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Fungicides are commonly applied to prevent diseases in eastern North American cherry orchards at the same time that honey bees (Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)) are rented for pollination services. Fungicide exposure in honey bees can cause negative health effects. To measure fungicide exposure, we sampled commercial honey bee colonies during orchard bloom at two commercial tart cherry orchards and one holding yard in northern Michigan over two seasons. Nurse bees, foragers, larvae, pollen, bee bread, and wax were screened for captan, chlorothalonil, and thiophanate-methyl. We also looked at the composition of pollens collected by foragers during spring bloom. We found differences in fungicide residue levels between nurse bees and foragers, with higher captan levels in nurse bees. We also found that residue levels of chlorothalonil in workers were significantly increased during tart cherry bloom, and that nurse bees from hives adjacent to orchards had significantly higher chlorothalonil residues than nurse bees from hives kept in a holding yard. Our results suggest that fungicide exposure of individual honey bees depends greatly on hive location in relation to mass-flowering crops, and worker role (life stage) at the time of collection. In some pollen samples, captan and chlorothalonil were detected at levels known to cause negative health effects for honey bees. This study increases our understanding of exposure risk for bees under current bloom time orchard management in this region. Further research is needed to balance crop disease management requirements with necessary pollination services and long-term pollinator health.

Objectives Given the health consequences of self-perceptions of aging (SPA), understanding how SPA change among Black and White older adults may shed light on racial disparities in late-life health. The current study is the first to assess whether Black older adults exhibit less favorable patterns of change in SPA than White older adults. We also tested whether the salubrious effect of volunteering on SPA would be particularly salient among Black older adults. Methods A pooled sample of adults aged 50+ (N = 10,183; Black: n = 1,672, White: n = 8,511) from the Health and Retirement Study rated positive and negative SPA once every 4 years across 3 waves (2008/2010, 2012/2014, and 2016/2018). We assessed participants’ reports on volunteering status in each wave. Results Growth curve models revealed that positive SPA decreased over time whereas negative SPA increased. Black older adults reported more positive and less negative SPA at baseline and flatter time-related changes than their White counterparts. We found that volunteering was significantly associated with more positive and less negative SPA across waves, but this effect was only evident in White older adults. Discussion Findings revealed vulnerabilities in White older adults as they experience and perceive age-related changes but also identified volunteering as a way to uniquely protect them. More research is needed to refine our understanding of racial disparities in the United States and help tailor interventions intended to maximize benefits to older adults from diverse backgrounds.

Background and Objectives Research suggests lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations have unique health care challenges. The purpose of this study was to understand contextual factors, including minority stress and social resources, associated with the health care utilization of LGBT middle-aged and older adults. Research Design and Methods Using data from the Caring and Aging With Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (N = 2,560), multiple logistic regression investigated associations between minority stress (i.e., internalized stigma and LGBT identity disclosure) and health care utilization (i.e., health screenings, emergency room use, routine checkups, and regular provider). We also examined the moderating effect of social resources (i.e., social network size, social support, and LGBT community belonging) in these associations. Results Internalized stigma was negatively associated with having a routine checkup in the previous year. LGBT identity disclosure was positively associated with having a health screening within the past 3 years. Social support moderated the association between LGBT identity disclosure and health screenings. Discussion and Implications Health and human service professionals and their clients should be educated about the ways that LGBT identity disclosure can affect health care utilization. Providers should consistently assess the social support of their aging LGBT clients and inform them about the potential risk of low social support in health care utilization.

Objectives Older parents’ previous support exchanges with adult children could influence which child currently provides care or which child they expect to provide care in the future. Distinguishing between support and care, we investigated how different types of past support exchanges with children were associated with care receipt and expectations from the parent’s perspective. Methods Older parents (N = 190; Mage = 79.98) reported on exchanges of tangible and nontangible support, and provision of childcare support with each of their adult children (N = 709; Mage = 52.69) in two waves of the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013). Multilevel, within-family, logistic regression models were estimated to examine how past patterns of support exchanges were associated with which child the older parent receives or expects to receive care from. Results Parents with functional limitations at Wave 2 were more likely to receive care from children whom they received more tangible support from at the prior wave. Parents without current limitations more likely named children whom they previously provided childcare support to and received more tangible support from as their expected future caregiver. Discussion This study distinguished different types of support to examine unique pathways to received and expected care within families. Taking the older parent’s perspective, these findings endorse previous studies that emphasize continuity in the transition from receiving tangible support to receiving and expecting care from adult children. The findings also suggest the importance of older parents’ childcare support given to adult children, highlighting reciprocity in intergenerational care exchanges.

Background and Objectives Understanding the influence of social resources on health is crucial in gerontological research. However, access to social resources may differ by one’s particular lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identity and the intersection of LGBT identity with other sociodemographic characteristics, including age. Research Design and Methods Using 2010 data from Caring and Aging With Pride (N = 2,536), this study examined how access to social resources varied by LGBT identity and whether the effect of LGBT identity was modified by additional sociodemographic characteristics among LGBT adults aged 50–95 years. Results Lesbian respondents had larger social networks than gay male respondents, and gay male respondents had smaller networks than transgender respondents. Lesbian respondents reported more social support and community belonging than other identity groups. Bisexual male respondents and transgender respondents had less support than gay male respondents, and bisexual male respondents reported less community belonging than gay male respondents. Age and education moderated the association between LGBT identity and social support. Discussion and Implications This study demonstrated differences in access to social resources according to environmental circumstances that can intersect and govern access to social resources. Findings highlight the importance of considering social support separately from social network size; thus, large social networks do not necessarily provide ample social support. LGBT older adults had different perceptions of social support than their middle-aged counterparts. Health and human service professionals should not only consider the sexual and gender identity of their LGBT clients, but also education and age when assessing access to social resources.

Objectives A burgeoning literature links being married to better cognitive health, but less attention has been paid to how couples view their marital relationships. Couples do not always concur in their assessments, and such discrepancies affect both partners’ health. We present a dyadic study on whether and how overall and discrepant views of marital quality predicted (a) dementia onset and (b) changes in older adults’ depressive symptoms with spousal dementia. Methods A pooled sample of couples aged 50+ (dyad N = 3,936) from the Health and Retirement Study rated positive and negative marital quality at baseline (2006/2008). Each participant reported whether they had been told of having dementia and their depressive symptoms once every other year (2006/2008–2014/2016). Results Cox proportional hazards regression revealed that older adults who rated their marriages either more positively or more negatively than their spouses were more likely to develop dementia. We applied multiphase growth curve modeling to older adults whose spouses developed dementia, finding that those in marriages that were more negative overall reported more depressive symptoms but exhibited a smaller increase in these symptoms in response to spousal dementia. Discussion This study adds to the literature by showing how discrepant marital assessments shape cognitive aging and offers new insights into identifying older adults with greater dementia risk. Findings also revealed the impact of overall negative marital quality on older adults’ psychological adjustment to spousal dementia, which could inform interventions intended to help couples better cope with early-stage dementia from a relational perspective.

Distinguishing between support and care, this study investigated how different types of past support exchanges with children were associated with older parents’ care receipt and expectations. Older parents (N=190; Mage=79.98) reported on tangible, non-tangible, and childcare support exchanges with each of their adult children (N=709; Mage=52.69) in two waves of the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013). Multilevel, within-family, logistic regression models were estimated. Parents with functional limitations more likely received care from children whom they received more tangible support from at the prior wave. Parents without current limitations more likely named children whom they previously provided childcare support to and received more tangible support from as their expected future caregiver. These findings emphasize continuity in the transition from receiving tangible support to receiving and expecting care from adult children. The importance of older parents’ childcare support given to adult children also highlights reciprocity in intergenerational care exchanges.

Very old parents and their “old” children are a growing group in industrialized countries worldwide. However, little is known about the nature and implications of this relationship constellation, especially the challenges and/or rewards experienced within the relationship. We therefore examined factors associated with perceptions of challenge and reward among very old parents and their children. Using data from 114 very old parent-child dyads in the Boston Aging Together Study, we estimated Actor-Partner Interdependence Models to predict challenge, reward, and challenge/reward ratio outcomes of dyad members as a function of relationship quality, support exchanges, family norms, and personality. Relationship quality emerged as the most influential predictor, albeit more consistently for children than for parents. When children experienced the parent-child relationship as more positive, both children and parents experienced fewer challenges and more rewards (i.e., both actor and partner effect). Parents’ experience of relationship quality was only associated with their own challenge perceptions (i.e., actor effect only). The roles of support exchanges, family norms, and personality were relatively minor, with few significant effects if at all. Given the importance of relationship quality for challenge and reward perceptions, support services or interventions targeting relationship quality could be a key pathway to minimizing challenges and maximizing rewards among very old parents and their children. Focusing on relationship perceptions of the child may be particularly critical in improving the experiences of both parent and child.

People with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) who are assumed to have lost coherent cognitive capacity may exhibit unexpected episodes of lucidity (EL). Given the transient nature and lack of scientific explanation of the phenomenon, EL is under-investigated and poorly understood. To better understand this phenomenon, we set out to develop an operational definition of EL. Based on survey data from former and current family caregivers participating in UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST® (N = 480), we defined four EL typologies. We then interviewed 25 caregiver respondents about their experiences and used analyzed qualitative data to refine the preliminary typologies. Finally, we conducted a Delphi consensus panel with clinicians, researchers, and health care providers with medical, pharmacological, and clinical expertise to describe potential explanations for EL to help further refine the typologies. Next we will test the validity of these typologies in a prospective, demographically diverse sample of current family caregivers.

Cultural tourism (e.g., attending festivals, visiting museums and heritage sites) is an important part of leisure activity in middle and later life. As they age, midlife adults may anticipate more time for these activities when their family and work demands are less intense. However, the leisure-as-career perspective suggests that preferences, knowledge and skills for leisure and tourism activities develop throughout the life course. This study examines how Korean middle-aged adults participated in cultural tourism activities and whether their willingness to be involved in active leisure in later life differed by their current patterns of cultural tourism activities. We utilized data from the 2014 Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study (N = 4,053; age 51−60). Latent class analyses were applied to five types of activities (i.e., local festivals and events, exhibitions, museums, heritage sites, and international travels), and three distinct patterns were identified. The majority of the Korean baby boomer sample (81%) belonged to “Inactive cultural visitors”—not participating in any type of activities in the past two years, which may reflect persistent time pressures at midlife. “Casual cultural visitors” (11%) mainly visited local festivals and heritage sites. “Serious cultural visitors” (7%) engaged in all types of activities; they appeared to have more time and financial resources. Further, “serious cultural visitors” showed higher willingness to engage in active later life leisure compared to other two patterns, supporting the continuity of leisure/tourism activities. Our findings highlight the importance of prior leisure and tourism behaviors for understanding future leisure activity expectations.

Elder abuse by family caregivers is an often-overlooked phenomenon that affects many older adults. Especially, retirement-aged children caring for their oldest-old parents with dementia may be at greater risk of engaging in harmful or abusive behaviors, given their own age-related health issues and other competing caregiving demands. Most of the elder abuse literature has focused on general demographic predictors of elder abuse, regarding the caregiver, care recipient, and the care environment. Less attention has been paid towards relationship factors, which may play a large role among these parent-child dyads. This study examined how relationship factors are associated with potentially harmful caregiver behaviors (PHCB; e.g., screaming), which have been identified as “early warning signs” for elder abuse. Relationship factors of interest include positive and negative relationship quality measured by caregivers’ mean scores on the support and conflict subscales on the Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI). We conducted in-depth interviews with 88 caregivers (65+) who are caring for their parents with dementia (90+) as the part of the Boston Aging Together Study. Regression models revealed that relationship conflict was significantly associated with higher levels of PHCB, accounting for caregiver, care recipient, and care environment characteristics. The creation of screeners to identify “high conflict” care dyads could prove useful in the early detection and intervention of potential elder abuse cases, given that caregivers may be more willing to report negative aspects of their relationship (e.g., fighting) than more obviously harmful or abusive behaviors.

Background and Objectives Very old parents and their “old” children are a growing group in industrialized countries worldwide. Care needs of very old parents can be substantial, while children may also face their own age-related issues. Continued mutual support represents an important pathway to addressing emerging care needs. This study aimed to identify patterns of support exchanges occurring in very old parent–child dyads and to ascertain associated individual and relationship factors. Research Design and Methods Participants were 114 very old parents (aged ≥90) and their children (aged ≥65) from the Boston Aging Together Study. Data were collected using comprehensive, semistructured in-person interviews with both dyad members, including standardized assessments of support exchanges, relationship quality, health, and perceptions of family norms. Actor–Partner Interdependence Models were used to predict upward and downward support reported by children and parents. Results Both dyad members not only reported substantial upward support (child to parent) in all domains but also notable amounts of downward (parent to child) in the domains of emotional support, listening, and socializing. Findings showed significant associations of parent functional impairment, parent and child relationship quality, and child perceptions of family obligation with upward support and of relationship quality with downward support. Discussion and Implications Continued support exchanges among very old parents and their children indicated that intergenerational theories still hold up in very late-life relationships. Health care professionals should be aware that attention to relationship quality and family norms might be vital to ensure that support needs are met.

Objectives Black Americans typically experience the death of a parent earlier in the life course than do non-Hispanic Whites, and early parental death is known to hinder subsequent relationship outcomes. Whether early parental death may contribute to racial differences in midlife family relationships and the role midlife adults’ current life problems play remain unexplored. Method Using multilevel modeling, we examined how timing of parental death is associated with relationship strain with adult children and whether the association differs by midlife adults’ life problems in Black (n = 166) and non-Hispanic White (n = 467) families from the Family Exchanges Study. Results Losing a parent in childhood was associated with more relationship strain with adult children for Black midlife adults, but not for their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Among the bereaved, earlier timing of parental death was associated with more relationship strain with adult children only for Black midlife adults. In both bereaved and nonbereaved sample, participants’ recent physical-emotional problems exacerbated the link between timing of parental death and relationship strain with adult children for Black midlife adults. Discussion Experiencing the death of a parent in the early life course can be an added structural disadvantage that imposes unique challenges for Black Americans in midlife. Policies and programs aimed at supporting bereaved children may benefit relationships with their own children later in life, and addressing physical-emotional problems in midlife may be a viable intervention point for those midlife adults who experienced the death of a parent in the early life course.

Background and Objectives Adult day services (ADS) can provide emotional and physical relief for caregivers of persons with dementia. While prior studies conceptualized ADS use at the aggregate level as a dichotomous construct, little is known about objective and subjective respite as distinct constructs. This study investigated how objective and subjective breaks from caregiving were associated with caregivers’ daily emotional well-being. Research Design and Methods Family caregivers (N = 173) whose relatives were using ADS at least twice a week participated in daily interviews over 8 consecutive days (day N = 1,359). Participants provided information on daily respite hours and daily affect. They also reported perceived frequency of breaks from caregiving responsibilities and primary and secondary caregiving stressors (i.e., overload and work conflict). Multilevel models were used to examine the research questions. Results On average, caregivers reported 7.12 respite hours on ADS days and 1.74 respite hours on non-ADS days. Having more objective respite was associated with higher positive affect, whereas more subjective respite was associated with lower negative affect, after controlling for ADS use and other covariates. Further, caregivers with greater work conflict experienced more benefits to their positive affect as a result of objective respite. Discussion and Implications Objective and subjective respite are unique aspects of caregiving that may have varying impact on caregivers. Respite may be especially beneficial for caregivers experiencing conflict between work and caregiving.

The life-cycle theory posits that midlife is a peak time of earning and productivity. However, middle-aged adults also face complex financial decisions (e.g., mortgage, child tuition cost, care expenses for older parents, and their own health care expenses), which may influence their current and future financial well-being. While research has focused on individuals’ financial management behaviors at midlife, less is known about the interdependence of financial behaviors and well-being within a couple, which may be a more relevant unit of financial decisions. To address this gap, we examined middle-aged couples’ financial behaviors and satisfaction, using a sample of 1,111 couples (age 51–59) from the 2014 Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study (KBBPS). Wives showed consistently higher levels of financial behaviors in (a) recognizing financial status, (b) planning and monitoring financial goals, and (c) building and maintaining household wealth. Korean Baby Boomer couples also showed substantial within-couple similarity in planning and monitoring financial goals (ICC = .51) and building and maintaining household wealth (ICC = .65)—whereas they showed less shared awareness of household financial status (ICC = .23) between spouses. Results from the Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) revealed that beyond one’s own financial behaviors, their spouses’ financial behaviors were associated with higher financial satisfaction for both husbands and wives (partner effect). Further, intra-couple differences in financial behaviors were associated with lower financial satisfaction only for wives. These findings highlight the importance of shared process of financial decision making for financial well-being among couples in middle and later life.

Cultural reproduction theory posits that cultural resources transmit to the next generation, suggesting a lingering effect of parental influences on cultural experiences in adulthood. Further, middle-aged adults’ cultural engagement may not only be influenced by their own childhood experiences but also their spouses’ experiences. This study extends our understanding of childhood and midlife cultural engagement of married couples, using a sample of 1,271 couples (age 49–66) from the 2012 Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study and Korean Forgotten Generation Study. Results from Actor Partner Interdependence Models showed that beyond one’s own childhood cultural engagement, spouse’s childhood cultural engagement was associated with levels of perceived cultural engagement at midlife (for both husbands and wives) and number of arts and cultural activities at midlife (only for husbands). Given the cross-spousal associations in cultural engagement among Korean middle-aged couples, both spouses’ cultural resources need to be considered for policy implications.

Dyadic theories, including the Theory of Dyadic Illness Management, emphasize the important protective roles of shared appraisals and collaborative tasks within the couple for optimizing health and well-being. Within illness contexts, research has also focused on shared decision-making and collaborative illness management within couples. However, less is known about how concordant middle-aged and older couples are regarding how they make decisions (e.g., one partner has final say, both have equal say) and how they complete health-related tasks (e.g., one partner does it, they do it together), factors associated with being more concordant as a couple, and implications of concordance for health and well-being of both members. Data from 2,761 couples (Mage = 64.94 for wives and 68.04 for husbands) from the Health and Retirement Study (2014/16–2016/18) were examined. The majority of couples were congruent regarding who makes family decisions (69.7%) and who completes medical forms (64.4%) within the couple; further, 62% agreed they make family decisions collaboratively versus 25.5% completing medical forms collaboratively. Greater concordance in these appraisals was significantly associated with greater marital support and length of marriage. While concordance in appraisals was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms 2 years later, the link between congruence in making major family decisions and self-rated health differed by age and gender— suggesting that the intersection of age and gender may shape how decisions within couples lead to potential health benefits.

Despite the consistent expansion of social long-term care insurance (LTCI), informal care by family members is still dominant in Korea. This study aims to examine how older adults in need utilized formal and informal sources of help and how patterns of help and unmet needs changed over time, since LTCI has been introduced in 2008. Community-dwelling older adults (65+) from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 2,501) reported their I/ADL limitations and who helped them—if they are in need in 2010 and 2018. We grouped older adults’ sources of care into (a) no help, (b) informal help only, and (c) any formal help, and examined the patterns by wave and gender. Among older adults with I/ADL limitations, formal help use increased between waves (1% to 12%), suggesting the impact of LTCI expansion. Changes in the patterns of help and unmet need differed by gender. The proportion of older men with no help dramatically decreased (41% to 27%); more men received informal or formal help in 2018. In contrast, the proportion of older women who did not receive any help remained similar (33% to 34%); thus, although more women received formal help, less women relied on informal help in 2018. Within the context of LTCI expansion, older men may mobilize support from their family further, which contributes to lowered unmet needs. However, older women’s unmet need did not decrease, while reduced use of informal help. These findings highlight the importance of considering gendered long-term care resources in Korea.

Losing a child prior to midlife may be a uniquely traumatic event that continues to compromise parents’ well-being in later life. This study compared psychological well-being between bereaved and non-bereaved parents, and examined whether volunteering protects bereaved parents. We analyzed a pooled sample of parents aged 50+ (N = 12,023) from the Health and Retirement Study, including parents who lost a child prior to 50 and those who never lost a child. Bereaved parents reported more depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction than non-bereaved parents, which was more evident among parents with fewer children alive. Among bereaved parents, volunteering, particularly volunteering 100+ hours/year, was associated with better well-being at baseline; yet, volunteering 1–99 hours/year led to a larger increase in life satisfaction over time. This study adds to our understanding of lasting effects of parental bereavement and suggests volunteering as a potential intervention aimed at helping bereaved older parents.

Intergenerational contact is important for older adults’ quality of life. However, few studies have examined older adults’ patterns of intergenerational contact across multiple children and whether these patterns are gendered within families, which has been a distinct characteristic in countries with patrilineal traditions. A sample of older adults aged 65 and above with mixed-gender children (N = 3,228) from the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing reported the frequency of meeting and communication with each of their children (N = 14,110). To identify “within-family” patterns of contact, we applied latent profile analysis to three family-level indicators of contact across children: (a) family means, (b) family standard deviations, and (c) gender differences between sons and daughters. Multinomial logit regression was estimated to examine differences in parents’ characteristics between the derived patterns. Nearly half of parents exhibited gender-balanced patterns of meeting across children: “equally high contact” (14%) and “equally low contact” (34%). We also found two gendered patterns of contact: “more frequent contact with daughters” (13%) and “more frequent contact with sons” (39%). Communication also exhibited similar four patterns across children with a higher proportion of “equally high contact” (77%). The derived patterns of contact differed by parents’ age, education, marital status, employment situation, and depressive symptoms. The results highlighted substantial within-family differences in older parents’ contact with their children, revealing more frequent contact with sons. This points to the enduring nature of patrilineal traditions as well as the lack of frequent physical contact in some Korean families.

Objectives Building on theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence linking volunteering and well-being in later life, we investigated the associations between daily engagement in formal volunteering, stressors, and negative and positive affect, focusing on the stress-buffering effect of volunteering. Methods We used 8 days of daily diary data from the second wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE II), a national survey of middle-aged and older adults (participant N = 1,320; participant-day observation N = 8,277). A series of multilevel models were estimated to assess the within-person associations between daily volunteering, stressors, and affect. Results A direct link between daily volunteering and affect was not discovered. However, we found that the association between daily stressors and negative affect (but not positive affect) was weaker on days when volunteering was performed compared to days volunteering was not performed. Discussion Our findings suggested that the stress-buffering effect of volunteering contributes to improved emotional well-being for participants who volunteered on a daily basis. Future studies should investigate whether such stress-buffering effects are present for other forms of helping behaviors.

Background and Study Objectives Intimate partners and close friends represent two major sources of social support that are central to one’s health and health behaviors in later life. The aim of this study was to examine dyadic linkages between perceived social support (from spouses and friends) and preventive healthcare behaviors among coupled-individuals. Design and Methods Prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010, 2012) were used to analyze a sample of coupled-individuals (dyad N = 1,902). A series of multilevel logistic regression (actor–partner interdependence) models were estimated to evaluate whether perceived social support from spouses and friends was associated with the likelihood of using two common forms of preventive healthcare services (i.e., influenza vaccination and cancer screenings). Results Apart from the role of perceived support from spouse on flu vaccinations, wives’ preventive healthcare behaviors were unrelated to perceived social support. In contrast, husbands’ preventive healthcare behaviors showed consistent associations with perceived social support from friends for the 2-year observation period. Further, husbands’ receipt of prostate cancer screening was associated with wives’ perceptions of social support from spouse as well as friends. Discussion and Implications These findings contributed to our understanding of the health advantages associated with being in a marital relationship for preventive healthcare behaviors, especially for men. Future research should unpack the pathways through which social support of various forms is associated with obtaining needed preventive health services.

We present a dynamic model of trading under adverse selection in which a seller sequentially meets buyers, each of whom receives a noisy signal about the quality of the seller’s asset and offers a price. We fully characterize the equilibrium trading dynamics and show that buyers’ beliefs about the quality of the asset can either increase or decrease over time, depending on the initial level. This result demonstrates how the introduction of private buyer signals enriches the set of trading patterns that can be accommodated within the framework of dynamic adverse selection, thereby broadening its applicability. We also examine the economic effects of search frictions and the informativeness of buyers’ signals in our model and discuss the robustness of our main insights in multiple directions.

Research suggests that minority stress can influence the healthcare utilization of aging LGBT adults, and that social resources can buffer the effect of stress on healthcare utilization. Using data from Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (N = 2,560), multiple logistic regression assessed the associations between minority stress (i.e., internalized stigma and LGBT identity disclosure) and healthcare utilization (i.e., health screenings, emergency room use, routine checkups, and regular provider). We also examined the moderating effect of social resources, including social network size, social support, and LGBT community belonging, in these associations. Internalized stigma was negatively associated with having a routine checkup in the previous year (OR = 0.82, p = .038). Disclosure was positively associated with having a health screening within the past 3 years (OR = 1.52, p = .000) and having a regular provider (OR = 1.33, p = .021). Further, we found that social support moderated the association between disclosure and health screenings (OR = 1.52, p < .001); thus, having higher levels of social support and disclosure in tandem increased the likelihood of getting a health screening in the last three years. Health and human service professionals should provide information about internalized stigma and LGBT identity disclosure to educate their clients about the ways in which these minority stressors can impact their healthcare experiences. Providers should assess the social support of their aging LGBT clients and inform them about the added benefit that social support can have in their healthcare experiences.

Marriage or other types of partnerships are consequential for health in later life, but its association to self-perceptions of aging remains a relatively unexplored area of research. This study used three waves of panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 4,315) to examine how changes in the health status and relationship quality over time contribute to self-perceptions of aging for married/partnered men and women. Multilevel models showed that women demonstrated more positive self-perceptions of aging than men, but there was no gender difference in how self-perceptions of aging became more negative over time. The findings on the main and moderating effects of health and relationship quality give evidence that changes across time, as well as average differences in individual characteristics, may affect self-perceptions of married/partnered men and women differently. The context in which gender shapes key aspects of life contributes to self-perceptions of aging in later life.

Personality can be an important resource as older couples cope with adverse life events. Analyzing 4,893 older couples from the Health and Retirement Study, this study examined how one’s own and spouse’s adverse life events (health decline, job exit, loss of wealth, family member’s death) occurring in the past two years are associated with changes in depressive symptoms. We further examined the moderating effects for this association of six dyadic personality profiles (combinations of spouses’ positive and negative personality characteristics). We found significant actor and partner effects of health decline for increases in both spouses’ depressive symptoms, and significant actor effects of a family death for husbands’ increased depressive symptoms. For wives, having positive personality profiles buffered negative effects of one’s own health decline and spouses’ family death, whereas having negative profiles intensified negative effects of husbands’ job exit and loss of wealth on the depressive symptoms for both spouses.

Lay SummaryWe investigated geographical variation in multiple traits in the oriental fire-bellied toad and tested whether local adaptation to predators has affected the observed divergence of these traits. Our field surveys and experiments revealed that mainland and island frogs were distinguishable in morphology and behavior, most likely due to marked differences in predation pressure between locations. Our study therefore shows how differential predation pressure can affect the geographical divergence of multiple traits.

Objectives The aims of the study were to examine within-person associations between social interactions with friends (one's own and partner's) and depressive symptoms over time among couples in later life and to investigate whether marital quality moderated the associations. Methods We used longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2004-2012) to examine a sample of coupled individuals (dyad N = 6,833). Dyadic growth curve models were employed to test the study hypotheses. Results Results indicated that more frequent social interactions with friends were associated with fewer depressive symptoms of individuals and there were cross-spousal effects for this association. Further, marital quality moderated the within-person association between social interaction with friends and depressive symptoms such that the association was stronger for individuals experiencing poor marital quality compared to those with better marital quality. Discussion Friendship is an important contributor to individuals' mental health in later life, with its benefits having far-reaching consequences for one's significant other. The implications of friendship interactions for other health domains also require investigation within the marital context.

Objectives Many grandparents are involved in young grandchildren's lives, but we know little about grandparents' support of adult grandchildren. This study assessed frequency of different types of support that grandparents provided to adult grandchildren and examined potential explanations for such support (e.g., affection, grandchildren's needs, parents' support). Method Grandparents in The Family Exchanges Study Wave 2 (N = 198; Mage = 80.19) reported how often they provided six types of support to a focal adult grandchild. Results Multiple regressions revealed that grandparents' affective ties with an adult grandchild were associated with more frequent listening, emotional support, and companionship. Grandparents also provided more frequent emotional support to adult grandchildren when parents incurred life problems, and more frequent companionship and financial support when parents were not employed. Moreover, grandparents' listening, advice, and companionship with adult grandchildren were positively associated with the parents providing these types of support to grandchildren. Discussion Consistent with solidarity theory, grandparents experiencing greater affective ties with their grandchildren are invested in these ties regardless of family needs. Findings also offer limited evidence for the family watchdog model in that grandparents provide more support to grandchildren when parents incur problems, even though those parents may still provide support.

The bereavement literature in adulthood has largely focused on spousal loss. Yet the death of a parent is an influential – and expected – loss experience in middle and later life. This study analyzed prospective data from two waves of the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013) to explore adults’ (N = 192; Mage = 56.76) experience of a recent parent death in the past 5 years, including grief responses and positive memories of the deceased parent. We examined how pre-loss relationships with the deceased parent (e.g., positive and negative relationship quality, relationship importance) are associated with different bereavement responses among the bereaved children. Findings showed that the levels of grief were higher for children who placed more importance on the parent prior to that parent’s death. Positive relationship quality was associated with positive memories after a parent’s death. However, negative relationship quality was not associated with any bereavement responses.

Civic engagement is an important dimension of age-friendly communities but has been understudied among Asian immigrant groups. While research has attributed greater civic engagement among immigrants to acculturation factors, the influence of acculturation may be conditioned upon Asian immigrants’ social network and place attachment to their city. We used data from the Asian American Quality of Life survey to analyze civic engagement activity (e.g., City council meeting, voting in a City election) among a diverse sample of middle-aged and older Asian immigrants in Austin, Texas (N = 994). 34.5% of the sample had participated in at least one civic engagement activity in the past 12 months. We examined how such civic engagement is associated with acculturation factors, and further examined whether one’s friend network and perception of their city moderated the association. We found that number of years lived in the U.S., familiarity with mainstream American culture, and number of friends in one’s social network were positively related to civic engagement activity. Furthermore, we found that the association between years lived in the U.S. and civic engagement was more pronounced for immigrants with larger friend networks; the association between familiarity with American culture and civic engagement was more pronounced for immigrants with more positive perceptions of the city. These findings highlight that acculturation may not operate alone in civic engagement among Asian immigrants. Rather, it may also be important to create opportunities for Asian immigrants to feel connected to their community and build meaningful friend networks to encourage civic engagement.

Loneliness is a risk factor for poor quality of life among older adults. Social media use provides a new dimension of communication for older adults to connect with people and to maintain social relationships. However, research has been inconclusive about whether social media use reduces loneliness among older adults, which is due in part to a lack of appropriate measures for capturing different types of social media use. Furthermore, little is known about the underlying mechanisms through which social media use is associated with loneliness. This study investigates the association between social media communication with close social ties and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults (65+), and further examines the mediating role of social contact and social support in the association. Data from the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) are analyzed to address our research questions (N = 4,184). Path analyses are employed to examine the relationships among social media communication with close social ties (i.e., children, family, and friends), frequency of contact with social ties (i.e., phone, in-person contact, write/email), perceived social support from social ties, and loneliness (R-UCLA loneliness scale). The results show that a higher level of social media communication is associated with lower levels of loneliness through social contact and perceived social support. Moreover, the relationship between social media communication and perceived social support is partially mediated by social contact. These findings suggest that social media communication may be considered an intervention that may reduce loneliness among older people.

As married couples aging together, their health behaviors and outcomes could be shaped by both one’s own and the spouse’s characteristics. Using dyadic datasets, speakers in this symposium explored the interdependence nature of marital relations by identifying the mechanisms of how shared resources or strains affect spouses’ physical and mental health outcomes among married couples. Wang, Kim, and Burr identified distinct types of personality configurations among older couples using the Health and Retirement Study, and examined how personality compatibilities could buffer negative effects of adverse life events on older couples’ mental health. Using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, Proulx, Skoblow, and Han further investigated the associations between marital quality and mental health among caregiving dyads, with a special focus on a comparison of different caregiving groups (spouse, child, others). From a physical health perspective, Wilson and Novak presented the dynamic behind relationship quality, joint health behaviors, health problems, health satisfaction, and health similarity between spouses. Finally, Kim, Jang, Park, and Chiriboga focused on couple contexts for acculturation among older Korean immigrants in the U.S., and examined how each spousal acculturation level affects healthcare utilization and difficulties in health service use. Focusing on married couples, this symposium showcases the interplay of family experiences, health behaviors, and relational dynamics of both spouses in shaping their health, and highlights the benefits of dyadic approaches. Speakers and our discussant, Dr. Karen Lyons, will discuss implications for social program design and future research.

Research has consistently reported the association between intergenerational relationship quality and mental health outcomes in later life. However, few studies have examined the link among very old parents and their older children, and even fewer studies investigated whether the relationship quality matters similarly to parents and children. Employing a dyadic approach, this study examined how one’s own and partner’s perceptions of relationship quality (i.e., support and conflict) are associated with depressive symptoms among very old parents and their children. Data from 105 dyads of parents (age 81-97; M = 87.92, SD = 2.80) and their children (age 65-72; M = 65.87, SD = 1.23) in South Korea were used. Results showed that parents tended to report significantly higher levels of intergenerational support and lower levels of intergenerational conflict, compared to their children. Regarding the actor effects of relationship quality, one’s own perceptions of intergenerational conflict were positively associated with depressive symptoms for both parents (β = 0.26, p < .01) and children (β = 0.37, p < .001), whereas intergenerational support was not significant. In terms of the partner effect, intergenerational support (reported by parents) was negatively related to depressive symptoms only for children (β = -0.21, p < .01), but the partner effect of conflict was not significant. The findings highlight the centrality of perceptions of intergenerational relationship in understanding well-being in later life. Further, children’s depressive symptoms were susceptible to how their parents view the relationship. Findings were discussed in the context of Intergenerational Stake Theory.

We study government interventions in markets suffering from adverse selection. Importantly, asymmetric information prevents both the realization of gains from trade and the production of information that is valuable to other market participants. We find a fundamental tension in maximizing welfare: while some intervention is required to restore trading, too much intervention depletes trade of its informational content. We characterize the optimal policy that balances these two considerations, and explore how it depends on features of the environment. Our model can be used to study a program introduced in 2009 to restore information production in the market for legacy assets.

One consequence of modern longevity is the growing number of older adults with very old parents. While family members are often interdependent in their development and aging, less is known about how intergenerational relationships may influence individuals’ attitudes toward their own aging in later life. Using 70 dyads of oldest-old parents (Mage = 93) and their children (Mage = 67) from the Boston Aging Together Study, we examined the dyadic concordance in positive attitudes toward own aging, and how perceptions of giving and receiving care are associated with attitudes toward own aging for parents and children. On average, parents reported more negative attitudes toward own aging than did children. In less than half of all dyads (46%), both parents and children reported positive (i.e., score three or higher on a scale that ranged from one to five) attitudes toward own aging. T-test results showed that the dyads with positive attitudes toward own aging had more within-dyad age difference, better average self-rated health, fewer depressive symptoms and less loneliness than others. For children, higher level of caregiver’s burden was associated with more negative attitudes toward own aging. For parents, perception of received support was not associated with their attitudes toward own aging. This study sheds light on how both individual and family characteristics may influence individuals’ aging perceptions. Findings suggest the context of parent-child ties may particularly be relevant to those older adults who may have to deal with their own aging- related challenges as well as those of their parents.

Relationships with adult children play an important role in older adults’ well-being. However, little is known about the association between parent-child relations and aging parents’ sleep quality, which is an emerging health issue that is closely related to individuals’ physical and mental well-being in later life. With the largest aging population, China has experienced rapid changes of family structure and traditional norms regarding parent-child ties. This study focused on different dimensions of parent-child relationships (i.e., upward/downward financial and instrumental support, emotional closeness) in Chinese aging families. This study examined the association between parent-child relationships and older parents’ sleep quality, comparing one-child and multiple-children Chinese families. Utilizing the 2014 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Aging and Social Survey, we analyze data from 8,450 respondents (aged 60+) who had at least one living child. Descriptive analysis showed that parents with multiple children engaged in more intense financial exchanges, less frequent instrumental support, and lower levels of emotional closeness with their adult children compared to their counterparts with only one child. Logistic regression models revealed that older parents who received more instrumental support were more likely to report sleep difficulty in both one-child and multiple-children families. For parents with multiple children, the overall level of financial transfers from children was negatively associated with having sleep difficulties, while the variability of financial transfers across multiple children was positively associated with having sleep difficulty. Findings highlight the importance of considering family dynamics in studying sleep quality among Chinese older adults.

Providing care for persons with dementia (PWD) is frequently regarded as highly stressful, but how caregivers perceive care-related stressors depends on a variety of contexts. Research has demonstrated that relationship quality between the caregiver and receiver – as an important dyadic context – can influence the magnitude of this perceived distress. Using 8-day diary data from 173 family caregivers of PWD (day N = 1,359), this study examined the moderating effect of relationship quality on caregivers’ stress responses to daily behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), comparing within- and between-person effects. Multilevel models suggested differences in the association between BPSD occurrence and perceived distress of BPSD (i.e., negative within-person association, but positive between-person association). However, we found that both associations were moderated by relationship quality; that is, better dyadic relationship quality seemed to be protective against distress at both within- and between-person levels.

Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are increasingly important for older adults who want to maintain their independence and remain in their communities. Although HCBS systems have been developed widely in many western countries and in some countries in Asia, China is just beginning to grapple with its rapidly aging population by offering HCBS in a limited fashion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between structural (e.g., citizenship activities, volunteering) and cognitive (e.g., social trust, a sense of belonging) social capital and HCBS utilization among older Chinese adults. The study also examined the mediating effect of structural social capital for the the relationship between cognitive social capital and HCBS utilization. We frame the study within the Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization and argue that within this framework social capital is an enabling factor. We analyzed survey data from 456 community-dwelling older adults living in the Gusu district of the city of Suzhou, China in 2015. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results showed that both cognitive and structural social capital were significantly associated with HCBS utilization. Structural social capital also served as a mediator between cognitive social capital and HCBS utilization, even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and other relevant covariates. The findings supported the utility of employing Andersen’s behavioral model and social capital theory for better understanding older Chinese adults’ utilization of HCBS. Interventions for increasing social capital may be useful for improving HCBS utilization in Chinese urban communities.

Previous research on support exchanges between generations focuses on support from middle-aged children to older parents and from grandparents to young grandchildren. However, when the grandchildren are grown up, they may become a source of support for their grandparents. The current study examined support adult grandchildren provided to their grandmother and grandfather, and factors that are associated with the support given. Adult grandchildren (N = 495; Mage = 27.92) from the second wave of the Family Exchanges Study (2013) reported how often they provided support to each grandparent (N = 358; Mage = 80.89). Multilevel models were estimated to predict support provided to grandparents, using grandchildren’s, grandparents’, and the middle generation’s characteristics. On average, support to the grandmother was given approximately a few times a year, while support to the grandfather was closer to yearly. Higher levels of both positive and negative relationship quality were associated with more support given to each grandparent. In addition, when the middle generation (grandchild’s parents) provided help to the grandparents, the grandchild was also likely to provide more support to both grandmother and grandfather. The amount of support the grandchild provided was limited, but the support was associated with relationship and family characteristics (e.g., relationship quality and support from the middle generation), but not their demographic characteristics. Findings provide evidence for solidarity theory in families with parents providing care to grandparents. This also suggests a need to consider family characteristics for better understanding grandparent-grandchild ties and support exchanges in adult families for future research.

Purpose of the Study: F amily caregivers experience high levels of stress that place them at risk for poor health outcomes. We explore whether an intervention which lowers caregivers’ daily exposure to stressors, adult day services (ADS), leads to improved regulation of the stress hormone, cortisol, which has implications for health and well-being. Design and Methods: P articipants (N = 158) were family caregivers of individuals with dementia (IWD) who were using ADS. Eligibility included: the IWD had a dementia diagnosis, IWD used ADS at least twice a week, and IWD and caregiver lived in the same household. A within-subject treatment design was used to compare caregivers’ diurnal cortisol responses on days they received the intervention (ADS use by the IWD) and days they did not. Participants completed daily interviews over eight consecutive days and provided five saliva samples on each of those days. Primary outcomes were salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR) and cortisol area under the curve with respect to ground (AUC-G). Results: Caregi vers with a “burned-out” or flattened CAR, and associated low AUC-G on non-ADS days displayed a more normative CAR and AUC-G response on ADS days. Restored cortisol regulation was also observed on ADS days among caregivers with the highest CAR and AUC-G levels on non-ADS days. Implications: R esults indicate that ADS use improves caregivers’ cortisol regulation, which could enhance long-term health outcomes. Effects may be due to caregivers’ anticipation of an easier day when the IWD attends ADS.

Objectives. This study examines the association of daily cortisol with depressive mood and anger. Method. Depressive mood, anger and 2 markers of cortisol, area under the curve (AUC), and cortisol awakening response (CAR) were examined for caregivers (N = 164) of individuals with dementia (IWDs) across 8 days, some of which IWDs attended an adult day service (ADS) program. Caregivers were primarily female (86.7%) with a mean age of 61.99. First, multilevel models were run with CAR and AUC each as separate covariates of anger and depressive mood. A second set of models examined contextual factors of caregivers (i.e., care-related stressors and amount of ADS use) were added to the models for anger and depressive mood (Model 2). Results. On days where caregivers had AUCs below their average they expressed higher anger scores. However in Model 2, anger was associated with more care-related stressors, but not ADS use or daily cortisol. Caregivers who on average had smaller CARs were more likely to be depressed. In Model 2, depressed mood was associated with more care-related stressors and a low average CAR. Discussion. We found that hypocortisol patterns, reflective of chronic stress experienced by caregivers, are associated with negative mood.

Purpose of the Study: Research shows that parents benefit psychologically from generativity—giving and caring for the next generation—but older adults’ perceptions on giving support to their children are rarely if ever explored in these studies. The current study examines the association between the support that aging parents give to one of their middle-aged offspring, their perception of this support as rewarding or stressful, and their levels of depressive symptoms. Design and Methods: The sample draws from The Family Exchanges Study and consisted of 337 older parents (mean age: 76) who were drawn from a larger study of middle-aged adults (i.e., target participants). Older parents reported tangible and nontangible forms of support given to the target middle-aged child and the extent to which they viewed providing such support as stressful and/ or rewarding. Results: W e found significant interactions between tangible support and feelings of reward and between nontangible support and feelings of stress in explaining parental depressive symptoms. Parents who found giving support to be highly rewarding had lower levels of depressive symptoms when giving high amounts of tangible support. Conversely, parents who view giving support to be highly stressful had higher levels of depressive symptoms when they gave low amounts of nontangible support. Implications: Findings suggest older parents’ perceptions of supporting their offspring may condition how generativity affects their mental health.

Modern increase in life expectancy and deviation from the normative life course have complicated the existing outlook of aging in midlife. Furthermore, the issue of aging population is not unique to one geographic region; it is a phenomenon shared by individuals diverse in a range of the political, social, and cultural spectrum. This symposium reports on biological and psychological challenges that middle-aged adults nowadays face in preparing for aging and the unique contribution of sociocultural factors. Using the Health and Retirement Study, Shannon Mejia, Rich Gonzalez, and Jacqui Smith discuss the contribution of individual and shared experiences to the couples’ shared risk in multisystem markers of biological strain. Frank Infurna, Suniya Luthar, and Kevin Grimm examine a differential impact of the lifetime and recent incidence of adversity on character strength and well-being of middle-aged adults who were assessed monthly for two-years. Joanna Hong and Susan Charles present findings on a comparison of age-related differences in perceptions of past, present, and future life satisfaction using the Midlife Development in the U.S. and the Survey of Midlife Development in Japan. Yijung Kim, Kyungmin Kim, Kathrin Boerner, and Gyounghae Han explore the subjective sense of future time and its link to exercise, physical symptoms, and chronic conditions among Korean baby boomers. The discussant will be Margie Lachman. Taken together, these presentations will provide an in-depth discussion on an interplay of individual and sociocultural factors in shaping the changing trajectory of aging across the globe.

Sleep is a fundamental health behavior that has profound implications of individual’s wellbeing. Though worry has been recognized as one major cause of sleep problems, it is still unclear how middle-aged adults’ worries toward adult children and aging parents influence, and influenced by sleep in everyday life. This study examined the association between worries about family members (i.e., grown children and aging parents) and sleep on a daily basis. Middle-aged adults (N = 191) from the second wave of the Family Exchange Study reported on worries about each of their grown children (n = 454) and aging parents (n = 253) as well as sleep duration and sleep quality for seven days (1,261 days). Results from multilevel models showed that same day worries about aging parents and prior day worries about grown children were associated with poorer sleep quality. Further, middle-aged adults were less likely to worry about grown children when they slept longer the previous night, and less likely to worry about aging parents after reporting a good night’s sleep. Findings suggested a bidirectional association between worries about family members and sleep. Pre-sleep worries about family members appear to lead to poorer sleep quality at night; poor sleep quality then increases the risk of worrying about family members on the subsequent day. Our findings have implications for health professionals for promoting sleep health in multigenerational families.

This mixed-method study identified patterns of support exchanges occurring in very old parent-child dyads. Twenty parent-child dyads (parent age ≥ 90; child age ≥ 65) living in Greater Boston participated in separate one-on-one interviews. Interviews included both standardized relationship and support assessments as well as an open-ended section, generating qualitative data about the relationship. Findings from standardized support assessments indicated that both dyad members not only reported substantial upstream support (child to parent), but also notable amounts of downstream support (parent to child), especially in the domains of emotional support, listening, advice, and socializing. Practical downstream support was present too, albeit to a lesser extent. Qualitative narratives mirrored these patterns of support exchange, demonstrating that very old parents often are not only support recipients but also act as active support providers. Further, “old relationship wounds” played a role in motivating, facilitating, or hindering support exchanges.

Purpose of the Study: We explore discrepancies in perceptions of values and care preferences between individuals with dementia (IWDs) and their family caregivers. Design and Methods: We interviewed 266 dyads consisting of an individual with mild to moderate dementia and his or her family caregiver to determine IWDs’ beliefs for 5 values related to care (autonomy, burden, control, family, and safety). We used multilevel modeling to investigate if there are dyadic level discrepancies in beliefs and what factors are associated with such discrepancies. Results: Caregivers consistently underestimated the IWD's values for all five values. Discrepancies were associated primarily with caregivers’ beliefs about the IWD's involvement in decision making. Race was also associated with the discrepancies for control and safety, whereas cognitive functioning of the IWD was associated with the discrepancy for burden. Implications: Many caregivers do not have an accurate depiction of the IWD's values, yet, caregivers will become the surrogate decision makers for IWDs as dementia progresses. These findings indicate the need for assessments of values and preferences in care and to develop programs that assess values, consider the caregiver's beliefs about care, and improve communication within the dyad in the early stages of dementia.

Midlife individuals report greater investment in their children than in their parents. Little is known about daily experiences in these ties, and the psychological and biological systems that may underlie these associations. The present study examined daily experiences with aging parents and adult children and implications of those experiences for daily negative affect and cortisol. Participants were middle-aged adults (N = 156; 56% women) from the Family Exchange Study Wave 2 who completed a 7-day daily diary study and 4 days of saliva collection which was assayed for cortisol. Individuals reported more contact but fewer negative experiences with adult children than with parents. Nevertheless, contact and negative experiences with adult children were more consistently associated with negative affect and daily cortisol patterns than interactions with parents. Findings are consistent with the intra-individual stake hypothesis which suggests that individuals are more invested in relationships with their children than their parents.

Middle-aged adults provide regular support to their aging parents and their grown children. Prior studies have shown that providing support may have negative or positive implications for well-being, but studies have not examined how providing support on a daily basis may influence physiology such as daily cortisol responses. Middle-aged adults (N = 171; Mage = 56.16) from the Family Exchange Study participated in a diary study and provided 4 days of saliva collection sampled 4 times a day. Multilevel models revealed that providing support to parents was associated with flatter cortisol declines across the day. Additionally, adults providing support to children showed elevated cortisol awakening responses and steeper cortisol declines compared to adults who did not provide support to children. Thus, providing support in normative situations (e.g., to adult children) may be rewarding, but providing support in nonnormative or demanding contexts (e.g., to aging parents) may exert a physiological toll.

In Western countries, parents typically provide support to their children, even after they are grown; grown children may reciprocate and provide support to parents in late life when parental health declines. Yet, we do not know whether both parties perceive these exchanges in the same manner across adulthood. Participants included two sets of dyads from the Family Exchange Study: Middle aged parents and young adult children (n = 664 dyads, 1328 participants) and older parents and middle-aged children (n = 221 dyads, 442 participants). Participants report frequency of giving and receiving 6 types of support using the Intergenerational Support Index (ISI). The older dyads typically agreed in reports of support provided by parents to offspring and by offspring to parents. In the younger dyads, the young adult children reported providing more frequent support of all types than parents reported receiving. Norms for intergenerational support may shape perceptions of such support.