Being Single in Late-Life: Single Strain, Moderating Resources, and Distress

Using a sample of 532 nonmarried adults over age 65 residing in the District of Columbia and two adjoining Maryland counties, this study examines "single strain"--the strain of not being married or not living with a partner in late-life. First, I consider how social and economic statuses affect exposure of nonmarried elders to single strain. Second, I study how sociodemographic characteristics and psychosocial resources moderate the effect of single strain on mental health. Results of multiple OLS regression analyses indicate that while social statuses influence elders' exposure to single strain, the differential emotional responsiveness of nonmarried older adults to single strain is largely unaffected by their sociodemographic characteristics. In contrast, mastery and self-esteem are powerful moderating resources: Nonmarried elders with high mastery and self-esteem are less adversely affected by single strain than those with lower levels of intrapsychic resources

Gender and Health Control Beliefs Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Abstract Objective: Internal health locus of control (HLOC) reflects individuals' beliefs that their own behavior influences their health. This study explores the gender difference in internal HLOC among middle-aged and older adults. Method: Using data from two waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS; N = 1,748), I estimate twolevel random-intercept models predicting internal HLOC. Results: Women report higher levels of health control beliefs than men, especially in older cohorts born in the 1920s and 1930s. Adjustment for health, socioeconomic status, generalized control, and masculinity increases this gender gap, whereas adjustment for femininity and religiosity significantly reduces this difference. Women's higher religiosity and more feminine traits, such as warmth, nurturance, and care, partly explain their higher internal HLOC relative to men. Discussion: Because femininity and religiosity are positively associated with other-orientation, interventions to increase communal orientation may enhance beliefs in proactive responsibility for one's health among older adults

Evidence from Sibling Models

*The author thanks Debby Carr, the editor, and the three reviewers for helpful and insightful suggestions. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (P01 AG21079-01). The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) has its principal support from th

Cancer and mastery: Do age and cohort matter?

The prevailing lay and medical views of cancer as an uncontrollable and unpredictable disease raise a question about the effect of cancer on personal mastery. Does cancer undermine individuals' beliefs? Are cancer survivors more likely than persons without cancer to feel that life is beyond their control? Using data from the 1994-1995 and 2004-2006 waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, I compared cancer survivors and individuals without cancer to examine the association between cancer and personal mastery. According to the stress process perspective, cancer may be detrimental to personal mastery, whereas the positive catalyst perspective suggests that cancer can enhance mastery. When changes in personal mastery are placed in the joint context of developmental aging processes and socio-cultural transformations reflected in the experiences of birth cohorts, support is found for both perspectives. In the three oldest cohorts born between 1920s and 1940s, personal mastery declines with age for all participants regardless of their cancer status. Yet, this age-related decline is steeper among cancer survivors than their peers without cancer. In the two youngest cohorts born in the 1950s and 1960s, individuals without cancer have a higher level of personal mastery than cancer survivors, yet cancer survivors exhibit a more pronounced increase in mastery with age than persons without cancer. This study suggests that a life course framework can enhance our understanding of cancer-related changes in personal mastery because the life course perspective integrates a psychological focus on adult development and aging with a sociological focus on socio-historical and cultural contexts.Cancer Mastery Age Cohort USA Life course

Understanding the “Russian Mortality Paradox” in Central Asia: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

In the former Soviet republics of central Asia, ethnic Russians have exhibited higher adult mortality than native ethnic groups (e.g., Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek) in spite of the higher socioeconomic status of ethnic Russians. The mortality disadvantage of ethnic Russians at adult ages appears to have even increased since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The most common explanation for this “Russian mortality paradox,” is that deaths are better reported among ethnic Russians. In this study, we use detailed mortality data from Kyrgyzstan between 1959 and 1999 to evaluate various explanations for the Russian mortality paradox: data artifacts, migration effects, and cultural effects. We find that the most plausible explanation is the cultural hypothesis because the personal behaviors that appear to generate a large part of the observed mortality differences (alcohol consumption, in particular) seem to be closely tied to cultural practices. We examine the implications of this finding for understanding the health crisis in post-Soviet states

Gender and Reinforcing Associations between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Body Mass over the Life Course

Using the 1957-1993 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we explore reciprocal associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and body mass in the 1939 birth cohort of non-Hispanic white men and women. We integrate the fundamental cause theory, the gender relations theory, and the life course perspective to analyze gender differences in (a) the ways that early socioeconomic disadvantage launches bidirectional associations of body mass and SES and (b) the extent to which these mutually reinforcing effects generate socioeconomic disparities in midlife body mass. Using structural equation modeling, we find that socioeconomic disadvantage at age 18 is related to higher body mass index and a greater risk of obesity at age 54, and that this relationship is significantly stronger for women than men. Moreover, women are more adversely affected by two mechanisms underlying the focal association: the obesogenic effect of socioeconomic disadvantage and the SES-impeding effect of obesity. These patterns were also replicated in propensity score-matching models. We conclude that gender and SES act synergistically over the life course to shape reciprocal chains of two disadvantaged statuses: heavier body mass and lower SES