TY - JOUR T1 - The Role of Solitary Activity in Moderating the Association between Social Isolation and Perceived Loneliness among U.S. Older Adults. JF - Journal of Gerontological Social Work Y1 - 2022 A1 - Li, Ke A1 - Tang, Fengyan KW - Isolation KW - Loneliness KW - Social networks AB -

Social isolation has been recognized as a critical public health problem. As the most vulnerable population, older adults are disproportionately affected by social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purposes of this study were to examine the association between social isolation and loneliness among U.S. older adults and to explore the moderating effect of solitary activity by using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Social isolation was measured by six indicators, including marital status, living arrangement, social participation in any clubs or social organizations, and the frequency of social contact with children, family members, and friends. Loneliness was assessed by eleven questions derived from the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Solitary activity included 11 types of activities that respondents could perform alone with limited or no social interaction. Results from the multivariate regression analyses indicated that unmarried status and lower frequency of social contact were associated with more perceived loneliness. Solitary activity significantly moderated the negative effects of the low frequency of social contact with family members on loneliness. The findings implicate that social work programs and interventions can aim to expand social networks and provide more opportunities for solitary activities, particularly for isolated older adults.

VL - 65 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The race paradox in subjective wellbeing among older Americans JF - Ageing and Society Y1 - 2019 A1 - Tang, Fengyan A1 - Heejung Jang A1 - Mary Beth Rauktis A1 - Donald Musa A1 - Scott Beach KW - Happiness KW - Racial/ethnic differences KW - Social Support KW - Well-being AB - This study aims to assess racial differences in subjective wellbeing (SWB) and to examine whether the pathways of social support and social engagement to SWB vary by racial groups in the United States of America. Using a local sample (N = 1,035) and a nationally representative sample of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 7,718), we compared life satisfaction and happiness between non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks aged 55 and over. We evaluated the extent to which race, other socio-demographic characteristics, health, social engagement and social support explained the variances in SWB and examined the moderation effects of race on the relationships of SWB with age, social support and social engagement. Multiple regression analyses showed that non-Hispanic Blacks were at least as satisfied as, and even happier than White peers, after equalising social resources and health variables. Social support was significantly related to SWB, and it seemed that positive support was more important to Whites than to Blacks in predicting life satisfaction. In addition, the racial crossover effect existed, that is, the old-old (80+) Blacks were happier than their White peers. Findings indicate a national trend of the race paradox in SWB and underscore the importance of social support in promoting older adults’ wellbeing. Future research is recommended to investigate other potential mechanisms among Black older Americans to explain their relatively better SWB. VL - 39 UR - https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0144686X17001064/type/journal_articlehttps://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0144686X17001064 IS - 3 JO - Ageing and Society ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Racial/Ethnic Inequality Among Older Workers: Focusing On Whites, Blacks, and Latinos Within the Cumulative Advantage/Disadvantage Framework JF - Journal of Social Service Research Y1 - 2017 A1 - Choi, Eunhee A1 - Tang, Fengyan A1 - Valire Carr Copeland KW - Employment and Labor Force KW - Racial/ethnic differences KW - Women and Minorities AB - The experience of older racial/ethnic minority workers may differ from that of their non-Hispanic White counterparts because of persistent racial/ethnic differences; however, our knowledge of older minority workers is fragmentary. Using the cumulative advantage/disadvantage framework, this study aimed to identify factors that explain older Americans’ labor market participation after age 65 and whether racial/ethnic differences exist among those factors. Using the 2004 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study data, racially separate analyses were performed to systematically compare factors by race. The results showed that factors influencing labor force participation after age 65 were indeed conditioned by race. Health and meaning of work significantly influenced non-Hispanic Whites, whereas home ownership increased the odds of working among non-Hispanic Blacks, and Latinos were concerned with health alone. The findings suggest that older ethnic minorities appear to experience a greater vulnerability to involuntary labor market exit—as opposed to personal preference or financial necessity. This racial/ethnic inequality should be understood not as sudden occurrences in old age, but as a by-product of the interplay between the individuals’ lifetime experiences and the social structures that impose cumulative advantages/disadvantages on them. Continued research will help reduce racial gaps in the next generation of older workers. VL - 43 UR - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01488376.2016.1235068https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01488376.2016.1235068 IS - 1 JO - Journal of Social Service Research ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Retirement Patterns and Their Relationship to Volunteering JF - Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly Y1 - 2016 A1 - Tang, Fengyan KW - Adult children KW - Employment and Labor Force KW - Retirement Planning and Satisfaction AB - This study examines the relationships of volunteering behaviors with work retirement patterns and transition among middle-aged and older Americans using the Health and Retirement Study data (1998-2008). Latent class analysis was used to identify retirement status and cluster respondents into five latent classes: the not-retired, partial retiree, full retiree, non-worker (e.g., homemakers), and the transitioned (i.e., the newly retired from paid work). Generalized linear mixed models showed those experiencing work retirement transitions were significantly more involved in volunteering than the not-retired. Partial retirees and full retirees were more likely to start volunteering, and full retirees were also more likely to end volunteering than the not-retired over the 10-year observation period. Volunteer organizations are advised to recruit older adults who have time available and social connections with the workforce and to target the newly retired who are likely to increase their volunteer time during the transition process. VL - 45 UR - http://nvs.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/08/26/0899764015602128.abstract IS - 5 U4 - older adult volunteer/paid work/retirement transition/formal volunteering ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Revisiting the pathways to retirement: a latent structure model of the dynamics of transition from work to retirement JF - Ageing and Society Y1 - 2015 A1 - Tang, Fengyan A1 - Jeffrey A Burr KW - Employment and Labor Force KW - Methodology KW - Retirement Planning and Satisfaction AB - A dynamic latent structure model of the work-retirement transition process was identified, focusing on transitions of work and retirement status for men and women aged 51-74 years. Using the Health and Retirement Study data (1998-2004), latent transition analysis was used to identify a best fitting model capturing work-retirement statuses in four samples defined by age and sex. The prevalence of each status was described and the dynamic transition probabilities within the latent structure were examined. Using multinomial logistic regression, socio-demographic, health, family and occupational factors were assessed to determine how each was related to the likelihood of occupying a specific latent status at baseline. Results showed that study respondents were classified into distinct groups: full retiree, partial retiree or part-time worker, full-time worker, work-disabled or home-maker. The prevalence of full retiree status increased, while the prevalence for full-time worker status decreased over time for both men and women. Membership rates in the work-disabled and partial retiree status were generally consistent, with decreased probabilities of the work-disabled status in the older age groups and increased probabilities of partial retirees among younger men. Our findings indicated that many older Americans experience multiple transitions on the pathway to retirement. Future research on late-life labour-force transitions should evaluate the impact of the recent Great Recession and examine the role of larger socio-economic contexts. PB - 35 VL - 35 IS - 8 U4 - Health and Retirement Study/labour-force behaviour/latent transition analysis/retirement transition ER -