Work-family life courses and psychological distress: Evidence from three British birth cohort studies

This study uses multi-channel sequence analysis to characterize work-family life course types between the ages of 16 and 42, and multivariable logistic regression to examine their association with psychological distress at age 42/43 for men and women in three nationally-representative British birth cohorts born in 1946 (N = 2,858), 1958 (N = 9,140), and 1970 (N = 7,095). We hypothesised that work-family life courses characterized by weaker links to employment and earlier transitions to partnerships and parenthood would be associated with a greater probability of psychological distress at age 42, and that this association would be become more pronounced across cohorts. Levels of psychological distress were higher amongst men and women with weaker long-term ties to employment, although these were largely explained by early life factors. Teen mothers had higher levels of psychological distress in the two later-born cohorts, and this remained unexplained in adjusted models for the 1970 cohort

Relationship between employment histories and frailty trajectories in later life: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

BACKGROUND: Given the acceleration of population ageing and policy changes to extend working lives, evidence is needed on the ability of older adults to work for longer. To understand more about the health impacts of work, this study examined the relationship between employment histories before retirement and trajectories of frailty thereafter. METHODS: The sample comprised 2765 women and 1621 men from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We used gendered typologies of life-time employment and a frailty index (FI). Multilevel growth curve models were used to predict frailty trajectories by employment histories. RESULTS: Women who had a short break for family care, then did part-time work till 59 years had a lower FI after 60 years than those who undertook full-time work until 59 years. Women who were largely family carers or non-employed throughout adulthood, had higher levels of frailty at 60 years but experienced a slower decline with age. Men who worked full-time but early exited at either 49 or 60 years had a higher FI at 65 years than those who worked full-time up to 65 years. Interaction between employment histories and age indicated that men in full-time work who experienced an early exit at 49 tended to report slower declines. CONCLUSIONS: For women, experiencing distinct periods throughout the lifecourse of either work or family care may be advantageous for lessening frailty risk in later life. For men, leaving paid employment before 65 years seems to be beneficial for decelerating increases in frailty thereafter. Continuous full-time work until retirement age conferred no long-term health benefits

Understanding Older Adults Labour Market Trajectories: A Gendered Life Course Perspective

The recent push to keep older adults in the labour force glosses over who is likely to follow what kind of employment trajectory and why. In this paper, we broaden understandings of later-life labour market involvement by applying a comparative gendered life course perspective. Our data come from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Health and Retirement Study (US), two representative panel studies of individuals aged 50-plus. Using a unique modeling strategy, we examine employment biographies for older women and men from four nations with diverse policy regimes (Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the US), along with their links to family experiences and earlier attachment to the labour force. We find that, in every nation, women prevail in groups representing a weak(er) attachment to the labour market and men in groups signifying a strong(er) attachment. However, this pattern is much stronger for Germany and Italy than for Sweden and the US. Similarly, both family experiences and prior employment matter more for later-life labour market involvement in Germany and Italy. Our findings demonstrate that older adults’ employment trajectories are gendered; moreover, there is evidence that they are influenced by policies related not only to paid work but also to caregiving, and by those affecting not only current decisions but also those made earlier in the life course

Global bifurcation of homoclinic trajectories of discrete dynamical systems

We prove the existence of an unbounded connected branch of nontrivial homoclinic trajectories of a family of discrete nonautonomous asymptotically hyperbolic systems parametrized by a circle under assumptions involving the topological properties of the asymptotic stable bundles.Comment: 28 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1111.140

Light drinking in pregnancy, a risk for behavioural problems and cognitive deficits at 3 years of age?

Background The objective of this study was to determine whether there was an association between mothers’ light drinking during pregnancy and risk of behavioural problems, and cognitive deficits in their children at age 3 years. Methods Data from the first two sweeps of the nationally representative prospective UK Millennium Cohort study were used. Drinking patterns during pregnancy and behavioural and cognitive outcomes were assessed during interviews and home visits. Behavioural problems were indicated by scores falling above defined clinically 15 relevant cut-offs on the parent-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Cognitive ability was assessed using the naming vocabulary subscale from the British Ability Scale (BAS) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA). Results There was a J-shaped relationship between mothers drinking 20 during pregnancy and the likelihood of high scores (above the cut-off) on the total difficulties scale of the SDQ and the conduct problems, hyperactivity and emotional symptom SDQ subscales. Children born to light drinkers were less likely to score above the cut-offs compared with children of abstinent mothers. Children 25 born to heavy drinkers were more likely to score above the cut-offs compared with children of abstinent mothers. Boys born to mothers who had up to 1–2 drinks per week or per occasion were less likely to have conduct problems (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45–0.77) and hyperactivity (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54–0.94). These effects remained 30 in fully adjusted models. Girls were less likely to have emotional symptoms (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.51–1.01) and peer problems (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52–0.92) compared with those born to abstainers. These effects were attenuated in fully adjusted models. Boys born to light drinkers had higher cognitive ability test scores [standard 35 deviations, (95% CI)] BAS 0.15 (0.08–0.23) BSRA 0.24 (0.16–0.32) compared with boys born to abstainers. The difference for BAS was attenuated on adjustment for socio-economic factors, whilst the difference for BSRA remained statistically significant. Conclusions Children born to mothers who drank up to 1–2 drinks per week or per occasion during pregnancy were not at increased risk of clinically relevant behavioural difficulties or cognitive deficits compared with children of abstinent mothers. Heavy drinking 5 during pregnancy appears to be associated with behavioural problems and cognitive deficits in offspring at age 3 years whereas light drinking does not

Topology and Homoclinic Trajectories of Discrete Dynamical Systems

We show that nontrivial homoclinic trajectories of a family of discrete, nonautonomous, asymptotically hyperbolic systems parametrized by a circle bifurcate from a stationary solution if the asymptotic stable bundles Es(+{\infty}) and Es(-{\infty}) of the linearization at the stationary branch are twisted in different ways.Comment: 19 pages, canceled the appendix (Properties of the index bundle) in order to avoid any text overlap with arXiv:1005.207

Measurement of the Electric Form Factor of the Neutron at Q^2=0.5 and 1.0 (GeV/c)^2

The electric form factor of the neutron was determined from measurements of the \vec{d}(\vec{e},e' n)p reaction for quasielastic kinematics. Polarized electrons were scattered off a polarized deuterated ammonia target in which the deuteron polarization was perpendicular to the momentum transfer. The scattered electrons were detected in a magnetic spectrometer in coincidence with neutrons in a large solid angle detector. We find G_E^n = 0.0526 +/- 0.0033 (stat) +/- 0.0026 (sys) and 0.0454 +/- 0.0054 +/- 0.0037 at Q^2 = 0.5 and 1.0 (GeV/c)^2, respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, as publishe

Work-family life courses and BMI trajectories in three British birth cohorts.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Combining work and family responsibilities has previously been associated with improved health in mid-life, yet little is known about how these associations change over time (both biographical and historical) and whether this extends to body mass index (BMI) trajectories for British men and women. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between work-family life courses and BMI trajectories across adulthood (16-42 years) for men and women in three British birth cohorts. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Multiply imputed data from three nationally representative British birth cohorts were used-the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD; 1946 birth cohort, n=3012), the National Child Development Study (NCDS; 1958 birth cohort, n=9614) and the British Cohort Study (BCS; 1970 birth cohort, n=8140). A typology of work-family life course types was developed using multi-channel sequence analysis, linking annual information on work, partnerships and parenthood from 16 to 42 years. Work-family life courses were related to BMI trajectories using multi-level growth models. Analyses adjusted for indicators of prior health, birthweight, child BMI, educational attainment and socioeconomic position across the life course, and were stratified by gender and cohort. RESULTS: Work-family life courses characterised by earlier transitions to parenthood and weaker long-term links to employment were associated with greater increases in BMI across adulthood. Some of these differences, particularly for work-family groups, which are becoming increasingly non-normative, became more pronounced across cohorts (for example, increases in BMI between 16 and 42 years in long-term homemaking women: NSHD: 4.35 kg m-2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.44, 5.26; NCDS: 5.53 kg m-2, 95% CI: 5.18, 5.88; BCS: 6.69 kg m-2, 95% CI: 6.36, 7.02). CONCLUSIONS: Becoming a parent earlier and weaker long-term ties to employment are associated with greater increases in BMI across adulthood in British men and women.Rebecca Lacey, Anne McMunn, Amanda Sacker and Meena Kumari received funding from the European Research Council (grant number: ERC-2011-StG_20101124, PI: Anne McMunn). Steven Bell also received funding from the European Research Council (grant number: ERCStG-2012-309337_Alcohol-Lifecourse, PI: Annie Britton) and UK Medical Research Council/Alcohol Research UK (MR/M006638/1). Amanda Sacker, Anne McMunn and Meena Kumari additionally received support from the Economic and Social Research Council’s International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health (grant number: ES/J019119/1). DK is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12019/1). The MRC National Survey of Health and Development is funded by the UK Medical Research Council. Peggy McDonough and Diana Worts were supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant MOP 119526 and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant 43512-1267

Gender differences in the associations between age trends of social media interaction and well-being among 10-15 year olds in the UK

Background Adolescents are among the highest consumers of social media while research has shown that their well-being decreases with age. The temporal relationship between social media interaction and well-being is not well established. The aim of this study was to examine whether the changes in social media interaction and two well-being measures are related across ages using parallel growth models. Methods Data come from five waves of the youth questionnaire, 10-15 years, of the Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (pooled n =9859). Social media interaction was assessed through daily frequency of chatting on social websites. Well-being was measured by happiness with six domains of life and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results Findings suggest gender differences in the relationship between interacting on social media and well-being. There were significant correlations between interacting on social media and well-being intercepts and between social media interaction and well-being slopes among females. Additionally higher social media interaction at age 10 was associated with declines in well-being thereafter for females, but not for males. Results were similar for both measures of well-being. Conclusions High levels of social media interaction in early adolescence have implications for well-being in later adolescence, particularly for females. The lack of an association among males suggests other factors might be associated with their reduction in well-being with age. These findings contribute to the debate on causality and may inform future policy and interventions

Repeated exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage and health selection as life course pathways to mid-life depressive and anxiety disorders

The biomedical examination was funded by Medical Research Council [G0000934], awarded under the Health of the Public initiative. Charlotte Clark is supported by an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Fellowship. Bryan Rodgers is supported by Research Fellowships Nos 148948 and 366758 and by Program Grant No. 179805 from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Research at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust benefits from R&D funding received from the NHS Executive