their behavior by reducing their formal labor supply and earnings. Grandmothers make up for lost earnings by claiming Social Security earlier, increasing their reliance on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and reducing financial transfers to their children. While the policy does not appear to negatively impact grandmothers{\textquoteright} immediate economic well-being, there are significant costs to the state, in terms of both up-front costs for care payments and long-term costs as a result of grandmothers{\textquoteright} increased reliance on social insurance.}, keywords = {Childcare, gender, Gender Differences, Retirement, subsidies}, url = {https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Unintended-Consequences-of-Informal-Childcare-\%E2\%80\%99-Truskinovsky/41d55b106e1418a87eb13633d4acbeb3b5b0e62a}, author = {Yulya Truskinovsky} } @article {8926, title = {Economic development and gender inequality in cognition: a comparison of China and India, and of SAGE and the HRS sister studies.}, journal = {Journal of Economics of Ageing}, volume = {4}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Dec 01}, pages = {114-125}, abstract = {

This paper examines cognition measures by age and gender from two types of studies in China and India. It finds that despite some notable differences in samples and measures, a general strong association of cognition in older ages with education emerges as a potential explanation for gender gaps and cohort differences. Female disadvantage in cognition is greater in India, both before and after controlling for education. The process of rural-urban migration draws more cognitively able women to cities in China but not in India. The advent of modern longitudinal studies of aging in these developing countries holds great promise for future work.

}, keywords = {CHARLS, Economics, Gender Differences, LASI, Older Adults, SAGE, Sister studies}, issn = {2212-828X}, doi = {10.1016/j.jeoa.2014.08.002}, author = {David R Weir and Margaret Lay and Kenneth M. Langa} } @article {8927, title = {Education, brain health, and improving life opportunities for women}, journal = {The Journal of the Economics of Ageing}, volume = {4}, year = {2014}, month = {Jan-12-2014}, pages = {56 - 58}, abstract = {The paper by Lei et al. in this issue adds to the growing body of empirical evidence that education and cognitive stimulation, both in early-life and in later-life, seem especially important for cognitive health and the prevention of cognitive decline with aging. The expanding educational opportunities for girls and women in developing countries such as China over the last few decades appear to have played an important role in improving their cognitive health and, in turn, have likely expanded their opportunities to participate more fully and successfully in both work and social roles. While {\textquotedblleft}curing{\textquotedblright} dementia in the coming decades seems unlikely, decreasing the risk of cognitive impairment and disability in both developed and developing countries through increasing education, life-long cognitive stimulation, and improved control of cardiovascular risk appears achievable. Success would benefit people of all ages by keeping older adults more independent and productive, and minimizing the burden of support on younger generations.}, keywords = {Education, Gender Differences, Life opportunities, Older Adults, Women and Minorities}, issn = {2212828X}, doi = {10.1016/j.jeoa.2014.08.001}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2212828X14000176http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S2212828X14000176?httpAccept=text/xmlhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S2212828X14000176?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Kenneth M. Langa and Eric B Larson} } @mastersthesis {9627, title = {Retirement Savings and Types of Investment Assets Among Near-Retirees Aged 51-64: How do women invest differently than men?}, volume = {Master of Science in Family, Consumer, and Human Development}, year = {2008}, pages = {79}, school = {Utah State University }, address = {Logan, UT}, abstract = {The purpose of this study was to examine the financial portfolios of near-retiree women and compare their assets to near-retiree men. This study also investigated how economic and demographic factors were associated with the probability of holding aggressive assets and the level of savings. Socioeconomic variables were used to create a profile of the investment behaviors and to examine the level of savings among near-retiree women and men. Specific variables key to the study included household income, age, marital status, education, race, and self-reported health of near-retiree women and men. The descriptive statistics indicated that overall, average levels of all asset categories for the female group were much lower than they were for the male group among near-retirees. According to the findings of this study, women tended to invest in safer assets such as CDs, savings bonds, and T-bills rather than in more aggressive assets such as stocks, business assets, and real estate assets. The results from both the logistic regression and Ordinary least squares regression analyses indicated that gender had no statistically significant impact on the investment and savings behavior among near-retirees aged 51{\textendash}64. However, household income, age, marital status, education, race, and the self-reported health status of near-retirees were all significant determinants of the investment and saving behavior among near-retirees aged 51{\textendash}64. For example, near-retirees, with higher income, older, married, higher education, Whites, and in good health, were more likely to own aggressive assets and reported higher level of savings as compared to other near-retirees. This study also explored socioeconomic factors associated with the level of savings among near-retiree women aged 51{\textendash}64. The findings of this study indicated that household income, age, education, and race were significant determinants of the level of savings among near-retiree women aged 51{\textendash}64. The results of the OLS regression analysis showed that women with lower income, younger, less education, and non-Whites reported lower levels of savings than did other women. Implications of the findings, limitations of the current study, and suggestions for future study were presented in the final section.}, keywords = {Gender Differences, Investing, Portfolios, Socioeconomic factors}, isbn = {9780549653547}, url = {https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005\&context=etd}, author = {Katrina R. Nye} }