Dataset Information

Complex Households and the Distribution of Multiple Resources in Later Life: Findings From a National Survey.

ABSTRACT: The availability of social and financial resources has profound implications for health and well-being in later life. Older adults often share resources with others who live with them, sometimes in households including relatives or friends. We examine differences in social support, social connections, money, and the household environment across types of living arrangements, develop hypotheses from two theoretical perspectives, one focusing on obligations toward kin, and one focused on social exchange within households, and test them using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. We find that availability of resources is not consistently associated with the presence of grandchildren and other young relatives, but often differs with presence of other adults. These findings suggest that a single type of resource tells us little about the distribution of the resources of older adults, and call on us to examine multiple resources simultaneously.

SUBMITTER: Kim J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4890975 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Complex Households and the Distribution of Multiple Resources in Later Life: Findings From a National Survey.

Kim Juyeon J Waite Linda J LJ

Research on aging 20150421 2

The availability of social and financial resources has profound implications for health and well-being in later life. Older adults often share resources with others who live with them, sometimes in households including relatives or friends. We examine differences in social support, social connections, money, and the household environment across types of living arrangements, develop hypotheses from two theoretical perspectives, one focusing on obligations toward kin, and one focused on social exc ...[more]

PMID: 25904682

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Project description:Background This study aimed to examine the association between exposure to the 1976 Great Tangshan Earthquake (GTE) in adolescence and later-life depressive symptoms and to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying this association. Methods Data were from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The 10-item short form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CESD-10) was chosen to measure depressive symptoms. We used the difference-in-difference (DID) method, binary logistic regression models, and multilevel logistic regression models to explore the association of earthquake exposure during adolescence with later-life depressive symptoms. Additionally, multilevel mediation analysis with structural equation modeling (MMSEM) was conducted to investigate potential mechanisms. Results We identified that adolescent exposure to earthquakes was related to a lower risk of depressive symptoms in later life (OR = 0.90, P = 0.019; OR = 0.48, P = 0.031; OR = 0.47, P = 0.034, respectively). However, this significant association was observed only in females (OR = 0.83, P = 0.028; OR = 0.46, P = 0.053; OR = 0.42, P = 0.037, respectively). Moreover, social activity participation played a mediating role in the association between exposure to earthquakes in adolescence and later-life depressive symptoms. Conclusions We observed a lower risk of depressive symptoms in later life in survivors of earthquake exposure during adolescence. Further, we found the mediating role of social participation in the association between earthquake exposure in adolescence and later-life depressive symptoms, which gives support for the posttraumatic growth (PTG) theory. Our findings imply that, in order to lower the risk of depression in later life following exposure to a natural disaster in adolescence, it is necessary to take into account the buffering effect of social participation. Highlights • Earthquake exposure in adolescence was related to lower later-life depression.• However, this significant association was found only in females, not in males.• Social participation mediates earthquake exposure's linkage with later depression.• The mediating role of social participation supports posttraumatic growth theory.

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Dataset Information

Complex Households and the Distribution of Multiple Resources in Later Life: Findings From a National Survey.

Publications

Complex Households and the Distribution of Multiple Resources in Later Life: Findings From a National Survey.

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