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Objectives This paper models cognitive aging, across mid and late life, and estimates birth cohort and sex differences in both initial levels and aging trajectories over time in a sample with multiple cohorts and a wide span of ages. Methods The data used in this study came from the first 9 waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, spanning 2002–2019. There were n = 76,014 observations (proportion male 45%). Dependent measures were verbal fluency, immediate recall, delayed recall, and orientation. Data were modeled using a Bayesian logistic growth curve model. Results Cognitive aging was substantial in 3 of the 4 variables examined. For verbal fluency and immediate recall, males and females could expect to lose about 30% of their initial ability between the ages of 52 and 89. Delayed recall showed a steeper decline, with males losing 40% and females losing 50% of their delayed recall ability between ages 52 and 89 (although females had a higher initial level of delayed recall). Orientation alone was not particularly affected by aging, with less than a 10% change for either males or females. Furthermore, we found cohort effects for initial ability level, with particularly steep increases for cohorts born between approximately 1930 and 1950. Discussion These cohort effects generally favored later-born cohorts. Implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Little is known about the length of working life, even though it is a key indicator for policy-makers. In this paper, we study how the length of working life at age 50 has developed in the United States from a cohort perspective. Methods We use a large longitudinal sample of U.S. Social Security register data that covers close to 1.7 million individuals of the cohorts born from 1920 to 1965. For all of these cohorts, we study the employment trajectories and working life expectancy (WLE) at age 50 by gender and nativity (native-born/foreign-born). For the cohorts with employment trajectories that are only incompletely observed, we borrow information from older cohorts to predict their WLE. Results The length of working life has been increasing for the native-born males and females, and the younger cohorts worked longer than the older cohorts. However, WLE might soon peak, and then stall. The gap in WLE between the native-born and the foreign-born has increased over time, although latter group might be able to catch up in the coming years. Discussion Our findings show that studying employment from a cohort perspective reveals crucial information about patterns of working life. The future development of the length of working life should be a major concern for policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Spousal caregiving can have strong implications for health and wellbeing given the strain and burden associated with the role. Maintaining activity engagement is important for late-life health and wellbeing, and may be a possible contributing mechanism to caregiver health and wellbeing. This paper examined longitudinal changes in activity engagement and asks how spousal caregiving status and caregiver age related to longitudinal activity engagement in a sample of older adults. Method Data from four waves of the Health and Retirement study were used to model associations between periods of being a spousal caregiver, age, and engagement in physical, social, self-care, passive, and novel information processing activities over a 6-year period. Results Caregiving status was associated with declines in physical activity engagement over time. Older age was associated with fewer physical and more self-care and passive activities. Discussion Caregivers' declines in participation in physical activities may be an important indicator for preservation of health and management of caregiving stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Numerous studies reported an age-related deficit in verbal working memory (WM). Beyond the well-established general factors of cognitive aging, the alteration of the specific WM maintenance mechanisms may account for this deficit. This paper aims to investigate the hypothesis that WM attentional maintenance is impaired with age. Method In a WM task adapted to individual short-term memory and processing speed, younger and older participants maintained letters while verbally responding to a concurrent processing task, in order to constrain the use of rehearsal. Critically, the opportunity to use attentional maintenance was manipulated by varying the cognitive load (CL) of the concurrent processing via its nature and pace. Results Younger participants outperformed older participants and, in both groups, recall performance decreased as the CL increased. Importantly, in line with our predictions, the CL effect was modulated by age. Older adults benefited less from free pauses that allowed participants to engage in attentional maintenance of WM traces. Discussion Although still effective in normal aging, WM attentional maintenance seems to be altered. It could therefore be a good candidate to account for WM age-related deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The goals of this paper were: (a) to promote research using the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) Wave 2 data by providing relevant background information for a broad range of chronic conditions and (b) to provide a framework for combining these chronic conditions into informative comorbidity indices. Method. The chronic conditions measured in NSHAP Wave 2 were grouped across several health domains: cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic, cancer, lung, inflammatory and bone, neurological, and sensorimotor. Prevalences for each condition were reported as percentages and were also estimated separately by age group and gender. Additionally, 2 comorbidity indices were created: a Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) that included conditions associated with mortality risk and the NSHAP Comorbidity Index (NCI) that included conditions from the Modified CCI as well as additional conditions related to overall health and function. Results. Hypertension, incontinence, arthritis, heart conditions, cancer, and diabetes were the most prevalent conditions. In general, prevalences of most chronic conditions increased with age. Additionally, there were several notable gender differences in chronic condition prevalence. Due to the inclusion of highly prevalent conditions, such as hypertension and incontinence, the mean comorbidity index score of the NCI was higher than that of the Modified CCI. Discussion. Wave 2 of NSHAP included a variety of measures assessing the chronic conditions that are the most prevalent in older adults. These data are a valuable resource for the study of the impact of chronic conditions on overall health and aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives A meta-analytic review was conducted to assess the effects of healthy aging, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) on naturalistic autobiographical memory using the Autobiographical Interview, a widely used, standardized assessment that derives measures of internal (episodic) and external (nonepisodic) details from freely recalled autobiographical narratives. Methods A comprehensive literature search identified 21 aging, 6 MCI, and 7 AD studies (total N = 1,556 participants). Summary statistics for internal and external details for each comparison (younger vs older or MCI/AD vs age-matched comparison groups) and effect size statistics were extracted and summarized using Hedges' g (random effects model) and adjusted for the presence of publication bias. Results The pattern of reduced internal and elevated external details in aging was robust and consistent across nearly all 21 studies. MCI and—to a greater extent—AD were associated with reduced internal details, whereas the external detail elevation faded with MCI and AD. Although there was evidence of publication bias on reporting of internal detail effects, these effects remained robust after correction. Discussion The canonical changes to episodic memory observed in aging and neurodegenerative disease are mirrored in the free recall of real-life events. Our findings indicate that the onset of neuropathology overwhelms the capacity of older adults to draw upon distributed neural systems to elaborate on past experiences, including both episodic details specific to identified events and nonepisodic content characteristic of healthy older adults' autobiographical narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives According to a widely cited assertion, older adults are less likely than younger individuals to express pain complaints. Age-related differences in pain responses have been discussed in the literature despite a paucity of research involving direct comparisons of younger and older adults' pain reactions (i.e. verbal, nonverbal) in the context of a single experimental investigation. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that older adults are more stoic than younger adults in their expression of pain. Methods We measured trait stoicism as well as multiple responses to thermal pain. Results In contrast to suggestions in the literature, equivalence testing indicated that older and younger adults displayed similar verbal and nonverbal pain responses. Our results suggest that older adults are no more stoic about their pain than are younger persons. Discussion This is the first attempt to explore a wide array of age differences in pain expression within the context of a single experimental study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Contemporary immigration scholarship has typically treated immigrants with diverse racial backgrounds as a monolithic population. Knowledge gaps remain in understanding how racial and nativity inequities in mental health care intersect and unfold in midlife and old age. This study aims to examine the joint impact of race, migration, and old age in shaping mental health treatment. Methods Pooled data were obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2015–2018) and restricted to respondents (aged ≥45 years) with mood or anxiety disorders (n = 9,099). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate associations between race–migration nexus and past-year mental health consultations (MHC). Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was applied to identify intersecting determinants of MHC. Results Compared to Canadian-born Whites, racialized immigrants had greater mental health needs: poor/fair self-rated mental health (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23, 99% confidence interval [CI]: 1.67–2.99), perceived life stressful (OR = 1.49, 99% CI: 1.14–1.95), psychiatric comorbidity (OR = 1.42, 99% CI: 1.06–1.89), and unmet needs for care (OR = 2.02, 99% CI: 1.36–3.02); in sharp contrast, they were less likely to access mental health services across most indicators: overall past-year MHC (OR = 0.54, 99% CI: 0.41–0.71) and consultations with family doctors (OR = 0.67, 99% CI: 0.50–0.89), psychologists (OR = 0.54, 99% CI: 0.33–0.87), and social workers (OR = 0.37, 99% CI: 0.21–0.65), with the exception of psychiatrist visits (p =.324). The CART algorithm identifies three groups at risk of MHC service underuse: racialized immigrants aged ≥55 years, immigrants without high school diplomas, and linguistic minorities who were home renters. Discussion To safeguard health care equity for medically underserved communities in Canada, multisectoral efforts need to guarantee culturally responsive mental health care, multilingual services, and affordable housing for racialized immigrant older adults with mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examined short- and long-term psychological adjustment to parental bereavement in later life for mothers and fathers. Methods Using 9 waves of data from the United States (1998–2014 Health and Retirement Study), I estimated trajectories of mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms surrounding child death in later life, highlighting gender differences in adjustment. Moderation analyses were performed to uncover heterogeneous trajectories across parental characteristics. Results Mothers were more likely to experience child death and reported higher depressive symptoms prior to parental bereavement than fathers. Mothers and fathers who lost a child reported an increase in depressive symptoms that diminished over time. The short-term elevation in depressive symptoms was marginally greater for mothers than fathers, but depressive symptoms declined at a faster rate for mothers than fathers in the years following the death. These counterbalancing changes resulted in mothers and fathers returning to their respective prebereavement levels of depressive symptoms between 2 and 4 years postbereavement. Parental age moderated trajectories distinctly by gender, and the presence of surviving children buffered the impact of child death on depressive symptoms for mothers but not fathers. Discussion Mothers more often experience child death in later life and their adjustment process differs from that of fathers, underscoring the salience of gender in shaping how older parents respond to the death of a child. Older parents and mothers without surviving children are vulnerable to prolonged elevations in depressive symptoms following the death of a child in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We test whether higher awareness of age-related gains (AARC-gains), lower awareness of age-related losses (AARC-losses), and more positive attitudes toward own aging (ATOA) are cross-sectionally related to more frequent social media use. We also investigate the strength and direction of the associations of AARC-gains, AARC-losses, and ATOA with social media use over 1 year, from before to after the onset of the coronavirus 2019 pandemic. Methods We used cross-sectional data from 8,320 individuals (mean age = 65.95 years; standard deviation = 7.01) and longitudinal data from a subsample of 4,454 individuals participating in the UK PROTECT study in 2019 and 2020. We used ordered regression models, linear regression models, and tests of interaction. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, and employment. Results Higher AARC-gains and more positive ATOA, but not AARC-losses, were cross-sectionally associated with more frequent social media use. Social media use became more frequent at follow-up. In the longitudinal models controlling for baseline levels of the outcome variable, more frequent baseline social media use predicted increases in AARC-gains, whereas baseline AARC-gains did not significantly predict the frequency of social media use at follow-up. Baseline frequency of social media use did not significantly predict AARC-losses, nor ATOA at follow-up, whereas lower levels of AARC-losses and more positive ATOA predicted more frequent social media use at follow-up. Discussion Although effect sizes were small, decreasing negative views on aging may help increase the engagement of middle-aged and older people with social media. At the same time, fostering social media use could promote positive self-perceptions of aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Individuals with more education are at lower risk of developing multiple, different age-related diseases than their less-educated peers. A reason for this might be that individuals with more education age slower. There are 2 complications in testing this hypothesis. First, there exists no definitive measure of biological aging. Second, shared genetic factors contribute toward both lower educational attainment and the development of age-related diseases. Here, we tested whether the protective effect of educational attainment was associated with the pace of aging after accounting for genetic factors. Methods We examined data from 5 studies together totaling almost 17,000 individuals with European ancestry born in different countries during different historical periods, ranging in age from 16 to 98 years old. To assess the pace of aging, we used DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation algorithm that reflects an individual's rate of aging and predicts age-related decline and Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. To assess genetic factors related to education, we created a polygenic score based on the results of a genome-wide association study of educational attainment. Results Across the 5 studies, and across the life span, higher educational attainment was associated with a slower pace of aging even after accounting for genetic factors (meta-analysis effect size = −0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.30 to −0.10; p =.006). Further, this effect persisted after taking into account tobacco smoking (meta-analysis effect size = −0.13; 95% CI: −0.21 to −0.05; p =.01). Discussion These results indicate that higher levels of education have positive effects on the pace of aging, and that the benefits can be realized irrespective of individuals' genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Age-related cognitive changes can be influenced by both brain maintenance (BM), which refers to the relative absence over time of changes in neural resources or neuropathologic changes, and cognitive reserve (CR), which encompasses brain processes that allow for better-than-expected behavioral performance given the degree of life-course-related brain changes. This study evaluated the effects of age, BM, and CR on longitudinal changes over 2 visits, 5 years apart, in 3 cognitive abilities that capture most of age-related variability. Methods Participants included 254 healthy adults aged 20–80 years at recruitment. Potential BM was estimated using whole-brain cortical thickness and white matter mean diffusivity at both visits. Education and intelligence quotient (IQ; estimated with American National Adult Reading Test) were tested as moderating factors for cognitive changes in the 3 cognitive abilities. Results Consistent with BM—after accounting for age, sex, and baseline performance—individual differences in the preservation of mean diffusivity and cortical thickness were independently associated with relative preservation in the 3 abilities. Consistent with CR—after accounting for age, sex, baseline performance, and structural brain changes—higher IQ, but not education, was associated with reduced 5-year decline in reasoning (β = 0.387, p =.002), and education was associated with reduced decline in speed (β = 0.237, p =.039). Discussion These results demonstrate that both CR and BM can moderate cognitive changes in healthy aging and that the 2 mechanisms can make differential contributions to preserved cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We present a dynamic view of gender patterns in informal caregiving across Europe in a context of sociodemographic transformations. We aim to answer the following research questions: (a) has the gender gap in informal caregiving changed; (b) if so, is this due to changes among women and/or men; and (c) has the gender care gap changed differently across care regimes? Methods Multilevel growth curve models are applied to gendered trajectories of informal caregiving of a panel sample of 50+ Europeans, grouped into 5-year cohorts and followed across 5 waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe survey, stratified by sex and adjusted for several covariates. Results For men in cohorts born more recently, there is a decrease in the prevalence of informal care outside the household, whereas cohort trajectories for women are mostly stable. Prevalence of care inside the household has increased for later-born cohorts for all without discernible changes to the gender care gap. Gender care gaps overall widened among later-born cohorts in the Continental cluster, whereas they remained constant in Southern Europe, and narrowed in the Nordic cluster. Discussion We discuss the cohort effects found in the context of gender differences in employment and care around retirement age, as well as possible demographic explanations for these. The shift from care outside to inside the household, where it mostly consists of spousal care, may require different policies to support carers, whose age profile and possible care burden seem to be increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Spousal caregivers of older adults, especially new spousal caregivers, face increased risks of negative health outcomes due to the demands of caregiving and their own health decline. Estimating the impacts of caregiving on health without controlling for caregivers' own aging-related health decline could exaggerate the negative health consequences of caregiving, while focusing solely on caregivers could result in selection bias where healthier individuals enter and/or remain in caregiving. This study aims to estimate the impacts of caregiving on health of new spousal caregivers while controlling for observable confounders. Methods We utilized coarsened exact matching analysis to compare health outcomes between new spousal caregivers and spousal noncaregivers using pooled panel data from 2006 to 2018 in the Health and Retirement Study. We analyzed 242,123 person-wave observations from 42,180 unique individuals, among whom 3,927 were new spousal caregivers. Variables used for matching were classified into 3 categories: care needs, willingness to provide care, and ability to provide care. Two-year outcomes assessed are spouse's self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning. Results A total of 3,417 (87.01%) new spousal caregivers were matched with 129,798 observations of spousal noncaregivers. Regression analysis indicated being a new spousal caregiver was associated with a 0.18- (standard error = 0.05) unit increase in number of depressive symptoms. No statistically significant results were identified for self-rated health and cognitive functioning. Discussion Our results highlighted the needs to address mental health among new spousal caregivers and emphasized the importance of addressing mental health in long-term care programs and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The goal of this preregistered study was to synthesize empirical findings on age differences in motivated cognition using a meta-analytic approach, with a focus on the domains of cognitive control and episodic memory. Methods A systematic search of articles published before July 2022 yielded 27 studies of cognitive control (N = 1,908) and 73 studies of memory (N = 5,837). Studies had to include healthy younger and older adults, a within-subjects or between-subjects comparison of motivation (high vs low), and a measure of cognitive control or memory. The Age × Motivation effect size was meta-analyzed using random-effects models, and moderators were examined using meta-regressions and subgroup analyses. Results Overall, the Age × Motivation interaction was not significant in either cognitive domain, but the effect sizes in both domains were significantly heterogeneous, indicating a possible role of moderating factors in accounting for effect size differences. Moderator analyses revealed significant moderation by incentive type for episodic memory, but not for cognitive control. Older adults' memory was more sensitive to socioemotional rewards, whereas younger adults' memory was more sensitive to financial gains. Discussion Findings are discussed with reference to the dopamine hypothesis of cognitive aging and to life-span theories of motivational orientation. None of these theories is fully supported by the meta-analysis findings, highlighting the need for an integration of neurobiological, cognitive process, and life-span-motivational perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Several theories predict changes in individuals' economic preferences across the life span. To test these theories and provide a historical overview of this literature, we conducted meta-analyses on age differences in risk, time, social, and effort preferences as assessed by behavioral measures. Methods We conducted separate meta-analyses and cumulative meta-analyses on the association between age and risk, time, social, and effort preferences. We also conducted analyses of historical trends in sample sizes and citation patterns for each economic preference. Results The meta-analyses identified overall no significant effects of age for risk (r  = −0.02, 95% CI [−0.06, 0.02], n  = 39,832) and effort preferences (r  = 0.24, 95% CI [−0.05, 0.52], n  = 571), but significant effects of age for time (r  = −0.04, 95% CI [−0.07, −0.01], n  = 115,496) and social preferences (r  = 0.11, 95% CI [0.01, 0.21], n  = 2,997), suggesting increased patience and altruism with age, respectively. Equivalence tests, which compare these effects to practically important ones (i.e. r  = |0.1|), however, suggest that all effects are of trivial significance. The analyses of temporal trends suggest that the magnitude of effects and sample sizes have not changed significantly over time, nor do they dramatically affect the extent that articles are cited. Discussion Overall, our results contrast with theories of aging that propose general age effects for risk and effort preferences, yet provide some but tenuous support for those suggesting age-related changes in time and social preferences. We discuss implications for theory development as well as future empirical work on economic preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examines how age and cognitive ability predict use of different emotion regulation strategies in a laboratory task eliciting emotions varying in valence and arousal. Methods Participants (N = 287) aged 25–85 completed the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery and an emotion regulation task in a laboratory setting. They watched a series of emotional clips (disgust, sadness, amusement, and contentment) under instructions to increase positive emotions or decrease negative emotions. After each clip, they rated the extent to which they used emotion regulation strategies that involve different types of engagement with emotional stimuli and disengagement from emotional stimuli. Results Older age was predictive of greater use of immersive-engagement strategies (e.g. perspective taking) and less use of disengagement strategies (e.g. distraction). Fluid cognitive ability was positively associated with immersive-engagement strategy use, particularly for high-arousal clips. For older adults, fluid cognitive ability was also associated with using positive-engagement strategies (e.g. positive reappraisal) to a greater extent to regulate negative emotions. Discussion Patterns of emotion regulation strategy use varied by age, even when accounting for differences in reactivity. Findings suggest that older adults may not necessarily prefer strategies that are lower in cognitive demands or that focus on enhancing positivity. Results support the idea that strategy preferences are driven by a combination of characteristics of the regulator and the regulation context. The relevance of cognitive resources likely varies across situations, perhaps being most consequential for deeper processing of high-arousal stimuli and for older adults' engagement with positive aspects of an otherwise negative situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study aims to examine age differences in the intensity of chronic pain among middle-aged and older adults, where intensity is measured on a scale differentiating between chronic pain that is often troubling and likely requires intervention versus more endurable sensations. We aim to explore whether individual health and national gross domestic product (GDP) explain these differences as well. Methods Cross-nationally harmonized data from 20 countries on self-reported intensity of chronic pain (0 = no, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe) in 104,826 individuals aged 50+ observed in 2012–2013. Two-level hierarchical ordinal linear models with individuals nested within countries were used to isolate estimations from heterogeneity explained by methodological differences across single-country studies. Results Overall, mean participant age was 66.9 (SD = 9.9), 56.1% were women, and 41.9% of respondents reported any chronic pain. Chronic pain intensity rose sharply with age in some countries (e.g. Korea and Slovenia), but this association waned or reversed in other countries (e.g. the United States and Denmark). Cross-country variation and age differences in chronic pain were partly explained (85.5% and 35.8%, respectively) by individual-level health (especially arthritis), country-level wealth (as indicated by GDP per capita), and demographics. Discussion Chronic pain intensity is not an inevitable consequence of chronological age, but the consequence of potential selection effects and lower activity levels combined with individual-level health and country-level wealth. Our findings suggest further investigation of health conditions and country affluence settings as potential targets of medical and policy interventions aiming to prevent, reduce, or manage chronic pain among older patients and aging populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Older inmates are the fastest growing segment of the prison population; however, the reasons for this are not well understood. One explanation is that the general population is aging, driving prison age distributions to change. For this article, we study the role of population aging in prison growth by investigating how the baby boom phenomenon of post-World War II has contributed to the growth of older inmate populations. Method: We identify the impact of population aging using simulation methods that explain prison growth as the combination of criminal justice processes. Results: Overall, we find evidence that population aging has played a significant role in explaining the growth of older inmate populations, in particular among inmates aged between 50 and 64 years, contributing to as much as half of the observed increase in these groups since 2000. Discussion: This finding stands in contrast to the notion that population aging has little explanatory power in describing the growth of prison populations and implies that older inmate groups are more sensitive to compositional changes in the general population. We argue that prediction-based modeling of prison growth should more seriously consider the impacts and consequences of demographic shifts among older prisoner populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Life experiences that are complex, sustained, and intense, such as active participation in music and speaking multiple languages, have been suggested to contribute to maintaining or improving cognitive performance and mental health. The current study focuses on whether lifetime musical and multilingual experiences differentially relate to cognition and well-being in older adults, and tests whether there is a cumulative effect of both experiences. Methods A total of 11,335 older adults from the population-based Lifelines Cohort Study completed a musical and multilingual background and experience questionnaire. Latent class analysis was used to categorize individuals into subgroups according to their various musical and multilingual experiences resulting in a (1) nonmusical, low-multilingual group; (2) nonmusical, high-multilingual group; (3) musical, low-multilingual group; and (4) musical high-multilingual group. To determine whether the groups differed in terms of cognition or emotional affect, differences in Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule scores were investigated by means of multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results Having high-multilingual, and not musical, experience was related to better RFFT performance compared to no experience, but not to more positive affect. Having both musical and high-multilingual experiences is related to better RFFT performance and more positive affect in advanced age compared to having only one experience or none. Importantly, these results were found independently of age, level of education, and socioeconomic status. Discussion Musical and multilingual experiences are related to healthy aging, especially when combined, which supports the suggestion that a broader spectrum of lifetime experiences relates to cognitive reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives How does risk preference change across the life span? We address this question by conducting a coordinated analysis to obtain the first meta-analytic estimates of adult longitudinal age differences in risk-taking propensity in different domains. Methods We report results from 26 longitudinal samples (12 panels; 187,733 unique respondents; 19 countries) covering general and domain-specific risk-taking propensity (financial, driving, recreational, occupational, health) across 3 or more waves. Results Results revealed a negative relation between age and both general and domain-specific risk-taking propensity. Furthermore, females consistently reported lower levels of risk taking across the life span than males in all domains, but there is little support for the idea of an age by gender interaction. Although we found evidence of systematic and universal age differences, we also detected considerable heterogeneity across domains and samples. Discussion Our work suggests a need to understand the nature of heterogeneity of age differences in risk-taking propensity and recommends the use of domain-specific and population estimates for applications interested in modeling heterogeneity in risk preference for economic and policy-making purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Age-related memory decrements correlate with metacognitive declines, including knowledge and deployment of effective mnemonic encoding strategies. However, whether imparting such strategy suffices for mitigating memory differences is unclear. Method In a longitudinal study of 276 healthy adults aged 18–79 years, we tested associative and working memory, and assessed beliefs regarding mnemonic strategies. Testing was repeated every 2 years, 5 times. Starting with the third occasion, we instructed participants to use an effective mnemonic strategy (sentence generation). Using continuous-time dynamic modeling, we assessed changes in the item and associative recognition, intervention effects, and their relations with age, sex, meta-memory beliefs, working memory, and metabolic health. Results Younger age, better working memory, and stronger belief in effective mnemonic strategies predicted better recognition, whereas instructional intervention attenuated associative memory deficits, with some persistence over time. Discussion The present findings show merely imparting effective strategies holds promise for mitigating age-related associative memory deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The Health and Retirement Study Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (HRS TICS) score and its associated Langa–Weir cutoffs are widely used as indicators of cognitive status for research purposes in population-based studies. The classification is based on in-person and phone interviews of older individuals. Our purpose was to develop a corresponding classification for web-based self-administered assessments. Methods Participants were 925 members of a nationally representative internet panel, all aged 50 and older. We conducted (a) a phone interview comprised of cognitive items used to construct the HRS TICS score, and (b) a web counterpart with self-administered cognitive items, while also considering (c) other already administered web-based cognitive tests and instrumental activities of daily living survey questions, all from the same respondents. Results The web-administered HRS TICS items have only modest correlations with the same phone items, although neither mode showed universally higher scores than the other. Using latent variable modeling, we created a probability of cognitive impairment score for the web-based battery that achieved good correspondence to the phone Langa–Weir classification. Discussion The results permit analyses of predictors, correlates, and consequences of cognitive impairment in web surveys where relevant cognitive test and functional abilities items are available. We discuss challenges and caveats that may affect the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Age stereotypes and expectations about one's own aging commence in childhood, while most research focuses on predictive associations with midlife cognition and health outcomes in later life. This study instead aims to examine adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contributing to multiple measures of subjective age (SA) among Chinese older adults and test whether these relationships differ by household registration (hukou). Methods In a representative sample of Chinese older adults aged 60 and older from the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging and Social Survey (n = 7,815), ordinary least squares is used to examine the associations between ACEs and 3 facets of SA: felt age, look age, and self-defined aging standard. Results Childhood starvation experience and limited health care access predict older felt age and look age, while parental death is associated with lower self-defined aging standard. Zooming in on hukou -specific associations shows that the dose–response relationship on older adults with rural hukou is particularly pronounced. Discussion Findings provide empirical support for views of aging from a life-course perspective and highlight the enduring impact of ACEs for late-adulthood SA, as well as their differential influence on multiple indicators of SA. Interventions that focus on promoting health and development in childhood could potentially have effects beyond the childhood phase, and benefit for their positive aging attitude in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically changed social life, but we know less about whether partnered relationships changed during this time. Because high-quality intimate relationships are key to many older Americans' well-being, we explore whether, how, and for whom the pandemic changed relationship quality among partnered older Americans. Methods Nationally representative data from 1,642 partnered adults aged 50 and older come from the 2020 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project COVID-19 Study. Multinomial logistic regression analyses estimate the likelihood of reporting improved, unchanged, or worsened relationship quality since the pandemic began across sociodemographic groups. Results Two thirds of respondents reported that relationship quality stayed the same during the pandemic, 22.8% reported their relationship quality got better, and 10.5% reported their relationship quality got worse. Although women and the oldest old were less likely to report improved relationship quality, Black respondents were more likely to do so, even after controlling for explanatory variables. Discussion Resilience describes many partnered older adults' experiences during the first year of the pandemic, suggesting that they were able to protect their partnerships during this public health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Self-rated subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and subjective olfactory impairment (SOI) are associated with objective cognitive decline and dementia. However, their relationship and co-occurrence is unknown. We aimed to (a) describe the occurrence of SOI, SCD and their overlap in the general population; (b) compare SOI and SCD in terms of longitudinal associations with corresponding objective olfactory and cognitive measures; and (c) describe how SOI and SCD may lead to distinct sensory and cognitive outcomes. Methods Cognitively unimpaired individuals from the third wave of the Swedish population-based Betula study (n  = 784, aged 35–90 years; 51% females) were split into self-rated SOI, SCD, overlapping SCD + SOI, and controls. Between-subject and within-subject repeated-measures MANCOVA were used to compare the groups regarding odor identification, cognition, age, sex, and education. Spearman correlation was used to assess the different patterns of association between olfaction and cognition across groups. Results SOI was present in 21.1%, whereas SCD was present in 9.9% of participants. According to a chi-square analysis, the SCD + SOI overlap (2.7%) is on a level that could be expected if the phenomena were independent. Odor identification in SOI showed decline at the 10-year follow-up (n  = 284) and was positively associated with cognition. The SOI and SCD groups showed distinct cognitive-olfactory profiles at follow-up. Conclusions SOI occur independently of SCD in the population, and these risk factors are associated with different cognitive and olfactory outcomes. The biological causes underlying SOI and SCD, as well as the risk for future cognitive impairment, need further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Although a number of studies have documented cognitive health among older immigrants in the United States, little is known about how the life-course immigration experiences are associated with cognitive trajectories among older Chinese immigrants. We assess patterns of cognitive functioning and change over time and examine whether age at migration, reasons for migration, acculturation, perceived discrimination, and preferred dialects are related to cognitive trajectories. Methods The sample comprised 2,075 participants from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly (PINE), who completed a battery of cognitive tests at four time points (2011–2019). Latent class growth analysis and multinomial logistic regression were utilized. Results Three latent classes of cognitive trajectories were identified: the low functioning with the fastest decline (LCF, 12%), the moderate functioning with a medium decline rate (MCF, 39%), and the high functioning with the slowest decline (HCF, 48%). Perceiving more discrimination reduced, whereas speaking Taishanese increased the odds of being in the LCF and MCF. High acculturation only distinguished MCF from HCF after controlling for the known factors of cognitive health such as age, education, and social engagement. Discussion This study identifies a group of older Chinese immigrants who are especially vulnerable to cognitive impairment and indicates that the risk of cognitive decline appears to be elevated with lower levels of acculturation and unidentified racial discrimination. More research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms that link the life-course immigration experiences to cognitive health outcomes in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This research addresses how younger and older adults' decisions and evaluations of gains and losses are affected by the way in which monetary incentives are provided. We compared 2 common incentive schemes in decision making: pay one (only a single decision is incentivized) and pay all (incentives across all decisions are accumulated). Method Younger adults (18–36 years; n = 147) and older adults (60–89 years; n = 139) participated in either a pay-one or pay-all condition and made binary choices between two-outcome monetary lotteries in gain, loss, and mixed domains. We analyzed participants' decision quality, risk taking, and psychometric test scores. Computational modeling of cumulative prospect theory served to measure sensitivity to outcomes and probabilities, loss aversion, and choice sensitivity. Results Decision quality and risk aversion were higher in the gain than mixed or loss domain, but unaffected by age. Loss aversion was higher, and choice sensitivity was lower in older than younger adults. In the pay-one condition, the value functions were more strongly curved, and choice sensitivity was higher than in the pay-all condition. Discussion An opportunity of accumulating incentives has similar portfolio effects on younger and older adults' decisions. In general, people appear to decide less cautiously in pay-all than pay-one scenarios. The impact of different incentive schemes should be carefully considered in aging and decision research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examined engagement levels across various domains of leisure activities in community-dwelling Black adults (age range = 50–80 years) and variability in daily leisure activity engagement and positive affect (PA; positive emotions or mood) and negative affect (NA; negative emotions or mood). Additionally, we explored whether PA and NA were associated with leisure activity engagement and whether these associations varied by sociodemographics. Methods Fifty adults (78% women; mean education = 11.62 years, standard deviation = 2.4) reported affect and leisure activity engagement over 8 occasions (2–3 weeks). Results Participants averaged 3 leisure activities/day with more engagement in watching television (news), walking, reading, and visiting others. Multilevel models identified significant within-person variation across domains of leisure activity engagement. A significant main effect was observed between daily NA and reduced social activity engagement. A significant interaction between NA and education was further illustrated on those occasions when NA was higher than usual, social and total leisure activity engagement tended to be lower, particularly for adults with ≤10 years of education. A significant interaction between NA and education was observed for entertainment activities. However, results indicated adults with ≥14 years of education, and a mean NA above the sample average, tended to engage in more entertainment activities. Finally, a significant interaction between PA and age was observed indicating adults aged ≥73 had a greater social engagement, particularly when daily PA was heightened. Discussion Results demonstrate within-person changes in the types of leisure engagement among Black adults. Potential factors related to these changes may result from interconnections between affect and demographic factors (age and education). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examined a Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) age-friendly housing development. Two Māori community groups worked with multiple stakeholders to codesign a culture-centered, kaumātua (older adults) urban housing community. The purpose was to identify codesign and culture-centered principles in the development. Methods Kaupapa Māori (Māori-centered) and participatory research methodologies guided the culture-centered research design. Data collection included 27 interviews with 19 residents and 12 organizational stakeholders; three focus groups with residents' families, service providers, and nonresident kaumātua (n = 16); and project documents. Data analysis used the framework method. Results Three codesign process themes emerged: (a) Kaumātua-centered vision; (b) realizing the vision; and (c) living the shared vision. Discussion Accounting for cultural practices in codesigning age-friendly and culture-centered housing for and with Indigenous older adults helps meet their cultural, social, health, and economic needs. The research offers a practical pathway to developing age-friendly housing environments for Māori kaumātua , their communities, wider society, and other Indigenous people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To better understand the temporal dynamics of progression from cognitive decline to onset of dementia in the dementia-free older population in the United States. Methods We used longitudinal data from a diverse national population-based sample of older adults (N = 531) in the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study from the Health and Retirement Study with repeated measures of cognitive function and dementia diagnosis during 12 years of follow-up from 1996 to 2009. We employed joint latent class mixed models to estimate the association between cognitive change and competing risks of dementia and nondementia death and identify heterogeneity in the age profiles of such association adjusting for baseline characteristics. Results Our analyses found 3 latent classes with distinct age profiles of cognitive decline and associated risk of dementia and mortality: "Rapid Cognitive Decline" (19.6%), "Moderate Progression" (44.6%), and "Optimal Cognitive Aging" (35.8%). When simultaneously accounting for cognitive trajectories and time-to-dementia/death, we also found associations of baseline covariates with slope of cognitive decline (e.g. steeper decline among non-Hispanic Blacks and more educated) and risk of dementia (e.g. greater risk for females and apolipoprotein E-4 carriers, but no difference by education level) that differ substantially from those in separate longitudinal mixed models or survival models. Discussion The differential age patterns of cognitive decline predicting dementia incidences identified in this study suggest variation in the course of cognitive aging in older adults that may inform future etiological and intervention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Subjective aging is consistently related to a range of health-related outcomes, but little is known about its relationship with sensory functioning. The present prospective study tested whether subjective age and self-perceptions of aging (SPA) are associated with objective hearing function. Methods Participants were 7,085 individuals aged 50–93 years (60% women, mean = 65.15, standard deviation [ SD ] = 8.71) from the Health and Retirement Study. Measures of subjective age, SPA, and information on demographic factors were obtained in 2008/2010. Objective hearing function was assessed 8 years later in 2016/2018. Furthermore, potential mediating variables (C-reactive protein, body mass index, physical inactivity, and chronic conditions) were assessed in 2012/2014. Results In regression analyses that accounted for demographic factors, older subjective age and negative SPA were associated with lower hearing acuity 8 years later. In addition, 1 SD older subjective age and negative SPA were related to a 9% and 7% higher likelihood of hearing impairment. Mediation analyses revealed that physical inactivity and chronic conditions partially mediated subjective age and SPA associations with hearing acuity. There was little evidence that the link between subjective aging and hearing was moderated by hearing aids and partial support for a moderating role of age. Discussion This study provides new evidence that subjective aging is prospectively related to hearing function. Individuals with older subjective age or negative SPA have unfavorable behavioral and clinical profiles that explain part of their lower hearing function. Individuals' experience with their aging process is a marker of risk for impaired hearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives An emerging literature suggests that fertility history, which includes measures of parity and birth timing, may influence cognitive health in older ages, especially among women given their differential exposure to pregnancy and sex hormones. Yet, few studies have examined associations between measures of fertility history and incident dementia in population-based samples. Method We examined the associations between parity, younger age at first birth, and older age at last birth with incident dementia over a 16-year period in a prospective sample of 15,361 men and women aged 51–100 years at baseline drawn from the Health and Retirement Study. We used Cox regression and the Fine and Gray model to obtain cause-specific hazard ratios (csHRs) and subdistribution hazard ratios for incident dementia from gender-stratified models, with the latter method accounting for the semicompeting risk of death. Results During the follow-up period (median 13.0 years), the crude incidence rate for dementia was 16.6 and 19.9 per 1,000 person-years for men and women, respectively. In crude models estimating csHRs, higher parity (vs parity 2) and younger age at first birth were associated with increased risk of dementia for both genders. These associations did not persist after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, and health conditions, with much of the attenuation in estimates occurring after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics. Discussion In this population-based, multiethnic cohort, we observed limited evidence for an association between measures of fertility history and incident dementia among men and women after adjusting for potential confounders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Disability in the United States has not improved in recent decades. Comparing temporal trends in disability prevalence across different income groups, both within and between the United States and England, would inform public policy aimed at reducing disparities in disability. Methods Using the Health and Retirement Study and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we estimated annual percent change from 2002 to 2016 in disability among community-dwelling adults (197,021 person-years of observations). Disability was defined based on self-report of limitations with 5 instrumental activities of daily living and 6 activities of daily living. We examined the trends by age and income quintile and adjusted for individual-level sociodemographic status and survey design. Results The adjusted annual percent change (AAPC) in disability prevalence declined significantly in both countries for ages 75 and older during 2002–2016. For ages 55–64 and 65–74, disability prevalence was unchanged in the United States but declined in England. Both countries experienced a widening gap in disability between low- and high-income adults among the younger age groups. For example, for those ages 55–64 in each country, there was no significant improvement in disability for the low-income group but a significant improvement for the high-income group (AAPC = −3.60; 95% confidence interval [CI; −6.57, −0.63] for the United States; AAPC = −6.06; 95% CI [−8.77, −3.35] for England). Discussion Improvements in disability were more widespread in England than in the United States between 2002 and 2016. In both countries, the disparity in disability between low- and high-income adults widened for middle-aged adults. Policies targeted at preventing disability among low-income adults should be a priority in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The articles examines the contribution of internal socioeconomic disparities in mortality to the U.S. international disadvantage in life expectancy at birth. Methods Using individual death records from the U.S. national vital statistics system for years 1982–2019 and data for other countries from the Human Mortality Database, we compare age-specific death rates and life expectancy between counties classified into 10 socioeconomic categories and 20 high-income countries. We also calculate the number of years of life lost in each socioeconomic decile in relation to the comparison set. Results There is a clear and increasing socioeconomic gradient of mortality in the United States, but the growing divergence in internal mortality trends does not explain the rising gap between the country and its peers. In 2019, even American women in the most socioeconomically advantaged decile lived shorter lives, while only 10% of men in the most affluent decile fared better than their peers. The long-standing U.S. disadvantage in young adult mortality has been growing and the country's previous advantage in mortality at ages 75 years and older has virtually disappeared for all but for Americans in the most affluent counties. Discussion The similar age pattern of differences in mortality rates between each socioeconomic deciles and the comparison group suggests that the underlying factors might be the same. The role of external causes (including drug overdoses) for middle-aged adults and a slowing down in progress to control cardiovascular diseases at older ages at the national level are consistent with this pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Since the 1980s, life expectancy at birth (e 0) in the United States has fallen steadily behind that of other high-income countries, widening the U.S. e 0 disadvantage. We estimate how that disadvantage was affected by high mortality rates in 2020, the first full year of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods We contrast male and female e 0 in the United States and 18 peer countries for years 1980, 1995, 2010, 2019, and 2020. Using Arriaga decomposition, we show how differences in age-specific death rates have contributed to U.S. e 0 disadvantages. Results In 2020, U.S. male and female e 0 changed by −2.33 (−2.50, −2.15) and −1.69 (−1.85, −1.53) years, respectively, whereas corresponding changes in peer countries averaged −0.67 (−0.82, −0.51) and −0.50 (−0.65, −0.35) years, respectively. This accelerated a longstanding and widening U.S. e 0 disadvantage relative to its peers, which increased from 3.49 to 5.15 years in males and from 2.78 to 3.97 years in females between 2019 and 2020. Whereas deaths before age 65 accounted for 55% and 40% of declines in U.S. male and female life expectancy, respectively, they accounted for only 24% and 11% of the respective declines in peer countries. Discussion U.S. life expectancy declines in 2020 were larger than in peer countries and involved deaths across a broader age range, particularly among young and middle-aged adults. Both the longstanding U.S. e 0 disadvantage and acute losses of life in 2020 signal the need for systemic policy changes in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can improve mental health of people facing stressful events. However, most studies in this area have been based on laboratory experiments and retrospective surveys, rather than actual situations in which people are experiencing stress. Moreover, few studies have examined whether age moderates the benefits of gratitude. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused enormous psychological distress worldwide. Evidence-based strategies are needed to enhance well-being during this stressful time. This study attempted to fill these gaps by examining the benefits of feeling gratitude every day during the COVID-19 outbreak. Method A sample of 231 participants from mainland China aged 18–85 years participated in a 14-day daily diary study. After a pretest to collect demographic data, information on gratitude, daily positive and negative affect, perceived stress related to COVID-19, and subjective health were measured using daily questionnaires on 14 consecutive days. One month after the daily diary period, information on affective experiences, life satisfaction, and subjective health was collected as a follow-up survey. Results On days when individuals feel more gratitude than usual, they report more positive affect, a lower level of perceived stress related to COVID-19, and better subjective health on the concurrent day (Day N). Individuals also report a lower level of stress related to COVID-19 on the following day (Day N + 1), when they feel more gratitude than usual on Day N. Higher levels of gratitude across the 14-day study period was associated with a higher level of positive affect and a lower level of negative affect, but was not associated with life satisfaction or subjective health at the 1-month follow-up assessment. Discussion These findings demonstrate the benefits of gratitude in a naturalistic situation that induced stress and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Health conditions that limit work are associated with myriad socioeconomic disadvantages and around half of Americans could face a work limitation at some point in their working career. Our study examines the relationship between midlife work limitations and two aging outcomes: longevity and healthy aging. Methods Using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and restricted mortality data, multivariate logistic regressions estimate the odds of desirable aging outcomes around age 65 for individuals with various midlife work limitation histories in samples of around 2,000 individuals. Results Midlife work limitations are consistently linked with a lower likelihood of desirable aging outcomes. Temporary limitations are associated with 59% and 69% lower survival and healthy aging odds, respectively. Chronic limitations are associated with approximately 80% lower survival odds and 90% lower healthy aging odds at age 65. Discussion Even temporary work limitations can be highly disadvantageous for aging outcomes, emphasizing the need to understand different work limitation histories. Future research should identify underlying mechanisms linking midlife work limitations and less desirable aging outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Studies demonstrate the association between diverse emotions and health. However, we know little about how these emotions are related to activities in daily life. This study examined whether the diversity of daily activities ("activity diversity") is associated with the diversity of both positive and negative daily emotions ("emodiversity") in adulthood. We also examined if these associations differed by age. Method 2 separate samples of participants from the Midlife in the United States Study II (M2: 2004–2009, n = 2,012, M age = 56 years) and Refresher (MR: 2012–2016, n = 779, M age = 47 years) provided activity and emotion data for 8 consecutive days. Using Shannon's entropy, we constructed activity diversity and emodiversity (positive, negative) scores. Analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and health characteristics, total activity time, mean positive/negative emotions, and number of days with positive/negative emotion data. Results Greater activity diversity was associated with greater positive emodiversity and greater negative emodiversity in both samples. In the M2 sample, the association between activity diversity and positive emodiversity was stronger among relatively younger adults, such that the positive association among those aged 33–44 years was greater than that observed among those aged 68–84 years. Results held after adjusting for time spent in each of the activities or when using different emodiversity metrics (Gini or Simpson coefficients). Discussion Broad and even participation of daily activities may provide more opportunities to experience rich and balanced emotions. Findings suggest that the association between activity diversity and emodiversity exists across adulthood, underscoring the value of including information about daily activities when examining emotional experiences across the life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Previous literature suggests age-related increases in prosociality. Does such an age–prosociality relationship occur during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, or might the pandemic—as a stressor that may differently influence young and older adults—create a boundary condition on the relationship? If so, can empathy, a well-known prosocial disposition, explain the age–prosociality relationship? This study investigated these questions and whether the target (distant others compared to close others) of prosocial behaviors differs by age. Methods Participants completed a series of surveys on dispositional empathy and prosocial behaviors for a study assessing their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 330 participants (aged 18–89) from the United States who completed all of the surveys included in the present analyses. Results Age was positively related to greater prosociality during the pandemic. Although empathy was positively associated with individuals' prosociality, it did not account for the age–prosociality association. Interestingly, increasing age was associated with greater prosocial behaviors toward close others (i.e. family, friends). Discussion Results are discussed in the context of socioemotional goals and substantiate that findings of age differences in prosocial behaviors occur during the period of limited resources and threat associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing stressor that may have detrimental effects on mental health. Theoretical and empirical literature implies that individuals who are characterized by catastrophic appraisals of somatic cues, a tendency known as anxiety sensitivity, as well as by older subjective age, might be particularly vulnerable to depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Furthermore, subjective age might moderate the relations between anxiety sensitivity with depression and anxiety symptoms. Yet, research to date has not explored the contribution of both anxiety sensitivity and subjective age in explaining distress following stress in general, nor in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Method Filling this gap, a convenience sample of 828 participants (M age = 43.98, SD = 14.06) filled questionnaires measuring background variables, COVID-19–related stressors, anxiety sensitivity, subjective age, and anxiety and depression symptoms during the pandemic. Results Positive associations were found between anxiety sensitivity and subjective age, on the one hand, and anxiety and depression symptoms, on the other. Furthermore, subjective age moderated the relations between anxiety sensitivity with depression and anxiety symptoms. Although higher levels of anxiety sensitivity were related to depression and anxiety during the pandemic, these relations were significantly stronger among participants with an older subjective age. Discussion The findings are consistent with theories that view subjective age as an intraindividual construct involved in modulating important mental health outcomes in the context of coping with stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This research tested whether performing an action themselves leads young and older adults to false memory for having seen that action performed by another person. It also tested whether observing another person perform an action leads to false memory for self-performance of that action. Method Healthy young and older adults viewed videos involving actors performing different actions. After viewing some of the actions, participants were instructed to perform those same actions themselves. Participants were tested 1 week later on their memory for the actions of the actors in the videos and for their own actions. Results Older adults were more likely to believe that the actor in a test item had performed the same action previously when they had performed that same action themselves, both when the actor had indeed performed that action and when the actor had not. This effect of self-performance on memory for other people's actions was significantly smaller in young adults. Young adults performed better than older adults at remembering which actors had performed which actions in the videos, although participants had greater difficulty remembering who did what for actions that they had also performed themselves. The 2 groups were equally likely to falsely remember having performed an action that had only appeared in the videos, but young adults were better able than older adults to correctly identify the actions that they had in fact performed. Discussion Older adults have greater difficulty than young adults at distinguishing self-performed actions from actions performed by other people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Older adults tend to have poorer Theory of Mind (ToM) than their younger counterparts, and this has been shown in both Western and Asian cultures. We examined the role of working memory (WM) in age differences in ToM, and whether this was moderated by education and culture (the United Kingdom vs. Malaysia). Methods We used 2 ToM tests with differing demands on updating multiple mental states (false belief) and applying social rules to mental state processing (faux pas). We also looked at the role of education, socioeconomic status, and WM. A total of 298 participants from the United Kingdom and Malaysia completed faux pas, false belief, and WM tasks. Results Age effects on some aspects of ToM were greater in the Malaysian compared to the UK sample. Malaysian older adults were poorer at faux pas detection, aspects of false belief, and WM compared to young adults. In subsequent moderated mediation analyses, we found that, specifically in the Malaysian sample, the mediating effects of WM on the age and ToM relationship occurred at the lowest levels of education. Discussion This pattern of results may reflect changes in the familiarity and cognitive load of explicit mental state attribution, along with cultural differences in the pace and nature of cognitive aging. Cultural differences in education and WM should be considered when researching age differences in ToM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives For the growing population of older immigrants in the United States, both age at immigration and familial relationships are important factors affecting psychological well-being. This study explores how age at immigration and contemporary relationships with adult children combine to explain older immigrants' depressive symptoms. Method This study uses 2014 Health and Retirement Study data from a sample of 759 immigrants aged 65 and older who have at least one adult child aged 21 or older. A series of ordinary least squares regressions and mediational analyses were conducted. Results Findings indicate that structural solidarity significantly mediates the association between age at immigration and depressive symptoms. Specifically, immigrating in later life was associated with a lower level of depressive symptoms through its relationship with structural solidarity. In addition, giving monetary support to children and providing care for grandchildren may alleviate depressive symptoms for older immigrants. Discussion This study suggests that relationships with adult children may differ with age at immigration. The types of support that older immigrants provide to their adult children may be crucial because such support may instill a sense of obligation and reciprocity that may be beneficial to the psychological well-being of older immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Age-related differences in cognition are typically assessed by comparing groups of older to younger participants, but little is known about the continuous trajectory of cognitive changes across age, or when a shift to older adulthood occurs. We examined the pattern of mean age differences and variability on episodic memory and executive function measures over the adult life span, in a more fine-grained way than past group or life-span comparisons. Method We used a sample of over 40,000 people aged 18–90 who completed psychometrically validated online tests measuring episodic memory and executive functions (the Cogniciti Brain Health Assessment). Results Cognitive performance declined gradually over adulthood, and rapidly later in life on spatial working memory, processing speed, facilitation (but not interference), associative recognition, and set shifting. Both polynomial and segmented regression fit the data well, indicating a nonlinear pattern. Segmented regression revealed a shift from gradual to rapid decline that occurred in the early 60s. Variability between people (interindividual variability or diversity) and variability within a person across tasks (intraindividual variability or dispersion) also increased gradually until the 60s, and rapidly after. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a single general factor (of variance shared between tasks) offered a good fit for performance across tasks. Discussion Life-span cognitive performance shows a nonlinear pattern, with gradual decline over early and mid-adulthood, followed by a transition in the 60s to notably accelerated, but more variable, decline. Some people show less decline than others, and some cognitive abilities show less within-person decline than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Later adult work attachments and exits are in flux, suggesting the need for understanding both the range of contemporary population-level pathways of work and nonwork and variations by overlapping social locations. We document patterned continuity and change in monthly work attachments and analyze the intersecting effects of age, gender, education, and race/ethnicity. Methods We capitalize on massive microlevel 16-month panel data from the Current Population Survey from 2008 through 2016 to empirically identify patterned pathways of monthly states: working full-time, long hours, part-time; being self-employed or unemployed; not working because of a disability, due to family care or other reasons, or because one defines oneself as retired. Results Analyses of 346,488 American women and men aged 50–75 years reveal patterned elasticity in the timing and nature of work attachments in the form of six distinctive pathways. Our intersectional analyses illustrate divergences and disparities: advantages for educated White men, disadvantages for low-educated Black men and women through their early 60s, and intersecting effects of gender, education, and race/ethnicity during the later work course across age groups. We find convergence across social markers by the 70s. Discussion This research highlights the importance of intersectional analysis, recasting the gendered work course in later adulthood into a framework of even greater complexities within mutually shaping categories of race/ethnicity, class, and age. Older Americans experience patterned, uneven pathways around work and nonwork. We recommend additional scholarship on the dynamics of constrained and disparate choices unfolding across multiple intersecting social locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To investigate whether the timing and nature of women's transitions out of full-time (FT) education are related to later-life subjective well-being and the life-course experiences that might explain any associations seen. Methods Data are from women in Wave 3 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing who have participated in the life history interview and were aged 50+ at the interview (n = 3,889). Using multichannel sequence analysis, we identified 6 types of transition out of FT education (ages 14–26). Regression models were used to examine associations between transition types and life satisfaction, quality of life, and depressive symptoms at age 50+. Results Women who made early transitions to married parenthood and FT domestic labor had lower levels of well-being on all 3 later-life well-being outcomes (p <.01), compared to women who made later transitions to family life and remained employed. Women who remained single up to age 26 also had lower life satisfaction (p <.05) and quality of life (p <.01) in later life than their counterparts who married and had children. These associations were explained by the life-course socioeconomic and relationship pathways. Advantaged childhood socioeconomic circumstances and higher educational qualifications set "Later Marriage and Later employment" women apart onto advantaged trajectories and a better quality of life later (p <.01). Discussion The timing and nature of exits from FT education played a pivotal role in setting people onto life-course trajectories that influence well-being in later life for this older generation of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To examine whether long-term exposure to agricultural work is associated with dementia prevalence and the rate of cognitive change in older adulthood. Method We employed data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998–2014). Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether a longest-held job in the agricultural sector was associated with differences in dementia prevalence. We examined if hearing impairment, depression, and physical health indicators mediated the relationship between agricultural work and cognitive functioning. Subgroup analyses were done by age, retirement status, job tenure, and cognitive domain. We employed growth curve models to investigate implications of agricultural work on age trajectories of cognitive functioning. Results Longest-held job in agriculture, fishing, and forestry (AFF) was associated with 46% greater odds of having dementia. The relationship between AFF exposure and cognitive functioning was not mediated by hearing impairment, depression, or physical health indicators. Results were stronger among younger and retired older adults as well as those with extensive job tenure. AFF exposure was associated with lower scores in working memory and attention and processing speed. Growth curve models indicated that while agricultural work exposure was associated with lower initial levels of cognitive functioning, over time, the pattern reversed with individuals in non-AFF jobs, showing more accelerated cognitive decline. Discussion Consistent with European studies, results from the United States also demonstrate a higher prevalence of dementia among agricultural workers. The cognitive reserve framework may explain the seemingly paradoxical result on age patterning of cognitive performance across older adults with different work histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The present study set out to investigate associations of cognitive reserve (as indicated by education) and relational reserve (as indicated by the family network size and indices of emotional support) to decline in executive functioning over 6 years as measured by changes in Trail Making Test (TMT) completion time in older adults and whether education and network size interacted with age and sex as covariates with respect to this longitudinal association. Method We analyzed data from 897 participants tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves 6 years apart. The mean age in the first wave was 74.33 years. Participants reported information on their family networks and their level of education. Results Latent change score modeling testing for moderation effects revealed a significant interaction of network size in the first wave of data assessment with education. Specifically, for lower levels of cognitive reserve (−1 SD of education), the longitudinal association between relational reserve in the first wave and subsequent changes in executive functioning was not significant. In contrast, for higher levels of cognitive reserve (+1 SD of education), a higher relational reserve in the first wave significantly predicted a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time from the first to the second wave (i.e. a smaller decline in executive functioning). Discussion The present longitudinal study provides evidence for the interaction between cognitive and relational reserves. This confirms the hypothesis that reserves from different domains are intertwined and their combined effects contribute to less cognitive decline in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives If older adults (OAs) are focused on emotionally meaningful goals in late life, they should demonstrate memory biases for positive stimuli over neutral and negative stimuli and, arguably, these cognitive biases should be reflected in their metacognitive judgments of learning (JOLs). To address this question, we examined age differences in metacognitive monitoring of emotionally valenced stimuli. Method Younger adults (YAs) and OAs (N = 85) studied positive, neutral, and negative words and made immediate JOLs, followed by a 2-alternative forced choice (2AFC) recognition memory task. Results Analyses of JOLs revealed evidence for a positivity effect in metacognitive judgments for OAs and an emotional salience effect in YAs. YAs recognized more words than OAs, but valence did not affect number of words recognized and did not moderate age differences in memory (p =.055). Memory monitoring as measured by resolution accuracy was equivalent in YAs and OAs. Positive affect was higher and negative affect was lower in OAs relative to YAs, lending additional evidence to the emergence of a positive orientation in older adulthood. Discussion These results provide intriguing and novel support for the positivity effect in the domain of metacognitive aging, adding to what is known in memory, attention, and emotion domains. Our findings fall squarely within socioemotional and metacognitive theoretical frameworks from which they were derived. We discuss research directions that might identify mechanisms by which affective states and stimuli interact to produce metacognitive outcomes in late life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]