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Aiello AE, Mishra AA, Martin CL, Levitt B, Gaydosh L, Belsky DW, Hummer RA, Umberson DJ, Harris KM. Familial Loss of a Loved One and Biological Aging: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2421869. [PMID: 39073817 PMCID: PMC11287397 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.21869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance The link between familial loss of a loved one and long-term health decline is complex and not fully understood. Objective To test associations of losing a parent, sibling, child, or partner or spouse with accelerated biological aging. Design, Setting, and Participants Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a US population-based longitudinal cohort study, were analyzed. Participants were enrolled from 1994 to 1995 for wave 1, while in grades 7 to 12, and followed up through wave 5 in 2018. The study analyzed participant reports of loss collected at each wave from 1 to 5 over 24 years and used a banked wave 5 blood sample for subsequent DNA methylation testing and epigenetic clock calculation from 2018 to 2024. Data were analyzed from January 2022 to July 2024. Exposure Loss of biological parents or parental figures, partners or spouses, siblings, or children at waves 1 to 3 or during childhood, adolescence (aged <18 years), or adulthood at wave 4 to wave 5 (aged 18-43 years). Main Outcomes and Measures Biological aging assessed from blood DNA methylation using the Horvath, PhenoAge, GrimAge, and DunedinPACE epigenetic clocks at wave 5. Results Data from 3963 participants were analyzed, with a weighted mean (range) age of 38.36 (36.78-39.78) years at wave 5; 2370 (50.3%) were male, 720 (15.97%) were Black, 400 (8.18%) were Hispanic, and 2642 (72.53%) were White. Nearly 40% of participants experienced loss by wave 5 when they were aged 33 to 43 years, and participants who were Black (379 participants [56.67%]), Hispanic (152 participants [41.38%]), and American Indian (18 participants [56.08%]) experienced a greater proportion of losses compared with White participants (884 participants [34.09%]). Those who experienced 2 or more losses tended to have older biological ages for several of the clocks (PhenoAge β = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.28; GrimAge β = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.45; DunedinPACE β = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.34) compared with those with no losses. In contrast, there were no associations with 2 or more losses for the Horvath clock (β = -0.08; 95% CI, -0.23 to 0.06). Conclusions and Relevance This study reveals associations between various measures of loss experienced from childhood to adulthood and biological aging in a diverse sample of the US population. These findings underscore the potentially enduring impact of loss on biological aging even before middle age and may contribute to understanding racial and ethnic disparities in health and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison E. Aiello
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Aura Ankita Mishra
- Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
| | - Chantel L. Martin
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Brandt Levitt
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | | | - Daniel W. Belsky
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Robert A. Hummer
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | | | - Kathleen Mullan Harris
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Hsieh N, Liu H, Zhang Z. Perceived Discrimination and Incident Dementia Among Older Adults in the United States: The Buffering Role of Social Relationships. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbae059. [PMID: 38587492 PMCID: PMC11125403 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recent studies have found that perceived discrimination as a chronic stressor predicts poorer cognitive health. However, little research has investigated how social relationships as potential intervening mechanisms may mitigate or exacerbate this association. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults, this study examined how the existence and quality of 4 types of relationships-with a partner, children, other family members, and friends-may modify the impact of perceived discrimination on incident dementia. METHODS We analyzed data from the 2006 to 2016 Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,236) using discrete-time event history models with competing risks. We used perceived discrimination, social relationships, and their interactions at the baseline to predict the risk of incident dementia in the follow-ups. RESULTS Perceived discrimination predicted a higher risk of incident dementia in the follow-ups. Although having a partner or not did not modify this association, partnership support attenuated the negative effects of discrimination on incident dementia. Neither the existence nor quality of relationships with children, other family members, or friends modified the association. DISCUSSION Our findings imply that intimate partnership plays a critical role in coping with discrimination and, consequently, influencing the cognitive health of older adults. Although perceived discrimination is a significant risk factor for the incidence of dementia, better partnership quality may attenuate this association. Policies that eliminate discrimination and interventions that strengthen intimate partnerships may facilitate better cognitive health in late life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Hsieh
- Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Sociology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Zhenmei Zhang
- Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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Mellencamp KA. Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms Following Child Death in Later Life. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:1591-1603. [PMID: 36462213 PMCID: PMC10461527 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kagan A Mellencamp
- Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
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Luo J, Beam CR, Gatz M. Is Stress an Overlooked Risk Factor for Dementia? A Systematic Review from a Lifespan Developmental Perspective. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2023; 24:936-949. [PMID: 35622193 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-022-01385-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Stress exposure and stress reactivity may be potent factors associated with increased risk of dementia. The 2017 Lancet Commission on Dementia and its 2020 update reviewed modifiable risk factors associated with dementia, but stress was not addressed directly. The present study provides a focused review of the association between stress and dementia across the lifespan, with measures of stress including stress exposure, psychological stress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and biological markers of stress. Published research articles were identified in the American Psychological Association PsycINFO database (1887-2021), Web of Science database, and Google Scholar. A total of 53 samples from 40 studies published from 1985 to 2020 met inclusion criteria. Results suggest that stressful life events that occur earlier in the lifespan, such as loss of a parent, psychological stress experienced in midlife, and extreme stress responses, i.e., PTSD, correlate with higher risk of dementia. Although results generally are mixed, a consistent theme is that stress experienced earlier in the lifespan and chronic stress portend the greatest risk of dementia. Reducing stress exposure and improving stress management when stress exposure cannot be changed are thus relevant strategies in dementia risk reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Luo
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 625 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
| | - Christopher R Beam
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-1061, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-1061, USA
- Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-3332, USA
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Lusk JB, Ford C, Clark AG, Greiner MA, Johnson K, Goetz M, Kaufman BG, Mantri S, Xian Y, O'Brien R, O'Brien EC. Racial/ethnic disparities in dementia incidence, outcomes, and health‐care utilization. Alzheimers Dement 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/alz.12891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jay B. Lusk
- Duke University School of Medicine Durham North Carolina USA
- Duke University Fuqua School of Business Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Cassie Ford
- Department of Population Health Sciences Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Amy G. Clark
- Department of Population Health Sciences Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Melissa A. Greiner
- Department of Population Health Sciences Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Kim Johnson
- Department of Neurology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Duke University Duke University Medical Center Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Margarethe Goetz
- Department of Neurology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Brystana G. Kaufman
- Department of Population Health Sciences Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Sneha Mantri
- Department of Neurology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Ying Xian
- Department of Neurology University of Texas‐Southwestern Dallas Texas USA
- Department of Population and Data Sciences University of Texas‐Southwestern Dallas Texas USA
| | - Richard O'Brien
- Department of Neurology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Emily C. O'Brien
- Department of Population Health Sciences Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
- Department of Neurology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
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Donnelly R, Cha H, Umberson D. Multiple Family Member Deaths and Cardiometabolic Health among Black and White Older Adults. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 63:610-625. [PMID: 35932108 PMCID: PMC10204236 DOI: 10.1177/00221465221114485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Although the bereavement literature is voluminous, we know very little about how exposure to multiple family member deaths across the life course shapes health trajectories as people age and whether unequal exposure to bereavement contributes to racial inequities in cardiometabolic health. We use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2016) to consider how multiple family member deaths before midlife shape trajectories of cardiometabolic health after age 50 for Black and white adults (n = 22,974). Results show that multiple family member deaths prior to age 50 are associated with more cardiometabolic conditions at age 50 and a faster increase in conditions with advancing age. Moreover, Black adults are significantly disadvantaged by a greater risk of bereavement and more cardiometabolic conditions regardless of bereavement status. The life course trauma of exposure to multiple family member deaths uniquely contributes to the cardiometabolic risk of Black Americans.
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Tilstra AM, Gutin I, Dollar NT, Rogers RG, Hummer RA. "Outside the Skin": The Persistence of Black-White Disparities in U.S. Early-Life Mortality. Demography 2022; 59:2247-2269. [PMID: 36367341 PMCID: PMC10155466 DOI: 10.1215/00703370-10346963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Research on Black-White disparities in mortality emphasizes the cumulative pathways through which racism gets "under the skin" to affect health. Yet this framing is less applicable in early life, when death is primarily attributable to external causes rather than cumulative, biological processes. We use mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System Multiple Cause of Death files and population counts from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result Program to analyze 705,801 deaths among Black and White males and females, ages 15-24. We estimate age-standardized death rates and single-decrement life tables to show how all-cause and cause-specific mortality changed from 1990 to 2016 by race and sex. Despite overall declines in early-life mortality, Black-White disparities remain unchanged across several causes-especially homicide, for which mortality is nearly 20 times as high among Black as among White males. Suicide and drug-related deaths are higher among White youth during this period, yet their impact on life expectancy at birth is less than half that of homicide among Black youth. Critically, early-life disparities are driven by preventable causes of death whose impact occurs "outside the skin," reflecting racial differences in social exposures and experiences that prove harmful for both Black and White adolescents and young adults.
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Cha H, Thomas PA, Umberson D. Sibling Deaths, Racial/Ethnic Disadvantage, and Dementia in Later Life. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:1539-1549. [PMID: 34687537 PMCID: PMC9371449 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Sibling loss is understudied in the bereavement and health literature. The present study considers whether experiencing the death of siblings in mid-to-late life is associated with subsequent dementia risk and how differential exposure to sibling losses by race/ethnicity may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in dementia risk. METHODS We use discrete-time hazard regression models, a formal mediation test, and a counterfactual simulation to reveal how sibling loss in mid-to-late life affects dementia incidence and whether unequal exposures by race/ethnicity mediate the racial/ethnic disparities in dementia. We analyze data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000-2016). The sample includes 13,589 respondents (10,670 non-Hispanic White, 1,761 non-Hispanic Black, and 1,158 Hispanic adults) aged 65 years and older in 2000 who show no evidence of dementia at baseline. RESULTS Discrete-time hazard regression results show that sibling loss in mid-to-late life is associated with up to 54% higher risk for dementia. Sibling loss contributes to Black-White disparities in dementia risk. In addition, a simulation analysis shows that dementia rates would be 14% lower for Black adults if they experienced the lower rates of sibling loss experienced by White adults. This pattern was not observed among Hispanic adults. DISCUSSION The death of a sibling in mid-to-late life is a stressor that is associated with increased dementia risk. Black adults are disadvantaged in that they are more likely than Whites to experience the death of siblings, and such losses contribute to the already substantial racial/ethnic disadvantage in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyungmin Cha
- Department of Sociology, Center on Aging and Population Sciences and Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Patricia A Thomas
- Department of Sociology, Center on Aging and the Life Course, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Debra Umberson
- Department of Sociology, Center on Aging and Population Sciences and Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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Umberson D, Donnelly R. The Death of a Child and Parents' Psychological Distress in Mid to Later Life: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Exposure and Vulnerability. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:1561-1570. [PMID: 34726244 PMCID: PMC9371454 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study considered whether experiencing the death of a child is associated with subsequent psychological distress in older populations, as well as variation in both exposure and vulnerability to the death of a child among Black, Hispanic, and White older parents. METHODS We used multilevel models to link the death of a child with subsequent distress for 9,763 non-Hispanic White, 2,496 non-Hispanic Black, 1,014 foreign-born Hispanic, and 712 U.S.-born Hispanic parents from the Health and Retirement Study, 2006-2016. RESULTS The death of a child is associated with increased psychological distress in mid to later life for Black, White, and Hispanic parents, with greater vulnerability for foreign-born Hispanic parents. Notably, Black and U.S.-born Hispanic parents are disadvantaged because of the additive effects of their greater exposure to bereavement and their higher distress levels regardless of bereavement status. These effects persist net of additional stressors associated with race/ethnicity. DISCUSSION The death of a child is a traumatic life course event associated with lasting psychological distress for aging parents. Black and U.S.-born Hispanic parents are disadvantaged in that they are more likely than White parents to experience the death of a child, and foreign-born Hispanic parents may be disadvantaged by greater vulnerability to distress following child death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra Umberson
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Rachel Donnelly
- Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Huo M, Kim K, Wang D. Long-term psychological consequences of parental bereavement prior to midlife: volunteering helps. Aging Ment Health 2022; 27:992-1000. [PMID: 35696362 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2087209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES 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. Because most families have more than one child, we further explored whether the number of living children parents had differentiated bereaved parents in their well-being. METHODS We analyzed a pooled sample of parents aged 50+ (N = 12,023) from the Health and Retirement Study (2010/2012-2012/2014), including parents who lost a child prior to 50 and those who never lost a child. Two-level linear regression models were estimated to test the associations between child loss, volunteering, and psychological well-being, and examine the moderating effect of number of living children. RESULTS Bereaved parents reported more depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction than their non-bereaved counterparts, which was more evident among parents with fewer children alive. Among bereaved parents, volunteering, particularly volunteering 100+ hours/year, was associated with better psychological well-being at baseline; yet, volunteering 1-99 hours/year led to a larger increase in life satisfaction over time. The benefits of volunteering held true regardless of the number of living children. CONCLUSION This study adds to our understanding of the lasting effect of parental bereavement and suggests volunteering as a potential intervention aimed at helping bereaved older parents. Findings identify parents with fewer children as a particularly vulnerable population in the face of child loss and calls for more resources allocated to help them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Huo
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Kyungmin Kim
- Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Dahua Wang
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Jung JH, Lee HJ. Death of a child, religion, and mental health in later life. Aging Ment Health 2022; 26:623-631. [PMID: 33645358 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2021.1889968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The death of a child may be one of the most stressful events for parents to experience. This study aims to assess how the death of a child prior to midlife is associated with the mental health of parents in later life, and how this association is contingent upon religious belief in a divine plan. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using data from aging parents (aged 65 and older) in the six waves (2006-2016) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we conducted negative binomial regression analyses to examine the main effects of the death of a child prior to midlife on late-life depressive symptoms, and the buffering effect of religious beliefs on this main effect (N = 8,248). Growth curve modeling was used to analyze the trajectories of depressive symptoms (Obs. = 31,088). RESULTS Experiencing the death of a child prior to midlife is positively associated with depressive symptoms among older adults. Yet, the association is mitigated among respondents who exhibit a high level of belief in a divine plan at baseline. Further, a gradual decline in the number of depressive symptoms over time was observed among the bereaved parents who reported a high level of belief in a divine plan. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Belief in a divine plan has a protective effect on older adults who cope with the aftermath of child loss. The findings in the study advance our knowledge about the complex interrelationships among stress, religion, and mental health in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Hyun Jung
- Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Hyo Jung Lee
- Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Zhang Z, Liu H, Choi SWE. Marital loss and risk of dementia: Do race and gender matter? Soc Sci Med 2021; 275:113808. [PMID: 33713925 PMCID: PMC8015783 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have found that marital loss through divorce or widowhood is associated with a higher risk of dementia for older adults. However, whether these associations vary by race and gender is less clear. To address this gap, we drew upon longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000-2016) to investigate the association between marital loss and dementia risk, separately for non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks. We further examined gender variations in the link between marital loss and dementia risk within each racial group. Results from discrete-time event history models suggested that widowhood is significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia for both Whites and Blacks, controlling for basic demographic characteristics. However, while divorce is significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia for Blacks, the association is marginally significant (p < 0.1) for Whites. There are few significant gender variations in these associations except for the effect of divorce among Whites. Even after controlling for economic and health-related factors, we found that divorce is associated with a higher risk of dementia among White men but not among White women. Economic resources explain a significant portion of the association between widowhood and dementia risk, more so for Whites than for Blacks. Our findings call for more research into the pathways through which marital loss shapes the risk of dementia across racial and ethnic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenmei Zhang
- Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, USA.
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, USA
| | - Seung-Won Emily Choi
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Texas Tech University, USA
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