The risks of experiencing severe loneliness across middle and late adulthood

From a theoretical point of view, older adults may not necessarily face a greater of risk becoming lonely than middle-aged adults but are more likely at disadvantage at fighting loneliness. Therefore, in this study we differentiate between the risk of becoming lonely and the risk of remaining lonely. A large longitudinal data set representative for the German non-institutionalized population from 40 to 90 years of age (N = 15,408; 49% female) was used in the analysis. Lagged logistic regression models were estimated to investigate the effect of earlier experiences of severe loneliness on the risk of being lonely after three years across middle age and late adulthood. Individual differences in health, views on aging, and social activities were taken into account to explore their role in age differences in the risk of remaining lonely. The analysis revealed marginal age differences in the risk of becoming lonely but a marked age gradient regarding the risk of remaining lonely. Lonely older adults who were older than 75 years of age were more likely to remain lonely after three years than lonely middle-aged adults. Controlling for individual differences in health, views on aging as social loss and social activities accounted for this age difference.Interventions against loneliness may prioritize older age groups because losses in capacities, shifts in motivations and a degraded opportunity structure render it increasingly less likely that older adults leave a state of loneliness on their own accord

Lonely and excluded: A downward spiral? An investigation in Germany before the COVID-19 Pandemic

Loneliness and the feeling of being excluded from society both arise from the unsatisfied need to belong, and these negative experiences tend to reinforce each other over time, the authors note. The longer people feel lonely, the less they perceive themselves as valued members of society

Loneliness increased significantly among people in middle and older adulthood during the Covid-19 Pandemic

After March 2020, Corona virus containment measures significantly impaired the social relationships of many people. Against this background, this chapter examines how the perception of loneliness of people aged 46 to 90 changed during the first lockdown. The results are compared with those of 2014 and 2017

Digitalization in occupations and self-perceptions of aging of older workers

Digitalization alters working processes, contents, and skill demands for workers. Common age stereotypes attribute lower digital competences and abilities to adapt to technological changes to older workers. Thus far, it is unclear how workers' self-perceptions of aging (SPA) are affected by the emergence of digital skill demands at work. Therefore, this study investigates if and how digital skill demands in occupations are associated with the level of and changes in older workers' SPA. To shed light on this question, data from the German Ageing Survey (2014 and 2017) is used. In latent change score models, the level and change of workers' SPA in the domains of physical and social losses, ongoing development, and self-knowledge are investigated. Level and change of digitalization in workers’ occupations are used as predictors of change and are based on digital skill demands in occupations that are determined via job ads data. Interindividual differences in the baseline levels and interindividual differences in changes in all domains of SPA are found. When controlling for digitalization in occupations, sociodemographic and job-related characteristics, higher digitalization levels (DLs) in occupations are associated with improvements in SPA in the domains of ongoing development and self-knowledge. No significant associations with older workers' SPA are found for changes in the DL. Our results suggest that compassionate ageism that intends to protect older workers from digital demands is inappropriate, since indications of empowering effects in some domains of SPA have been found

Pathways to retirement: Are they related to patterns of short- and long-term subjective well-being?

We examine the association between pathways to retirement and patterns of subjective well-being in Germany. We argue that short-term development of subjective well-being is related to social status changes while long-term development of subjective well-being is related to resources and changes in life circumstances. Importantly, we expect that how a person's social status changes and his/her access to resources post-retirement both depend on the person's specific pathway to retirement, resulting in distinct patterns of subjective well-being post-retirement. Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we categorized people as retiring from employment, short- or long-term unemployment, labour market inactivity or due to disability. We then used dual-change score models to compare trajectories of life satisfaction ten years before to ten years after the retirement transition. For people retiring from employment, life satisfaction did not change in the short term but developed more positively in the long term. In comparison, people retiring from unemployment or due to disability experienced a short-term increase in life satisfaction but had more negative long-term trajectories of life satisfaction. We found no retirement-related changes in life satisfaction for people retiring from inactivity. The findings suggest that different pathways to retirement are related to distinct patterns of subjective well-being and highlight the importance of late-life employment biographies for quality of life post-retirement

Partnership quality in the Covid-19 pandemic: People in the second half of life are adaptable in their couple relationships

This report investigates the role of the corona pandemic for the quality of partnerships of people in the second half of life. The present findings on partnership quality refer to people who participated in the DEAS surveys in 2017, summer 2020 and winter 2020/21. To examine the course of partnership quality, only people who did not separate from their partner between 2017 and the winter of 2020/21 are considered. Main questions adressed are: 1. What changes in perceived partnership quality were seen for people in the second half of life during the Covid-19 pandemic? 2. How do changes in perceived partnership quality differ between certain population groups (age groups, gender and education groups)? Key messages: The Covid-19 pandemic was accompanied by a temporary deterioration in the perceived partnership quality of people in the second half of life. By winter 2020/21, the situation for couples had improved again. The perceived partnership quality of people aged between 42 and 59 years deteriorated more during the first pandemic phase than the partnership quality of people aged 60 years or older. The Covid-19 pandemic widened gender gaps in perceived partnership quality to the disadvantage of women. People from different educational groups reported comparable changes in perceived partnership quality during the Covid-19 pandemic

Nähe auf Distanz: bleiben die Beziehungen zwischen älteren Eltern und ihren erwachsenen Kindern trotz wachsender Wohnentfernungen gut?

Die Wohnentfernung zwischen Eltern und ihren erwachsenen Kindern vergrößert sich im sozialen Wandel stetig. Insbesondere hochgebildete Eltern haben weiter entfernt wohnende erwachsene Kinder. Gefühle wie Wut und Ärger sind in den Beziehungen zwischen Eltern und ihren erwachsenen Kindern selten. Personen im mittleren Alter haben 2014 seltener Kinder, aber häufiger noch lebende Eltern als 1996. Die Kontakthäufigkeit und die Beziehungsende zwischen Eltern und ihren erwachsenen Kindern bleiben stabil hoch

Grandchild care during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Before vaccinations against the Corona virus were widely available for at-risk groups, older people were a particular focus of infection protection. Due to the higher risk of severe disease, contact between grandchildren and grandparents was discouraged. At the same time, families required extra support due to closed schools and day-care centres. This chapter examines how the proportion of grandparents caring for their grandchildren - and the amount of time spent caring for them - changed during the pandemic