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Research has shown a consistent association between college completion and laterlife cognition. We extend this work by examining whether college selectivity—the achievement level required to gain admission to a college—is associated with memory functioning more than 50 years later. We analyze data from 10,317 participants in the 1957–2011 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to examine the relationship between college selectivity and later-life memory. Models control for childhood, midlife socioeconomic status, and later-life health and adjust for selection bias. Selective college attendance was associated with small benefits in memory at age of 72 even after accounting for socioeconomic status in both childhood and midlife and later-life health. The results of this study suggest that college selectivity may be an important component of the education–cognitive functioning relationship that has modest implications for intracohort differences in later-life cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loneliness and social isolation are significant public health problems. However, the community and neighborhood factors that contribute to this pandemic are less examined. Adopting a neighborhood resource-based social capital theory, we examined whether neighborhood trust was associated with older Americans' loneliness, number of friends, and perceived support from friends. We analyzed two waves of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, with a sample of 5,817 Americans aged 50 years and older. We used first difference models to analyze the data and controlled for potential confounders including perceived support from family and health status. Increases in the perception that neighbors are trustworthy and helpful were associated with statistically significant decreases in loneliness and increases in perceived social support from friends over a 4-year period. Findings have implications for conceptualizing social capital and for potential interventions targeting interpersonal trust and reducing loneliness and social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Advance care planning (ACP) typically comprises formal preparations (i.e. living will and/or durable power of attorney for health care) and informal discussions with family members and health care providers. However, some people complete formal documents without discussing them with others. If they become incapacitated, their appointed decision makers may lack guidance on how to interpret or enact their formal wishes. We document the prevalence and correlates of this partial approach to ACP. Method Using multinomial logistic regression models and data from a U.S. sample of 4,836 older adults in the 2018 wave of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), this brief report evaluated associations between social integration indicators and the odds of completing (a) both discussions and formal plans (two-pronged ACP), (b) discussions only, (c) no ACP, and (d) formal ACP only (reference category). We adjust for demographic and health characteristics established as correlates of ACP. Results A minority (15%) of NHATS participants reported formal plans without having discussed them. Indicators of social isolation (e.g. smaller social networks and fewer social activities) increased the odds of engaging in formal planning only compared to two-pronged ACP. Socioeconomic disadvantage and probable dementia reduced the odds of having end-of-life conversations, whether as one's only preparation or in tandem with formal preparations. Discussion Socially isolated persons are especially likely to do formal planning only, which is considered less effective than two-pronged ACP. Health care professionals should recognize that older adults with few kin may require additional support and guidance when doing ACP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Drawing on insights from theorizing on cumulative dis/advantage (CDA), we aimed to advance understanding of educational attainment as a protective factor for later-life cognition by examining whether associations between obtaining a bachelor's degree and later-life cognition differ according to individuals' likelihood of completing college based on characteristics in adolescence. Methods We conducted a propensity score analysis with data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). Measures to predict college completion were assessed prospectively in adolescence, and a global measure of later-life cognition was based on cognitive assessments at age 65. Results College completion by age 25 (vs high school only) was associated with better later-life cognition for both men and women. Among men specifically, associations were stronger for those who were less likely as adolescents to complete college. Discussion Results indicate the utility of a CDA perspective for investigating the implications of interconnected early life risk and protective factors for later-life cognition, as well as ways in which college education can both contribute to, as well as mitigate, processes of CDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines associations between perceived day-to-day age discrimination, positive well-being, and physical health over a 20-year span. Data came from all three waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (1995–2014). Generalized structural equation modeling was used to analyze 6,016 observations of 3,102 participants and test associations between age discrimination and (a) psychological well-being and positive affect, and (b) self-rated health, instrumental activities of daily living, and chronic conditions. Associations were also examined between the well-being measures and all three health outcomes. Between-persons and within-persons effects were modeled separately but simultaneously. Both between-persons and within-persons results revealed numerous significant associations between age discrimination and physical health, although results were stronger between-persons. Moreover, hypothesized associations of age discrimination with well-being, and of well-being with physical health, were supported both between- and within-persons. Findings suggest diminished well-being may be one mechanism whereby age discrimination harms health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined childhood socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of later life cognition and the extent to which midlife SES accounts for associations. Methods: Data came from 5,074 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Measures from adolescence included parents' educational attainment, father's occupational status, and household income. Memory and language/executive function were assessed at ages 65 and 72 years. Results: Global childhood SES was a stronger predictor of baseline levels of language/executive function than baseline memory. Associations involving parents' education were reduced in size and by statistical significance when accounting for participants' midlife SES, whereas associations involving parental income and occupational status became statistically nonsignificant. We found no associations between childhood SES and change in cognition. Discussion: Findings contribute to growing evidence that socioeconomic differences in childhood have potential consequences for later life cognition, particularly in terms of the disparate levels of cognition with which people enter later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which examined whether aspects of current family relationships and the level of social support provision would mediate the association between a history of childhood abuse and adult psychological functioning. Topics covered include the outcomes that were measured in the study, such as life satisfaction, aspects of family relationships included as mediators, and how childhood abuse can hinder perceived availability of family support in adulthood.

Purpose of the Study In later life, adults' social networks grow smaller through a combination of intentional selection and involuntary loss. This study examined whether older adults who lack a high-quality marriage compensate for this using support from other ties. We analyzed how relationships with family and friends are associated with depressive symptoms across multiple marital statuses. Design and Methods Data from 3,371 older adults who participated in the most recent wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Results Individuals in high-quality marriages experienced fewer depressive symptoms than the widowed, never married, divorced/separated, and those in lower-quality marriages. Older adults' perceived family support, family strain, and friend strain were all significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The only difference in these effects according to marital status was for perceived family support, which was strongest for the never married. Implications The never married may depend more on family and friends than the previously or unhappily married. Any compensation efforts among the latter failed to reduce depressive symptoms relative to happily married others. Older adults in high-quality marriages benefit from their marital relationship, and also benefit from supportive family and friend ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Older adults typically choose their next-of-kin to serve as surrogate on their behalf should they become decisionally incapacitated at the end of life. However, some older adults do not choose their closest relative, even if they are married or parents. We compared the social networks of these latter persons to their peers who prefer a next-of-kin surrogate, anticipating differences in relationship quality and network size. Methods: We used multinomial logistic regressions to investigate the quality and size of the social networks of 1,245 persons whose next of kin was a spouse and 723 persons whose next-of-kin was an adult child, and who participated in the 2005 National Social Life, Health and Aging Project. Results: Twenty percent of those whose next-of-kin was a spouse and 32% of those whose next-of-kin was an adult child either bypassed that person in favor of a different surrogate, or preferred no surrogate at all. Low-quality next-of-kin relationships pushed older adults away from next-of-kin, and a greater number of high-quality relationships outside the immediate family pulled older adults toward a surrogate who was not next-of-kin. Discussion: We discuss what is distinctive about the social networks of each group, and the implications for end-of-life support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Scholars have identified participation in voluntary associations as a central component of civic engagement for younger and older people alike. However, there has been little longitudinal examination of how such participation potentially fluctuates across multiple periods of the life course, as well as the extent to which involvement in youth is associated with participation in later life. Method: We used data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study--which is among the oldest and most comprehensive cohort studies in the United States to date. Respondents reported their voluntary association participation periodically between the ages of approximately 36 and 72 years. Data collected from high school yearbooks were used to examine whether histories of extracurricular involvement in adolescence were associated with patterns of voluntary association participation across adulthood. Results: Results from growth curve models indicated that, on average, voluntary association participation peaked in midlife and declined into the 60s and early 70s. Nevertheless, levels of participation were consistently higher among individuals with greater extracurricular involvement in high school, and the rate of decline in participation from midlife to young-old age was also less steep for these individuals. Discussion: Findings support conceptualizing voluntary association participation among older adults as part of life course trajectories of participation, with influences originating as early as adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the Study: Age integration theory posits that the age composition of spaces affects the social interactions in which people can engage. This study aimed to examine whether social interactions perceived to involve generativity (i.e., commitment to younger generations), daily discrimination, and/or social cohesion mediate associations between neighborhood age composition, self-reported health, and psychological well-being. Design and Methods: We applied multilevel structural equation models to data from 4,017 participants aged 30-84 who participated in the 2004-2006 wave of National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, merged with data on their 3,714 neighborhoods from the 2010 U.S. Census. Results: Neighborhoods that represented the age distribution of the United States and neighborhoods that overrepresented older adults were contexts in which residents reported the most generativity and social cohesion. In turn, generativity and social cohesion were associated with better self-reported health and higher psychological well-being. Implications: The nature of social interaction links neighborhood age composition to health and well-being. These results clarify the results of prior studies, advance measurement, suggest elaborations to age integration theory, and point to new directions for aging-in-place initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on married couples has indicated that loneliness, an unrealized desire for close relationships, can affect even partnered adults. In addition to individual perceptions of the marital relationship, partner perceptions of the relationship might also heighten married adults’ experiences of loneliness. I employed a dyadic approach derived from the emotion-in-relationships model to examine the extent to which individual and partner reports of four dimensions of relationship quality are risk factors for loneliness among married older adults. Using structural equation modeling with dyadic data from 779 opposite-sex couples in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (2010–2011), I found that spouses’ reports of positive and negative relationship quality were associated with loneliness beyond individuals’ reports. For positive relationship quality, a partner’s report had an effect equal to one’s own report. For negative relationship quality, one’s own and one’s partner’s perceptions operated in opposite ways. There were no differences between husbands and wives, and neither partner’s reports of shared marital activities or sexual relationship quality were associated with loneliness. Overall, results suggest that for married older persons, dyadic approaches to therapy might most effectively alleviate loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the Study: Grandparent-adult grandchild relationships are becoming longer and more common, and therefore potentially more influential in the lives of individuals. This study examined the influence of solidarity (i.e., affinity, contact, and functional exchange) in the grandparent-adult grandchild relationship upon the depressive symptoms of both members of the dyad. Design and Methods: The study used data from the Longitudinal Study of Generations, a survey of 3- and 4-generation U.S. families that included 7 waves of data collection between 1985 and 2004. The sample was comprised of 374 grandparents and 356 adult grandchildren. We analyzed the data using multilevel growth curve models. Results: For both grandparents and adult grandchildren, greater affinity reduced depressive symptoms and more frequent contact increased symptoms. For grandparents only, receiving functional support without also providing it increased depressive symptoms. Implications: The average grandparent-adult grandchild relationship is a source of both support and strain to both generations. These relationships exhibit great diversity, however, with large amounts of variation between dyads and within a single dyad over time. We suggest how policy makers and practitioners can identify the relational contexts that best promote the well-being of members of both generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the Study: This study examined depressive symptoms among adult survivors of childhood maltreatment who provided care to their former abusive/neglectful parents. We also investigated the extent to which four coping styles--problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, positive social support, and negative social support-moderated the association between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms of the caregivers. Design and Methods: Among 1,001 filial caregivers from the 2003-2005 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, 18.6% of respondents reported verbal, physical, or sexual abuse in childhood; 9.4% reported neglect in childhood. Ordinary least squares regression models were estimated. Results: Persons who had a history of parental abuse showed significantly more frequent depressive symptoms when providing care to their abusive parent(s) compared with caregivers who had not experienced parental abuse. Those who had been neglected had significantly more frequent depressive symptoms than caregivers who did not report neglect. Additionally, the use of emotion-focused coping was more strongly associated with more frequent depressive symptoms among abused caregivers than among caregivers with no history of abuse. Implications: This vulnerable group of caregivers should be recognized in the development and implementation of support services for family caregivers at the state and national levels. In direct practice settings, when assessing caregiver stress and burden, the history of childhood maltreatment needs to be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates processes within marital discussions about end-of-life medical treatment preferences. The associations among marital quality, the perception of having been understood following discussion, and intentions for whom to appoint as a health care surrogate are addressed. Data from 2,969 white married couples in their mid-60s are analyzed. Four-fifths of primary respondents reported that their partners understood their preferences extremely well. Primary respondents’ perceptions of high marital quality were associated with feeling extremely well understood. In turn, feeling understood partially mediated the relationship between perceptions of marital quality and the intention to appoint the partner as durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC). Implications for research on marital communication and quality end-of-life health care are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: Childhood abuse has long-term negative effects on adult psychological well-being. This study examined whether and how adults with a history of childhood abuse may experience poor psychological functioning partly due to aspects of current family relationships., Method: We estimated multilevel mediation models using 3 waves of longitudinal data from 3,487 participants in the study of Midlife Development in the United States. Outcomes measured included negative affect, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. We included aspects of family relationships as mediators: perceived support, perceived strain, frequency of contact, and hours of providing instrumental and emotional support., Results: Multilevel mediation models showed that childhood verbal and physical abuse negatively affected diverse aspects of family relationships in later adulthood (i.e., less perceived support, more perceived strain, less frequent contact, and fewer hours of providing instrumental support). We also found that less perceived support and more family strain significantly mediated the associations between childhood abuse and all 3 psychological functioning outcomes., Discussion: Childhood abuse appears to hinder perceived availability of family support in adulthood, which may undermine the psychological functioning of adults with a history of childhood abuse. To improve their psychological health, interventions should focus on facilitating supportive and functional family relationships., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)