%0 Journal Article %J Sage Journals %D 2020 %T Living Alone in the United States and Europe: The Impact of Public Support on the Independence of Older Adults %A Mudrazija, Stipica %A Jacqueline L. Angel %A Cipin, Ivan %A Smolic, Sime %K Income and wealth %K Living Alone %K Public Policy %X While we know that living alone is often associated with greater risk of financial hardship, we have limited knowledge on the possible link between the availability of public support and independent living. We use data from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study and the 2011–2015 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe to compare income and wealth profiles of the population aged 60 and above who are living alone in the United States and 19 European countries. We find that the likelihood of living alone is higher in generous welfare states, with social support and spending both positively associated with living alone. The relationship between personal resources and living alone has a smaller positive gradient in countries with robust welfare systems. The lack of adequate public support in less generous welfare states may constrain the ability of many low-income older adults without a partner to continue living independently. %B Sage Journals %V 42 %P 150-162 %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0164027520907332?journalCode=roaa %N 5-6 %R https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027520907332 %0 Journal Article %J J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci %D 2019 %T Childhood Misfortune and Handgrip Strength Among Black, White, and Hispanic Americans. %A Natalie R Smith %A Kenneth F Ferraro %A Blakelee R Kemp %A Patricia M Morton %A Sarah A Mustillo %A Jacqueline L. Angel %K Adult %K Adult Survivors of Child Abuse %K African Americans %K Aged %K European Continental Ancestry Group %K Female %K Hand Strength %K Health Status %K Hispanic Americans %K Humans %K Male %K Risk Factors %K Sex Factors %X

OBJECTIVE: Although early-life insults may affect health, few studies use objective physical measures of adult health. This study investigated whether experiencing misfortune during childhood is associated with handgrip strength (HGS) in later life.

METHOD: Data on childhood misfortune and adult characteristics from the Health and Retirement Study were used to predict baseline and longitudinal change in HGS among White, Black, and Hispanic American men and women.

RESULTS: Regression analyses revealed that multiple indicators of childhood misfortune were related to HGS at baseline, but the relationships were distinct for men and women. Over the study, having one childhood impairment predicted steeper declines in HGS for men, but childhood misfortune was unrelated to HGS change among women. Hispanic Americans had lower baseline HGS than their non-Hispanic counterparts and manifested steeper declines in HGS.

DISCUSSION: The relationship between childhood exposures and adult HGS varied by the type of misfortune, but there was no evidence that the relationship varied by race/ethnicity. The significant and enduring Hispanic disadvantage in HGS warrants greater attention in gerontology.

%B J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci %V 74 %P 526-535 %8 2019 02 15 %G eng %U http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbw147https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/2645640/Childhood-Misfortune-and-Handgrip-Strength-Among %N 3 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27927743?dopt=Abstract %! GERONB %R 10.1093/geronb/gbw147 %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences %D 2001 %T Duration or Disadvantage? Exploring Nativity, Ethnicity and Health in Midlife %A Jacqueline L. Angel %A Cynthia J. Buckley %A Sakamoto, Arthur %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives This study examined nativity as a risk factor for poor physical and emotional health for an ethnically diverse population making the transition into retirement. The authors addressed whether the health disadvantage observed for immigrants lessens with increased time spent in the country (supporting theories of assimilation) or increases with duration of residence (supporting theories of cumulative disadvantage). Methods The sample was drawn from Waves 1 and 2 of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), an in-depth economic, social, and health database of persons in midlife and beyond. The analyses were restricted to 9,912 native-born and 1,031 foreign-born individuals. Results The data revealed that after socioeconomic factors were controlled, foreign-born individuals were at higher risk of poor emotional health than their native-born counterparts. Although aging immigrants displayed worse health than the native-born population, this disadvantage was mediated by duration of residence (young age at migration) and socioeconomic incorporation. Discussion These findings extend our understanding of nativity and duration as risk factors for poor physical and emotional health. Immigrants may overcome the nativity disadvantages found for emotional distress with increased duration of residence, but the pattern becomes more complicated with the inclusion of race and Hispanic ethnicity. %B The Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences %I 56B %V 56B %P S275-285 %G eng %U http://psychsoc.gerontologyjournals.org/ %N 5 %L pubs_2001_Angel_JJGSeriesB.pdf %4 Basic Demographics/Health Status/Duration of Residence/Assimilation/Economic Status %$ 8228