Demographic Trends in the United States: A Review of Research in the 2000s

Interrelations Among Adolescents' Family Connections, Solitude Preferences, Theory of Mind and Perceptions of Academic and Work Competence

This study explored the links among family connections, solitude preferences, perceptions of work (academic and job) competence, and Theory of Mind (ToM) in 73 Canadian adolescents aged 11-18 (M age = 13.1). Previous studies show significant connections among these factors, although little is known about how such associations may relate to one another, especially the role of young people's perceptions. To address these gaps in the literature, this study focused on adolescents' experiences and perceptions of their family relationships, solitude preferences, and competence in the school context and workplace. Participants completed a series of self-report measures, advanced ToM tasks and written explanation for perceived family emotional connections. Results revealed that adolescents with more positive family connections reported higher levels of self-perceived academic and job competence, embraced solitude positively, yet felt less desire to be alone. Girls showed a higher affinity for solitude than boys, and the presence of more siblings reduced the desire for solitude. Those youth who were proficient in ToM skills reported positive family connections and high levels of academic competence. Findings hold implications for future research and education in adolescent's social cognition and social and academic outcomes.

Keeping Us Young? Grandchild Caregiving and Older Adults' Cognitive Functioning

Objective

This study investigates longitudinal associations between providing care to grandchildren and cognitive functioning. It also examines heterogeneity in these relationships.

Background

Grandchild caregiving may support older adults' cognitive functioning by providing social engagement and emotional meaning. However, studies caution that time- intensive or custodial grandchild caregiving can take a toll on grandparents. The cognitive health implications of grandchild caregiving may thus depend on contexts including time spent providing care and living arrangements. They may also vary across sociodemographic groups and have greater effects on older adults who are more vulnerable to cognitive decline.

Method

Data came from the 1998-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and represented over 11,000 U.S. adults age 50+. Using linear growth curve and dynamic panel models, the analysis explored relationships between level of grandchild care and cognitive functioning over time and across sociodemographic, family, work and health characteristics.

Results

Those providing 100-199, 200-499 or 500+ hours of care to grandchildren had better cognitive functioning than non-caregivers regardless of whether they lived with grandchildren. Positive links between grandchild caregiving and cognition were stronger for lower income, non-working, and unpartnered adults and grew with age and functional limitations.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that providing care to minor grandchildren may help support cognitive functioning as adults age. They also support the hypothesis that more vulnerable or isolated groups of older adults may benefit the most from grandchild caregiving.

How Do Households Fare Economically When Mothers Become Their Primary Financial Support?

The economic circumstances in which children grow up have garnered much scholarly attention due to their close associations with well-being over the life course. While it has been well-documented that children are increasingly growing up in households where their primary financial support comes from their mother, regardless of whether she is partnered or single, the consequences for household economic well-being are unclear. We use the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation to quantify how a mother's transition into primary earner status affects the economic well-being of her household and if the effects differ based on her relationship status. On average, household income declines and more households are unable to meet their economic needs once the mother becomes the primary earner. However, these declines in income are concentrated among partnered-mother households and mothers who transition from partnered to single during the year. At the same time, although many single mothers see an increase in household income, the majority of these households are still unable to meet their economic needs. These findings suggest that the shift to a welfare system that requires employment coupled with structural changes in the labor market have created financial hardship for most families.

Becoming a parent: Trajectories of family division of labor in Germany and the United States

The transition to parenthood represents a turning point shaping couples' arrangements for paid work and housework. Previous studies often examined these changes in isolation, rather than as interrelated trajectories reflecting diverse models of family division of labor. Drawing on data from different-sex couples from the 1984-2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the 1984-2020 German Socio-Economic Panel, this study uses multichannel sequence analysis to identify four and three patterned constellations of family division of labor in the United States and Germany, respectively. These constellations differ in women's and men's respective contributions to household earnings and their relative participation in housework, spanning from one year before to ten years after the birth of a first child. National differences are found in the identified constellations, their prevalence, and the role of couples' conjoint education in shaping these constellations. In both countries, couples in which the husband has an educational advantage are most likely to transition to a traditional arrangement. However, only in the U.S. do couples with both partners holding a college degree also tend to enter a traditional arrangement. Furthermore, among U.S. couples in which the wife has an educational advantage, they are most likely to adopt a partly egalitarian arrangement (equal earnings but not housework) upon becoming parents.

Developing a Multiprofessional Mobile App to Enhance Health Habits in Older Adults: User-Centered Approach

BACKGROUND

Although comprehensive lifestyle habits are crucial for healthy aging, their adherence tends to decline as individuals grow older. Sustaining a healthy life over time poses a motivational challenge. Some digital tools, such as smartphone apps aimed at promoting healthy habits, have been used to counteract this decline. However, a more profound investigation is necessary into the diverse experiences of users, particularly when it concerns older adults or those who are unfamiliar with information and communications technologies.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop a mobile app focused on promoting the health of older adults based on the principles of software engineering and a user-centered design. The project respected all ethical guidelines and involved the participation of older adults at various stages of the development of the app.

METHODS

This study used a mixed methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies for data collection. The study was conducted in Ribeirão Prêto, São Paulo, Brazil, and involved 20 older adults of both genders who were aged ≥60 years and enrolled in the Physical Education Program for the Elderly at the University of São Paulo. The research unfolded in multiple phases, encompassing the development and refinement of the app with active engagement from the participants.

RESULTS

A total of 20 participants used a mobile health app with an average age of 64.8 (SD 2.7) years. Most participants had a high school education, middle-class status, and varying health literacy (mean score 73.55, SD 26.70). Overall, 90% (18/20) of the participants owned smartphones. However, 20% (4/20) of the participants faced installation challenges and 30% (6/20) struggled with web-based searches. The focus groups assessed app usability and satisfaction. Adjustments increased satisfaction scores significantly (Suitability Assessment of Materials: 34.89% to 70.65%; System Usability Scale: 71.23 to 87.14). Participant feedback emphasized font size, navigation, visual feedback, and personalization, and suggestions included health device integration, social interaction, and in-app communication support.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to the development of health care technologies tailored to the older adult population, considering their specific needs. It is anticipated that the resulting app will serve as a valuable tool for promoting healthy habits and enhancing the quality of life for older adults.

Non-family Living Arrangements Among Young Adults in the United States

The share of young adults living in married-couple family households in the USA has declined in recent decades. Research on alternative living arrangements focuses on cohabitation among unmarried couples and parent-adult child coresidence. Less is known about trends in non-family living arrangements and the characteristics of young adults living with non-relatives. This study documents trends over time in non-family living arrangements among young adults in the USA and examines the sociodemographic profile of those living with non-relatives. Using pooled US Census and American Community Survey microdata from 1990 to 2019, the authors document age patterns in non-family living arrangements over time and use logistic regression to estimate the likelihood of living with non-family based on individual-level characteristics. Results indicate that non-family living among young adults has increased over time, and that the arrangement is associated with markers of both advantage and disadvantage. Differences across age groups explain some of these mixed results. Trends among younger groups are linked to socioeconomic patterns around family formation. Among older groups, the demographic and labor force characteristics of the foreign born and constraints of their kin availability may be driving trends. The exploratory analysis provides relevant evidence around an increasingly common living arrangement in the USA and also identifies several areas for future research on living arrangements among young adults and the implications of these trends.

Food Security and Health Outcomes following Gray Divorce

The study evaluates the immediate and long-term consequences of gray divorce (i.e., marital dissolution after age 50) for the food security, depression, and disability of older Americans. Staggered Difference-in-Difference models were fitted to a nationally representative longitudinal sample of adults aged ≥ 50 years from the Health and Retirement Study, 1998-2018. Food insecurity and disability increase in the year of gray divorce and remain significantly elevated for up to six years or more following the event, consistent with the chronic strain model of gray divorce. Gray divorce has particularly adverse consequences for the food security of older women, while no gender differences were observed for disability. Increasing trends in gray divorce have important negative implications for food security and health of older Americans, particularly women, who appear to be less prepared to financially withstand a marital collapse in older age. Targeted policies to provide nutrition assistance and support in reemployment might be necessary to reduce the burden of food insecurity in the wake of gray divorce among women.

Inequalities in Resources for Preschool-Age Children by Parental Education: Evidence from Six Advanced Industrialized Countries

This paper provides new evidence on inequalities in resources for children age 3-4 by parental education using harmonized data from six advanced industrialized countries-United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Japan-that represent different social welfare regime types. We analyze inequalities in two types of resources for young children-family income, and center-based child care-applying two alternative measures of parental education-highest parental education, and maternal education. We hypothesize that inequalities in resources by parental education will be less pronounced in countries where social policies are designed to be more equalizing. The results provide partial support for this hypothesis: the influence of parental education on resources for children does vary by the social policy context, although not in all cases. We also find that the measurement of parental education matters: income disparities are smaller under a maternal-only definition whereas child care disparities are larger. Moreover, the degree of divergence between the two sets of estimates differs across countries. We provide some of the first systematic evidence about how resources for young children vary depending on parents' education and the extent to which such inequalities are buffered by social policies. We find that while early inequalities are a fact of life in all six countries, the extent of those inequalities varies considerably. Moreover, the results suggest that social policy plays a role in moderating the influence of parental education on resources for children.

Childbearing across partnerships in Italy: Prevalence, demographic correlates, and social gradient

Studies of childbearing across partnerships-having children with more than one partner-have generally focused on countries with relatively high separation rates. We complement this previous research with analyses for Italy using nationally representative, retrospective data and event-history techniques. This study offers three key findings. First, we detected a non-negligible share of childbearing across partnerships, although at substantially lower levels relative to other wealthy countries (5 per cent of parents aged 25-54 with at least two children). Second, multivariate analyses revealed an impressive similarity to the demographic correlates found elsewhere. Finally, we showed that childbearing across partnerships was initiated by the 'social vanguard' of new family behaviours but then diffused among the least well-off. Overall, this paper adds to the growing literature on childbearing across partnerships by showing the phenomenon to be demographically and sociologically relevant, even in countries with strong family ties and a limited diffusion of union dissolution.

Understanding the health decline of Americans in boomers to millennials

Morbidity and mortality are on the rise among Americans from Boomers to Millennials. We investigate early-life diseases and the socioeconomic, psychosocial, and bio-behavioral factors behind this worsening health trend. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Family and Individual Files 1968-2013, we find that the chronic disease index and poor subjective health have continuously increased for Baby Boomers and later cohorts. Early-life diseases, obesity, and shortening job tenure account for about half the health decline across cohorts. Weakening union protection, decreasing marriage, and declining religion only make minor contributions. All other factors, including early life nutrition and family background, adulthood socioeconomic status, physical activity, and smoking behaviors, make negative or non-significant contributions. These findings highlight that even though recent cohorts have better childhood nutrition, family socioeconomic environment,and higher levels of education and income, these advantages have been offset by elevated early-life disease exposure, obesity, and a precarious labor market. We discuss the findings in the context of Case and Deaton's "cumulative deprivation" thesis.

Young Adult Cancer Care Partners: A Theoretical Description of an Emerging Population with Unique Needs

As the U.S. population's demographics shift, young U.S. adults are increasingly engaged in informal caregiving for aging generations. Yet, there is little research on the unique experiences and needs of young adults who take on caregiving roles for adult cancer patients. Herein we demonstrate through a theoretical description that young adult cancer care partners deserve distinct recognition in the cancer control continuum given the psychological, physical, financial, and social features unique to their cancer experience.

Marital Histories and Associations With Later-Life Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment Risk in the HUNT4 70+ Study in Norway

Objectives: Earlier studies suggest that being married in later life protects against dementia, and that being single in old age increases the risk of dementia. In this study, we examine midlife marital status trajectories and their association with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at ages 70 plus using a large population based sample from Norway. Methods: Based on a general population sample linked to population registries (N = 8706), we used multinomial logistic regression to examine the associations between six types of marital trajectories (unmarried, continuously divorced, intermittently divorced, widowed, continuously married, intermittently married) between age 44 and 68 years from national registries and a clinical dementia or a MCI diagnosis after age 70. We estimated relative risk ratios (RRR) and used mediation analyses adjusting for education, number of children, smoking, hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, mental distress, and having no close friends in midlife. Inverse probability weighting and multiple imputations were applied. The population attributable fraction was estimated to assess the potential reduction in dementia cases due to marital histories. Results: Overall, 11.6% of the participants were diagnosed with dementia and 35.3% with MCI. Dementia prevalence was lowest among the continuously married (11.2%). Adjusting for confounders, the risk of dementia was higher for the unmarried (RRR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.24, 2.40), continuously divorced (RRR = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.43), and intermittently divorced (RRR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.06) compared to the continuously married. In general, marital trajectory was less associated with MCI than with dementia. In the counterfactual scenario, where all participants had the same risk of receiving a dementia diagnosis as the continuously married group, there would be 6.0% fewer dementia cases. Discussion: Our data confirm that staying married in midlife is associated with a lower risk of dementia and that divorced people account for a substantial share of dementia cases.

All-cause mortality risk for men and women in the United States: the role of partner's education relative to own education

This study examines the association between educational attainment, relative to that of an intimate partner, and all-cause mortality for men and women in different-sex relationships. Research suggests some health benefits for partnered adults that arise from economic benefits and improved access to health-promoting tools. One way these benefits could be gained is through the pairing of the highly educated. While high individual educational attainment lowers mortality risk, less is known about the risks of mortality associated with one's education, relative to their partner's education. Using National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files (NHIS-LMF) for the years 1999-2014 with prospective mortality follow-up through December 2015 (N = 347,994), we document the association between relative educational attainment and mortality for men and women with different-sex partners in the United States. Fully adjusted Cox proportional hazard models revealed a higher risk of all-cause mortality for men and women who have more education than their partner, relative to those having the same education as their partner. For women only, having less education than their male partner was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. A better understanding of relative status within different-sex partnerships provides insights into partnered adult's mortality risks.

Role of the Social Support and Health Status in Living Arrangement Preference of the Elderly in China—A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Living arrangement of the elderly is one of the most important components that affect their quality of life in later years. The aging, with the phenomenon of low fertility rate and family structure transformation, has caused changes in the living arrangements of the elderly. This research aimed to find the elderly's living arrangement preferences and influencing factors.

Methods

The data were obtained from The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in the 2018, and the sample was comprised of 9,638 individuals aged ≥ 60 years. Independent variables were divided into social support, health status and so-economic status. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between the above variates and living arrangement preferences.

Results

Currently, in terms of living arrangement preferences, nearly half (45.6%) of the respondents choose not to live with their children. The binary model results showed that elderly who were married (OR = 0.166, 95% CI: 0.147–0.187), experienced more than 6 years of education (OR = 0.600, 95% CI: 0.517–0.695), ability of daily living (ADL) impaired (OR = 0.810, 95% CI: 0.720–0.912), suffering from multiple chronic diseases (OR = 0.803, 95% CI: 0.720–0.912), and obtained community services (OR = 0.884, 95% CI: 0.803–0.972) incline to not live with their children. The elderly who living in rural areas (OR = 1.244, 95% CI: 1.129–1.371), with an income of more than 500,000 yuan per year (OR = 1.557, 95% CI: 1.380–1.757), having children visiting regularly (OR = 1.405, 95% CI: 1.161–1.707) and receiving children's financial support (OR = 1.194, 95% CI: 1.080–1.319) are more likely to choose to live with their children.

Conclusions

This study found that the living arrangement preferences of the elderly were affected by social support and health status, and living with children is no longer the only option for the elderly these days. The elderly care services provided by communities or professional care institutions may become the mainstream of taking care of the elderly citizens in the aging society. Improving the types and forms of community nursing services to increase the accessibility of these services; setting up elderly care institutions reasonably and equipping adequate professional nursing staff should be considered as priority measures.

Grandchild Care and Well-Being: Gender Differences in Mental Health Effects of Caregiving Grandparents

OBJECTIVES

The literature on the gendered differences of mental health as a result of grandchild care has shown mixed results. Research on grandchild care further suggests that nonresidential grandchild care improves mental health outcomes, while residential grandchild care arrangements decrease mental health outcomes in grandparents. The moderating or buffering role of social engagement remains understudied in the grandchild care-mental health relationship. This study examines mental health effect differences between caregiving grandmothers and grandfathers and the moderating effects of social engagement.

METHODS

Using 2002-2012 data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and older, I examine the mental health effects of grandchild care and the moderating effect of social engagement in fixed effects models.

RESULTS

Grandfathers experience particularly worsened mental health outcomes when providing grandchild care in a skipped-generation household. Both grandmothers and grandfathers experience mental health improvements from increased social engagement. Social engagement, particularly for grandmothers, serves as a buffer or produces role enhancement for grandmothers in skipped-generation care arrangements.

DISCUSSION

Nonresidential and residential grandchild care affects mental health outcomes differently for grandmothers and grandfathers. However, social engagement consistently serves as a buffer or mental health improvement for all grandparents. Findings further encourage the continued study of social engagement and gender differences in older adults more broadly.

Life Course Statuses and Sibling Relationship Quality during Emerging Adulthood

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 1,366), we examine how major life course statuses are related to sibling relationships during emerging adulthood with attention to similarities and differences in these statuses between sibling dyads. We find that full-time employment, marriage/cohabitation, and parenthood are related to more distant sibling relationships, whereas college education is related to closer sibling relationships. Similarities in employment between the siblings are related to closer relationships, but differences in education, marriage/cohabitation, and parenthood are related to closer relationships, in that respondents report more help-seeking and emotional closeness with their siblings who have higher education than theirs; unpartnered respondents report more calls and fewer fights with their partnered siblings; and childless respondents report more visits and emotional closeness with their parenting siblings. Examining both one's and one's sibling's life course statuses is important in understanding life course variations in sibling relationships.

Changes in Cognitive Outcomes in Early Childhood: The Role of Family Income and Volatility

Associations between family income and child developmental outcomes are well documented. However, family income is not static but changes over time. Although this volatility represents income shocks that are likely to affect children’s lives, very few studies have so far examined its effect on early cognitive development. This study investigated associations between family income, volatility, and changes in cognitive outcomes in early childhood and examined whether these associations are dependent on a family’s overall income position. Data for the study spanned five waves of the Growing Up in Scotland longitudinal survey (N = 3,621). Findings indicate that income volatility was more prevalent among disadvantaged sociodemographic groups. In addition to average income, short-term volatility was associated with changes in child cognitive outcomes from ages 3 to 5. While upward volatility was associated with gains in expressive vocabulary, downward and fluctuating volatility were associated with declines in child problem-solving abilities. The association between volatility and changes in cognitive outcomes was similar for both children living in poverty and those from medium–high-income households. Our results suggest that policies aiming to cushion all families from negative income shocks, boost family income to ensure stability, and take low-income families out of poverty will have a significant impact on children’s cognitive development. Additionally, a more nuanced conceptualization of income is needed to understand its multidimensional impact on developmental outcomes.

Evaluation of Family Characteristics and Multiple Hospitalizations at the End of Life: Evidence from the Utah Population Database

Background: Scant research has examined the relationship between family characteristics and end-of-life (EOL) outcomes despite the importance of family at the EOL. Objectives: This study examined factors associated with the size and composition of family relationships on multiple EOL hospitalizations. Design: Retrospective analysis of the Utah Population Database, a statewide population database using linked administrative records. Setting/subjects: We identified adults who died of natural causes in Utah, United States (n = 216,913) between 1998 and 2016 and identified adult first-degree family members (n = 743,874; spouses = 13.2%; parents = 3.6%; children = 51.7%; siblings = 31.5%). Measurements: We compared demographic, socioeconomic, and death characteristics of decedents with and without first-degree family. Using logistic regression models adjusting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, comorbidity, and causes of death, we examined the association of first-degree family size and composition, on multiple hospitalizations in the last six months of life. Results: Among decedents without documented first-degree family members in Utah (16.0%), 57.7% were female and 7 in 10 were older than 70 years. Nonmarried (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.88-0.92) decedents and decedents with children (aOR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.94-0.99) were less likely to have multiple EOL hospitalizations. Family size was not associated with multiple EOL hospitalizations. Conclusions: First-degree family characteristics vary at the EOL. EOL care utilization may be influenced by family characteristics-in particular, presence of a spouse. Future studies should explore how the quality of family networks, as well as extended family, impacts other EOL characteristics such as hospice and palliative care use to better understand the EOL care experience.

Border Regimes: Homophobia and LGBT Place Making in Six Ordinary Cities in Europe

European nation states increasingly hail LGBT identities as part of modern values; LGBT recognitions have become a symbol of secular achievements. Discourses around gay rights and sexual diversity are increasingly pitted against presumably homophobic and intolerant ‘others’. An increased intolerant and repressive attitude towards migrants and racialised minorities is justified by their supposed threat to exactly these values. LGBT tolerance is used as a marker for modern values and this positions LGBT people as ‘border patrollers’ who can count as part of the modern liberal nation. This paper analyses 92 interviews with LGBT participants who live in six small and medium sized ordinary cities in Europe. It discusses how their fear of homophobia is evaluated according to perceived sexual norms and attitudes at the neighbourhood level. Neighbourhoods are considered either LGBT friendly or unfriendly according to their socio-demographic characteristics that focus on social class and/or migration and that intersects with race, ethnicity and religion. Based on the findings, neighbourhoods are both a geographical and a cultural terrain that can be understood, organised and contested through a sexuality discourse in the production of border regimes that discipline and produce the confines of the normative, the ‘modern’ and the ‘backward’. Not only are LGBT people positioned as border patrollers but they express their fear of homophobia also through bordering. The neighbourhood can then be understood, organised and contested through a sexuality discourse in the production of border regimes.

Analyzing Birth Cohorts With the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project

OBJECTIVES

In this article, we seek to provide assistance to those who might want to use data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) Rounds 1-3 to compare those born in different cohorts. We outline 2 theoretical models that underlie the design of NSHAP-the life course model and the birth cohorts model-and review examples of social and political changes that may have differentially affected cohorts of older adults. Then we present 2 ways that NSHAP data might be used to compare cohorts, show examples of analyses of cohort differences in measures in NSHAP, and discuss features of the data that might affect their use for this purpose.

METHODS

Round 3 of the NSHAP added a group of respondents born between 1948 and 1965, the Baby Boom. Together with data from an earlier cohort, interviewed in Rounds 1-3, these data allow analysis of birth cohorts of older adults in the United States. We show examples of some approaches.

RESULTS

Our age-matched cohort differences approach included all observations where the respondent was aged 57-67 at the time of interview in different time periods (3,816 observations overall; 2,316 for the Silent Generation cohort and 1,500 for the Baby Boom cohort). Our second approach, age, period, and cohort effects, models the effects of age and birth year using restricted cubic splines, with one model excluding the linear effect of birth year, and the other excluding the linear effect of period. We present examples of analyses using each of these methods.

DISCUSSION

We describe features of the NSHAP data of which researchers should be aware when conducting cohort analyses with these data.

College as a Great Equalizer? Marriage and Assortative Mating Among First- and Continuing-Generation College Students

College has been hailed as a "great equalizer" that can substantially reduce the influence of parents' socioeconomic status on their children's subsequent life chances. Do the equalizing effects of college extend beyond the well-studied economic outcomes to other dimensions, in particular, marriage? When and whom one marries have important implications for economic and family stability, with marriage acting as a social safety net, encouraging joint long-term investments, and potentially producing dual-earner families. I focus on the marriage timing and assortative mating patterns of first- and continuing-generation college graduates to test whether college acts as an equalizer for marriage against alternative hypotheses. Using discrete-time event-history methods and data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I find small differences between first- and continuing-generation graduates in marriage timing, but larger differences in assortative mating, particularly for women. First-generation women have a substantially lower likelihood of marrying another college graduate than do continuing-generation women, and a higher likelihood of marrying a noncollege graduate. These findings highlight the importance of examining noneconomic outcomes when studying social mobility and offer insight into how inequality may persist across generations, especially for women, despite apparent upward mobility.

Is Parental Divorce Homogamy Associated With a Higher Risk of Separation From Cohabitation and Marriage?

Numerous studies have shown that parental divorce is associated with an increase in adult children's divorce risk. We extend this literature by assessing how parental divorce on both sides of a couple is related to their partnership dynamics, specifically, whether there is parental divorce homogamy and whether a history of parental divorce for both partners is associated with increased dissolution risks for cohabiting and married unions. We use Finnish Census Panel data on 28,021 cohabiting and marital partnerships to conduct event-history models that follow individuals between ages 18 and 45. Findings show substantial parental divorce homogamy. Children with experience of parental divorce have 13% greater odds of cohabiting with and 17% greater odds of marrying a fellow child of divorcees, compared with those whose parents have not divorced. Moreover, contrary to evidence from the United States and Norway, our findings for Finland support an additive-rather than multiplicative-association between parental divorce homogamy and union dissolution. Parental divorce homogamy increases offspring's union dissolution risk by 20% for cohabitation and 70% for marriage, compared with couples for whom neither partner's parents are divorced. In Finland, the sizes of these associations are notably weaker than in the United States and Norway, likely because cohabitation and separation are more widespread and socially accepted in Finland, and an expansive welfare state buffers the socioeconomic consequences of divorce.

A Changing Landscape of Health Opportunity in the United States: Increases in the Strength of Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Adult Health Between the 1990s and the 2010s

Understanding the changing health consequences of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage (SED) is highly relevant to policy debates on inequality and national and state goals to improve population health. However, changes in the strength of association between childhood SED and adult health over historic time are largely unexamined in the United States. The present study begins to address this knowledge gap. Data were from 2 national samples of adults collected in 1995 (n = 7,108) and 2012 (n = 3,577) as part of the Midlife in the United States study. Three measures of childhood SED (parents' occupational prestige, childhood poverty exposure, and parents' education) were combined into an aggregate index and examined separately. The association between childhood SED (aggregate index) and 5 health outcomes (body mass index, waist circumference, chronic conditions, functional limitations, and self-rated health) was stronger in the 2012 sample than the 1995 sample, with the magnitude of associations being approximately twice as large in the more recent sample. Results persisted after adjusting for age, sex, race, marital status, and number of children, and were similar across all 3 measures of childhood SED. The findings suggest that the socioeconomic circumstances of childhood might have become a stronger predictor of adult health in recent decades.

Patterns of stress and support in social support networks of in-home hospice cancer family caregivers

Family caregivers of home hospice cancer patients often experience burden and distress, which can be mitigated by perceived social support. However, less attention has been paid to the non-family sources of support within social networks, or to how sources of support may also be sources of stress. We describe support and stress in social networks of hospice family caregivers and identify caregiving characteristics associated with classes identified in our data. We collected demographic and psychosocial self-report data from family caregivers providing in-home hospice care for advanced cancer patients (N = 90). Caregivers also reported perceived support and stress from specific family and non-family relationships. We identified three classes with unique patterns of stress and support within caregivers' support networks using a latent class analysis. Classes include: 1) high support, low stress across family and non-family network members ("supportive"; 53% of caregivers); 2) high support, high stress across family and non-family network ("ambivalent maximizers"; 26%); and 3) high support, high stress across family network only ("family-focused ambivalent"; 21%). Caregivers in the ambivalent maximizer class reported more burden than caregivers in the supportive class (p = .024). This is one of the first studies to systematically explore the role of non-family support, as well as how stress and support co-occur within relationships and across networks. As informal support networks of hospice family caregivers are complex and multifaceted, understanding the patterns of support and stress across various network members is essential to offer services to more effectively manage caregiver burden.

Is having more children beneficial for mothers' mental health in later life? Causal evidence from the national health and aging trends study

OBJECTIVES

Members of the baby boom cohorts had fewer children than their parents. Given that adult children are an important source of social support in later life, this may have implications for the mental health of new cohorts of older people. This study investigates whether having additional children protects white mothers aged 65 and older against mental health problems.

METHOD

Data are from Wave 1 and Wave 5 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (n = 3,845). An instrumental variable approach exploiting the preference for mixed-sex offspring is used to estimate the causal effect of additional children on the risk of elevated depression and anxiety symptomatology.

RESULTS

The estimated instrumental variable model shows that additional children reduce the risk of suboptimal mental health among white mothers aged 65 and older.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that declines in higher-order births may put new cohorts of older women at increased risk of suboptimal mental health.

The Long-Term Costs of Family Trajectories: Women's Later-Life Employment and Earnings Across Europe

The “motherhood earnings penalty” is a well-established finding in many Western countries. However, a divide between mothers and nonmothers might oversimplify reality given that the family life course has diversified over the last decades. In addition, whether family choices have consequences for women’s employment and earnings in later life is not well known, particularly in a comparative perspective. Using data on 50- to 59-year-old women from the Generations and Gender Programme, the British Household Panel Survey, and SHARELIFE for 22 European countries, we derive a typology of women’s family trajectories and estimate its association with women’s later-life employment and earnings. Whereas family trajectory–related differences with regard to employment were relatively small, our findings reveal a clear, long-lasting family trajectory gradient in earnings. Childless women (with or without a partner) as well as single mothers had higher personal earnings than women whose family trajectories combined parenthood and partnership. Moreover, in societies in which reconciliation of work and family during midlife is less burdensome, labor market outcomes of women following different family trajectories converge. Our findings show that women’s fertility and partnership behavior are inevitably interrelated and jointly influence employment and earning patterns until later in life. The results imply that promoting equal employment opportunities could have long-lasting effects on women’s economic independence.

Genome-Wide Heritability Estimates for Family Life Course Complexity

Sequence analysis is an established method used to study the complexity of family life courses. Although individual and societal characteristics have been linked with the complexity of family trajectories, social scientists have neglected the potential role of genetic factors in explaining variation in family transitions and events across the life course. We estimate the genetic contribution to sequence complexity and a wide range of family demographic behaviors using genomic relatedness-based, restricted maximum likelihood models with data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study. This innovative methodological approach allows us to provide the first estimates of the heritability of composite life course outcomes-that is, sequence complexity. We demonstrate that a number of family demographic indicators (e.g., the age at first birth and first marriage) are heritable and provide evidence that composite metrics can be influenced by genetic factors. For example, our results show that 11% of the total variation in the complexity of differentiated family sequences is attributable to genetic influences. Moreover, we test whether this genetic contribution varies by social environment as indexed by birth cohort over a period of rapid changes in family norms during the twentieth century. Interestingly, we find evidence that the complexity of fertility and differentiated family trajectories decreased across cohorts, but we find no evidence that the heritability of the complexity of partnership trajectories changed across cohorts. Therefore, our results do not substantiate claims that lower normative constraints on family demographic behavior increase the role of genes.

Falling for the Ones That Were Abusive: Cycles of Violence in Low-Income Women's Intimate Relationships

This study examines low-income women's cycles of lifelong violence victimization. A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 24 low-income women living in Eastern Washington State illustrates the complexity of abusive interpersonal relationships, and the decision-making processes that abused women utilize to escape violence. The data illustrate patterns of a discursive process of normalization, wherein early experiences of violence socialized women to treat abuse as a normal and expected component of adult intimate unions. The normalization of abuse also set the stage for later abuse within intimate relationships to be downplayed. The participants' narratives demonstrate victims' efforts to interrupt cycles of violence by identifying protection of children and partners' other problematic behaviors as motivators in terminating their relationships. Abuse itself, however, is rarely stated as a main reason for victims to leave their abusers. The study's findings also highlight the importance of utilizing alternative sampling strategies, as the sample of domestic violence victims was not recruited via victim support services, but rather for a study of economic strain. The patterns elucidate the multiple ways in which abuse goes unrecognized and unreported within marginalized communities. These findings also provide insight for those within the victim advocacy network and researchers of domestic violence by showcasing the experiences of victims who are often excluded from studies of domestic violence. To those who work actively in the field, this study serves as a call to action to widen sampling strategies and examine abuse in ways that better fit victims' understandings and experiences of intimate partner and domestic violence.

Marital Stability Over 10 Years Following Traumatic Brain Injury

OBJECTIVE

To examine the stability of marriage from the time of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to 10 years postinjury.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort.

SETTING

TBI Model Systems centers.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 1423 participants in the TBI Model Systems National Database who experienced TBI 10 years prior and were married at the time of injury.

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Remaining married to the same partner from the time of injury to 10-year follow-up.

RESULTS

At 10 years, 66% (938) remained married to the same person. Significant associations were found with age at injury (P < .0001), sex (P = .0028), and preinjury problematic substance use (P = .0092). Marital stability over the 10-year period was higher for those who were older, were female, and had no problematic substance use history. Marital instability was greatest in the first year postinjury.

CONCLUSIONS

Most married adults who received inpatient rehabilitation for TBI remained married to the same individual 10 years later. Those who were younger, were male, and had a history of problematic substance use were at a highest risk for relationship dissolution. Findings have implications for content, timing, and delivery of marital interventions. Substance use education and prevention appear to be important aspects of marital support.

Changes in expectations to marry and to divorce across the transition to adulthood

Marriage and divorce expectations predict family life and personal outcomes. Understanding how expectations are associated with varying characteristics over emerging adulthood (ages 18-28) will inform understanding of emerging adult development. Panel Study of Income Dynamics Transition into Adulthood 2005-2015 data were used in hybrid-effects ordinal logistic regression to parse interindividual and intraindividual variation associated with relationship experiences, socioeconomic and contextual characteristics, and mental and emotional wellbeing. Partnerships were associated with optimistic expectations: both dating and cohabiting predicted greater marriage expectations and lower divorce expectations within individuals. Between individuals, greater time in full-time employment predicted more positive marital expectations, greater responsibility was associated with lower marital expectations, stronger religious identity predicted higher marital expectations and lower divorce expectations, having been arrested predicted greater divorce expectations, greater wellbeing predicted greater marriage expectations, and older age predicted lower marriage expectations. Both between and within individuals, greater worry predicted lower marriage expectations.

Relations Among Father's Presence, Family Conflict, and Adolescent Adjustment in Northern Ireland

Burgeoning evidence identifies the influence of fathers and, relatedly, fathers in the family context (e.g., family conflict), on adolescent adjustment. However, little is known about the significance of fathers' presence in contexts of environmental risk. In a unique social-political context of economic and sociopolitical adversity, this study examined relations between adolescent adjustment, fathers' presence, and family conflict in families in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Based on responses from 999 adolescents (M = 12.18 years; SD = 1.82) and their mothers, participating from 2006 to 2012, fathers' presence was linked with reduced internalizing symptoms, and family conflict was related to both internalizing and externalizing problems. The discussion considers the implications for understanding family dynamics related to adolescent adjustment in contexts of environmental adversity.

Late, But Not Too Late? Postponement of First Birth Among Highly Educated US Women

We examine the link between the postponement of parenthood and fertility outcomes among highly educated women in the USA born in 1920–1986, using data from the CPS June Supplement 1979–2016. We argue that the postponement–low fertility nexus noted in demographic and biomedical research is especially relevant for women who pursue postgraduate education because of the potential overlap of education completion, early career stages, and family formation. The results show that women with postgraduate education differ from women with college education in terms of the timing of the first birth, childlessness, and completed fertility. While the postponement trend, which began with the cohorts born in the 1940s, has continued among highly educated women in the USA, its associations with childlessness and completed parity have changed considerably over subsequent cohorts. We delineate five distinct postponement phases over the 80-year observation window, consistent with variation over time in the prevalence of strategies for combining tertiary education and employment with family formation.

Changes in Relationship Commitment Across the Transition to Parenthood: Pre-pregnancy Happiness as a Protective Resource

The transition to parenthood is both a joyous and a challenging event in a relationship. Studies to date have found mostly negative effects of the birth of the first child on the parental relationship. We propose that partners' pre-pregnancy individual happiness may serve as a buffer against these negative effects. We predicted that parents who are happy prior to pregnancy fare better in terms of relationship commitment after childbirth than unhappy parents. To test our prediction, we used data of a 5-wave longitudinal study among 109 Dutch newlywed couples who had their first child during the study and a comparison group of 55 couples who remained childless. We found that the relationship commitment of fathers with higher pre-pregnancy happiness and fathers with a partner with higher pre-pregnancy happiness increased slightly in the years after childbirth, whereas the relationship commitment of fathers with lower pre-pregnancy happiness and fathers with a partner with lower pre-pregnancy happiness decreased. In addition, the relationship commitment of mothers with a happier partner prior to pregnancy decreased only slightly across the transition to parenthood but showed a steeper decline for mothers with a partner with average or lower pre-pregnancy happiness. In line with the idea that happiness acts as a resource when partners have to deal with relationship challenges, individual happiness predicted changes in relationship commitment for parents, but not for partners who remained childless.

Heteronormativity in the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Young People

Heteronormativity, as defined in queer theory, is the presumption and privileging of heterosexuality. Research on how young people make sense of and narrate heteronormativity in their own lives is needed to inform theories of heteronormativity. Using queer and intersectional frameworks, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 sexual and gender minority young people (ages 18 to 24), analyzed using thematic analysis, to examine how young adults make sense of heteronormativity. Participants discussed how gender expression informed both sexuality and sexual attraction. Participants prioritized biological parenthood over other family constructions but rarely discussed marriage. Gender, sexuality, and race contributed important contexts for how participants described heteronormativity in their lives and should be the focus of future research. Finally, binaries of gender, sexuality, and family intersected in participants' lives and their narrative constructions.

The Strength of Weaker Ties: An Underexplored Resource for Maintaining Emotional Well-Being in Later Life

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine dynamic links between changes in social ties and changes in emotional well-being.

Method

Trivariate dual-change score models were used to test whether a large number of close ties would be more strongly associated with low levels of depressed affect than a large number of weaker ties, and a large number of weaker ties would be more strongly associated with high levels of positive affect compared to a large number of close ties, across three waves of a large, regionally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 40 and older (N = 802).

Results

We found that a greater number of weaker ties was associated with having more close ties over time, and that the number of weaker ties was more strongly predictive of positive age-related changes in both aspects of well-being (i.e., more positive affect and less depressed affect) than the number of close ties.

Discussion

Contrary to popular theoretical orientations in gerontology, weaker ties may offer older adults a more effective avenue for promoting emotional well-being over time than close ties, and may have the additional benefit of compensating for losses in the number of close ties.

The Association between Neighborhood Disorder and Health: Exploring the Moderating Role of Genotype and Marriage

The present study extends prior research on the link between neighborhood disorder and health by testing an integrated model that combines various social and biological factors. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 325 African American women from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS). As expected, inflammatory burden was the biophysiological mechanism that mediated much of the association between neighborhood physical disorder and perceived physical health. This finding provided additional support for the view that global self-ratings of health are powerful predictors of morbidity because, in large measure, they are indicators of chronic, systemic inflammation. Further, both genetic variation and marital status served to moderate the association between neighborhood disorder and health. Finally, being married largely eliminated the probability that neighborhood disorder would combine with genetic vulnerability to increase inflammatory burden and perceived illness. Overall, the findings demonstrate the value of constructing integrated models that specify various biophysiological mechanisms that link social conditions to physical health.

The Critical Need to Recognize That Families Matter for Adult Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature

A systemic approach to researching families and health should capture the complex network within which family members are embedded, including multiple family relationships and larger systems of health care. However, much of the families and health research focused on adult family members has focused solely on intimate partnerships, usually the marital relationship. This neglects the remainder of the powerfully influencing family relationships adults retain, and may increasingly focus on as they age. We conducted a systematic review of the families and adult health literature, retaining 72 articles which were subsequently thematically coded to highlight main foci of this area of research. Results highlight six themes, which include family relationship quality, family composition, behavioral factors in health and health care, psychophysiological mediators, caregiving, and aging health. Findings support an underrepresentation of family members, other than the intimate partner, in research on adult health.

"I have no idea:" Uncertainty in high school seniors' marital expectations

Despite changes in marriage's role in young adulthood, youth in the United States report similar or higher expectations to marry than those from decades before, and very few report explicit expectations to not marry. Marital expectations may be one way to understand if the U.S. is indeed experiencing a second demographic transition, and uncertainty in those answers may provide additional information beyond simply yes and no. Using public-use data from 1976 to 2017 from the 12^th Grade Monitoring the Future annual cross-sectional surveys, I found that young men and women were more likely to report uncertainty than explicitly expect not to marry, and that boys were generally more uncertain than girls. Slight changes in past decades suggest that boys are becoming more certain regarding marriage, however, and gender differences have diminished over time. Additionally, between 2008 and 2017, I found that boys with the greatest educational prospects were the least likely to report uncertainty about marriage. Uncertainty is common in adolescent marital expectations and should be considered as a possibly informative answer to questions about hypothetical marriages. Results suggest that marriage continues to hold strong meaning in adolescents' ideals.

Mothers, Fathers, Daughters, and Sons: Gender Differences in Adults' Intergenerational Ties

Women are more involved in family ties than men, but these differences may vary across generations as gender roles have shifted. We know little about gender patterns across generations in the same family, however. To address this gap, midlife men and women aged 40-60 (n = 633) from the Family Exchanges Study reported on relationships with each aging parent and each grown child. Mothers were more involved (e.g., more frequent contact, greater positive and negative relationship qualities, and more frequent support exchanges) than fathers in both generations, with parental gender differences stronger in the older generation. Offspring gender differences were generally consistent across generations, with daughters more involved by phone in emotional forms of support, and in negative relationship quality; these gender differences were stronger in the younger generation than the older ones. We discuss pervasive gender differences that favor mothers, as well as shifts in gender differences across generations.

The Shale Boom and Family Structure: Oil and Gas Employment Growth's Relationship to Marriage, Divorce, and Cohabitation

Shale oil and gas extraction technology has caused a large shift in the United States energy landscape over the last decade. This has had a wide range of impacts on the mostly rural communities in which oil and gas extraction occurs. While many studies have focused on the economic and environmental impact of shale development, researchers have only begun to study the social changes brought on by shale resource extraction. We examine the influence of shale oil and gas employment as a share of overall county employment on county marriage, divorce, and cohabitation rates. We find evidence that oil and gas employment growth is associated with decreased marriage rates and increased divorce rates from 2009-2014. We test several channels through which oil and gas development may influence marriage behaviors and find that changes in female labor force participation, county sex ratios, and median household incomes are associated with oil and gas development. We also test for differences across the rural/urban continuum and find that our results are driven largely by nonmetro counties.

Spousal Education and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life

OBJECTIVES

Numerous studies have documented the relationship between education and cognitive functioning at the individual level. Yet few studies have examined whether a spouse's education spills over to influence the other spouse's cognitive functioning. This study, therefore, investigates the association between spousal education and cognitive functioning, the pathways that may account for this association, and gender differences in this association.

METHOD

Growth curve models were analyzed by using longitudinal couple data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 5,846 individuals).

RESULTS

More years of spousal education are associated with higher level of cognitive functioning at age 65 (γ000 = 0.0532, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0163-0.0901) and slower decline in cognitive functioning in later adulthood (γ100 = 0.0054, 95% CI = 0.0026-0.0082). The positive association between spousal education and the level of cognitive functioning at age 65 is fully explained by economic resources. The association of spousal education with the rate of change in cognitive functioning decreases but remains significant after controlling for economic resources and health behaviors (γ100 = 0.0043, 95% CI = 0.0014-0.0072). The association between spousal education and cognitive functioning is similar for men and women.

DISCUSSION

Findings suggest that more years of spousal education may slow decline in cognitive functioning for men and women in later life.

Long-term Social Outcomes After Congenital Heart Surgery

BACKGROUND

Patients are surviving decades after congenital heart surgery (CHS), raising the importance of postoperative quality of life as an outcome measure. We determined the long-term social outcomes after CHS performed during childhood.

METHODS

Between 1953 and 2009, 10 635 patients underwent surgery for congenital heart defects at <15 years of age in Finland. We obtained 4 control subjects per patient, matched by age, sex, birth time, and hospital district, from Statistics Finland, which also provided data on the highest education level, employment status, marital status, and progeny for both patients and control subjects. We included patients who were alive and ≥18 years of age at the end of the follow-up on December 31, 2017.

RESULTS

A total of 7308 patients met inclusion criteria. Patients had on average similar high school or vocational education rates as the general population but lower undergraduate or higher education rates (female patients: risk ratio [RR] 0.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8-0.9]; male patients: RR 0.8 [95% CI 0.7-0.9]). Patients were less likely to be married or have progeny compared with the general population. The rate of employment was significantly lower (female patients: RR 0.8 [95% CI 0.8-0.9]; male patients: RR 0.8 [95% CI 0.8-0.9]) and the rate of retirement (female patients: RR 2.1 [95% CI 2.0-2.3]; male patients RR 3.1 [95% CI 2.9-3.5]) significantly higher among patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who undergo CHS at childhood age are, on average, more disadvantaged from both an educational and professional standpoint compared with the general population, regardless of the severity of the defect.

"Best-Laid Plans": Barriers to Meeting Marital Timing Desires Over the Life Course

Most youth desire to marry, and often around a certain age, but many individuals marry earlier or later than originally desired. Off-time marriage could have consequences for subsequent relationship stability and mental health. Whereas barriers to marriage goals in the short term have been studied extensively, predictors of meeting marital timing expectations over the life course are less well understood. This study examined possible barriers, including socioeconomic characteristics and family experiences, both background and formation, to meeting marital timing desires by age 40 using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort (NLSY79). Multinomial logistic regression revealed that greater education, religiousness, cohabitation, and premarital childbearing were associated with delayed or forgone marriage, but associations varied by gender and the age at which respondents stated their expectations.

Unraveling the (Uneven) Linkage? A Reflection on Population Aging and Suburbanization in a Mediterranean Perspective

A complex interplay between socioeconomic transformations and demographic dynamics has characterized the long-term development of European countries. As a characteristic example of such linkage, the present study focuses on the spatial relationship between metropolitan growth and population age structure. Preferences for urban and suburban locations reflect complex socioeconomic phenomena such as sprawl, class segregation, gentrification and filtering. However, the spatial linkage between sprawl and demographic transitions was relatively poorly analyzed, and should be more extensively investigated in relation with population dynamics and socioeconomic structures at local scale. By reviewing pertinent literature, this study outlines how space exerts a non-neutral impact on population age structures in Europe, shaping housing needs and influencing settlement patterns and processes of urban transformation. While suburban locations have concentrated younger families and larger households in Northern and Western Europe, the socio-demographic composition of new settlements is increasingly dominated by older inhabitants in the Mediterranean region. Results of this work suggest how discontinuous urban expansion was specifically associated with an elder, wealthy population with high standard of living and a preference for specific housing locations such as detached villas with gardens and swimming pools.