Late-midlife Adults Research Articles

Age integration in the social convoys of young and late midlife adults.

Homophily on the basis of age is a notable characteristic of social convoys across the life course. Ties to older and younger persons, therefore, are both unusual and potentially provide unique social support resources. This study examined relationships with older, younger, and same-aged non-kin ties among young and late midlife adults. Data came from the University of California Berkeley Social Networks Study (UCNets), a sample of 485 people aged 21-30 and 674 people aged 50-70. A majority of non-kin ties were to people whose age was within 5 years of the participant's own age, although the majority was much larger for young adults (81 %) than late midlife adults (52 %). Younger and older ties often came from different social settings (school, work, religious organizations, and neighborhoods) than same-aged ties, and there were also some cohort differences in the social settings that produced younger, older, and same-aged ties. Younger and older ties also provided different forms of social support than did ties to same-aged persons. Again, the functions of younger and older ties varied by cohort. Implications for life course studies are discussed.

HOW OLD DO YOU FEEL? CONSIDERING THE CONTEXTS, DYNAMICS, AND ASSESSMENT OF SUBJECTIVE AGE

Abstract How old people feel is a highly effective predictor of later life health and well-being. Despite a wealth of research, the developmental dynamics of the construct as well as its antecedents and consequences are not well understood. Our symposium brings together research that models dynamic trajectories in subjective age over long- and short periods of time and links it to psychological constructs and objective indicators of health and functioning. First, Weiss and colleagues present longitudinal findings of subjective age trajectories in a lifespan sample that highlight the reciprocal dynamics between subjective age and social contexts. Bellingtier and colleagues link the age people feel on a daily basis to the age people want to feel and find that when people felt closer to the age they desired, their affect was more positive. Rupprecht and colleagues measured subjective age as well as affect, stress and physical activity on 21 consecutive days. Data attest to the relevance of daily experiences for subjective age. In a similar approach, Tingvold and colleagues show the relationship of momentary subjective age with subjective and physiological stress in late-midlife adults’ daily lifes. Finally, Touron and Hughes found that momentary fluctuations in subjective age are associated with current task engagement and enjoyment. Together, the findings show that innovative perspectives and research designs are needed to understand how people respond to the question “How old do you feel” and why it predicts how well they actually age.

Effects of exercise types on white matter microstructure in late midlife adults: Preliminary results from a diffusion tensor imaging study.

Higher aerobic fitness during late midlife is associated with higher white matter (WM) microstructure. Compared with individuals engaged in irregular exercise, those who engage in regular aerobic exercise show higher fractional anisotropy (FA), a diffusion tenor imaging (DTI) measure that provides an index of WM microstructural integrity. However, whether other types of exercise, such as Tai Chi, can also facilitate WM changes in adults during late midlife remains unknown. The present study compares two types of exercise, Tai Chi and walking, with a sedentary control group, in order to examine the effects of exercise on WM microstructure and determine the regional specificity of WM differences. Thirty-six healthy adults between the ages of 55 and 65 years participated in the study. Based on the participants' exercise habits, they were allocated into three groups: Tai Chi, walking, or sedentary control. All participants were required to complete physical fitness measurements and completed magnetic reasoning imaging (MRI) scans. Our results revealed that the Tai Chi group exhibited a higher FA value in the left cerebral peduncle, compared to the sedentary control group. We also observed that both the Tai Chi and walking groups exhibited higher FA values in the right uncinate fasciculus and the left external capsule, in comparison to the sedentary control group. Increased FA values in these regions was positively correlated with higher levels of physical fitness measurements (i.e., peak oxygen uptake [VO2peak], muscular endurance/number of push-up, agility, power). These findings collectively suggest that regular exercise is associated with improved WM microstructural integrity, regardless of the exercise type, which could guide the development and application of future prevention and intervention strategies designed to address age-related cognitive impairments during late midlife.

Perceptions of community among suburban and urban-dwelling adults aging in place

Community is important for late-midlife adults, offering a sense of belonging and opportunities for social engagement during the transition to older age. The current study examines perceptions of community and geographical ties among a sample of older adults aging in place. Using data from the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (FLSA; N = 163; aged 61–64) and a qualitative GIS approach, major themes were categorized and mapped to create a comprehensive picture of how perceptions of community varied among respondents and neighborhoods. Core themes were connections to place, space, people, and relational benefits gained from community involvement. Residents of a suburban enclave more frequently noted connections to people as being important to community, compared to residents in more densely-populated areas. Implications for future research are discussed.

Age-Related Differences in Intentional Forgetting of Prospective Memory.

This study investigated age-related differences in intentional forgetting (IF) of prospective memory (memory for actions to be performed in the future) in young (19-30 years) and late-midlife adults (LMA; 57-75 years). Prospective memory (PM) performance was examined by using the Virtual Week (VW) Task. An IF procedure was embedded into the VW task and the participants were instructed to forget some of the PM tasks that they were to remember and execute later on a virtual day. The study compared performances of the young and the LMA participants in the context of event- or time-based regular and irregular tasks. The results confirmed previous findings in showing that LMA participants exhibited worse PM than younger participants in lab-based tasks. In addition, although PM and IF performances separately have been shown to be affected by cognitive aging, larger age-related differences were not found in PM performance under IF conditions.

The single greatest life challenge: How late-midlife adults construct narratives of significant personal challenges

This study introduces the concept of the single greatest life challenge—the most subjectively-significant challenge a person has ever faced—and explores its implications for narrative identity. Through content coding of 157 late-midlife community adults’ life challenge narratives, we catalogued the distribution of 18 life challenge topics. Through exploratory factor analysis of narrative features, we found a four-factor structure (identity processing, agency/emotion, verbosity/specificity, and scope) largely consistent with the “big three” narrative identity metastructure. The agency/emotion factor was most closely tied to traits and functioning: it correlated negatively with neuroticism and depression, correlated positively with psychological well-being and life satisfaction, and provided incremental validity in predicting depression. The stories adults tell of their greatest challenges are informative about personality and psychological functioning.

Mean Level Differences in the Vividness, Meaning, and Coherence of Life Story High and Low Points: How Valenced Life Stories Do and Do Not Differ

ABSTRACTThe current paper examines systematic differences in life story high and low points. Narratives from a young adult sample (n = 145) and a late midlife adult sample (n = 154) were coded for vividness, meaning, and coherence. An automated linguistic coding technique was also used. Mean level comparisons found high and low points had similar levels of vividness and coherence. Among the young adults, but not the late midlife adults, there was greater total meaning making (positive and negative combined) in low points than in high points. Across high and low points, levels of positive meaning were greater than negative meaning, in both samples, suggesting a positivity bias in meaning making in valenced life stories. Moreover, the bias was large in both samples (68% in young adults, 450% in late midlife adults). Preliminary analyses suggested midlife adults, when compared to young adults, had a greater bias towards producing more positive than negative meaning. In both samples, automated linguistic analyses indicated that low points displayed greater word counts and usage of cognitive mechanism words, suggesting greater cognitive processing in low points at the level of word usage. Findings are framed within autobiographical memory and narrative research and socioemotional selectivity theory.

Redemption in a single low point story longitudinally predicts well-being: The incremental validity of life story elements.

Extending research on the incremental validity of life story variables and the importance of particular kinds of story contexts, this paper tested the hypothesis that a single theme (narrative redemption) in a specific life story episode (the low point-or an episode that challenges the self) can predict well-being, above and beyond covariates. Two samples, an emerging adult (N=144) and a late midlife sample (N=158), provided life story episodes with different life story collection methods (written and interview) and completed self-report measures concurrently and longitudinally. The findings indicated that low point redemption was associated concurrently and longitudinally with well-being when controlling for the Big Five factors of Extraversion and Neuroticism and narrative word count. These associations held for three months among emerging adults and four years among late midlife adults. Aggregating redemption in high and low points did not improve the concurrent or longitudinal association between redemption and well-being. The findings demonstrate the capacity of elements in a single challenging episode of the life story to predict well-being.

Asthma and health related quality of life in late midlife adults.

Health related quality of life (HRQoL) reflects the impact of a chronic disease, such as asthma, from a patient perspective. Late midlife adults (50-64 years) have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as an important population for healthy aging. To evaluate the factors associated with HRQoL among late midlife adults with asthma. This study utilized data from 2012 to 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Asthma Call Back Survey. Adults with current asthma and 50-64 years of age were included in the study. Independent variables were identified using the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization. HRQoL was defined using 4 domains including self-rated health, physical health, mental health and activity limitation. Descriptive statistics were used to assess sample characteristics. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine factors associated with the four HRQoL domains. All analyses were stratified by asthma control status. Appropriate survey weights were used to account for the complex survey design. The final sample consisted of 5857 (Weighted: 4 million) late midlife asthmatics, mostly female (66%) and White (72%). About 42% had fair/poor self-rated health, 33% had impaired physical health, 23% had impaired mental health, and 24% experienced activity limitation. Multivariate analyses found that Non-Hispanic African American adults were significantly more likely to report fair/poor self-rated health compared to Whites (Well-controlled asthma OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2-4.1). Adults who experienced any cost barrier were significantly more likely to have activity limitations (Poorly controlled asthma OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3). Adults with a respiratory comorbidity were more likely to report impaired physical health compared to adults without (Well controlled asthma OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.01-2.7). Reducing respiratory comorbidities and cost barriers may improve HRQoL in asthmatic late midlife adults.

Longitudinal purpose in life trajectories: Examining predictors in late midlife.

Research shows midlife adults consistently report higher purpose in life (PIL) than older adults. However, less is known about the changes in PIL during the transition from midlife to older adulthood. This study examined 5-year changes of PIL among late-midlife adults in the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (n = 163, MAge = 56.37). Results showed that most midlife adults reported higher-stable PIL whereas some of them showed lower-stable PIL, with trait conscientiousness and race being significant predictors of PIL. Future studies should investigate when PIL tends to stabilize and how personality and racial experiences influence the development of PIL. (PsycINFO Database Record

Personality Traits, Ego Development, and the Redemptive Self.

Life narratives are the internalized stories that people construct to provide meaning, purpose, and coherence in their lives. Prior research suggests that psychologically healthy and socially engaged adults generally narrate their lives in a prototypical fashion labeled the redemptive self, consisting of five themes: (a) a sense of childhood advantage, (b) empathy for others' sufferings, (c) moral steadfastness, (d) turning of negative events into positive outcomes (redemption sequences), and (e) prosocial goals. The current study examines trait correlates of the redemptive self in 157 late-midlife adults. Summing thematic scores across 12 life story interview scenes, the redemptive self was positively associated with four of the Big Five traits: extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability, but unrelated to cognitive features of personality, as assessed on openness and ego development. The findings suggest those with positive socio-emotional personality traits, but not necessarily a proclivity for sophisticated thoughts, tend to have redemptive life stories.

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations Between Adiposity and Walking Endurance in Adults Age 60-79.

The impact of excess weight on current and future walking endurance in nondisabled persons is unclear. This study examines the association between obesity and walking endurance among nondisabled persons both in late mid-life and early old age. Participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging aged 60-79 years (n = 406) who reported no walking limitations, and completed a 400-meter walk "as quickly as possible" without lower-extremity pain, and had a follow-up assessment within 1.7-4.2 years. Adiposity was assessed by weight, body mass index (BMI), BMI category, and percent fat mass by DXA. Adjusting for age, sex, race, height, and physical activity, all adiposity measures were cross-sectionally associated with slower 400 meter time in both 60-69 and 70 to 79-year-olds (weight: β = 1.0 and 1.2; BMI: β = 2.8 and 3.6; and percent fat mass: β = 2.0 and 2.0, respectively, all p < .001). With additional adjustment for initial 400-meter performance and follow-up time, in 60- to 69-year-olds, change in 400-meter time (positive β indicates decline) was associated with all adiposity measures (weight: β = 0.4; BMI: β = 1.0; and percent fat mass: β = 0.5; all p ≤ .05) but not in the older group (weight: β = -0.4; BMI: β = -1.2; and percent fat mass: β = -0.2; all p ≥ .17). Excess weight and adiposity were associated with worse walking endurance in nondisabled persons aged 60-79 years and predicted accelerated decline in endurance in late mid-life adults. Weight management for mobility independence may be best targeted in obese persons approaching traditional retirement age.

Meaning Making in the Life Story, and Not Coherence or Vividness, Predicts Well-Being up to 3 Years Later: Evidence From High Point and Low Point Stories

This study investigated emotionally intense, identity-salient memories—high and low points from the life story—for vividness, meaning, and coherence. Three approaches of perennial interest to memory researchers were operationalized in terms of these memory characteristics: meaning centered, coherence focused, and valenced processing. The study tested which approach best accounted for concurrent and future subjective well-being (SWB), including development differences. Life story episodes were collected and analyzed from an emerging adult sample and a late-midlife sample, as were self-reports of SWB over a 3-year period. The meaning-centered approach received support in both samples, concurrently and longitudinally. Notably, the coherence and vividness codes did not relate to SWB. Developmental differences were found: negative meaning predicted SWB among emerging adults whereas positive meaning predicted SWB among late-midlife adults. These relationships held when controlling for neuroticism and extraversion.

Asthma medication use among late midlife US Adults

Objective: Despite substantial prevalence of asthma, little is known about asthma in late midlife adults (50–64 years). The objective of this study was to examine the factors associated with the use of asthma medications among late midlife adults. Methods: Pooled data were obtained from the 2006 to 2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Medication use outcome variables include: (a) daily use of a preventive asthma medication and (b) use of more than three canisters of rescue inhalers in last 3 months. The Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization was used to guide the selection of independent variables. Descriptive, unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed. Point estimates were weighted to the US civilian population and variance estimates were adjusted to obtain appropriate standard errors. All analyses were conducted using STATA (version 12). Results: A total of 1414 (weighted sample of 15 030 364) self-reported late midlife asthmatics were identified. About 31% of late midlife adults with asthma were using a preventive medication on a daily basis while 11% reported overusing acute medications. Adjusted analyses found that race, rurality and smoking were related to poor use of asthma medications among late midlife adults. Conclusion: Results suggest that asthma medication use is far from optimal among vulnerable groups of late midlife US adults.

Narrating the Generative Life

Generativity is an adult’s concern for and commitment to promoting the well-being of future generations. Analyzing lengthy life-narrative interviews of late-midlife adults, we examined the extent to which a particular kind of life story is empirically linked to self-report measures of generativity and other indices of psychosocial adaptation in midlife. The results showed that highly generative adults are significantly more likely than their less-generative counterparts to construe their lives as variations on a prototypical redemption narrative, wherein the story’s protagonist (a) enjoys an early advantage in life, (b) exhibits sensitivity to the suffering of other people, (c) develops a clear moral framework, (d) repeatedly transforms negative scenes into positive outcomes, and (e) pursues prosocial goals for the future. The psychological and cultural features of redemptive life stories are considered, as are the problems and potentialities of life-narrative research in psychological science.

The "long arm" of childhood health: linking childhood disability to late midlife mental health.

A growing body of research underscores the early origins of health in later life; however, relatively little is known about the relationship between childhood physical health and adult mental health. This research explores the relationship between childhood disability and depressive symptoms among a nationally representative sample of late midlife adults (N = 3,572). Using data from Waves 8-10 (2006-2010) of the Health and Retirement Study, a series of ordinary least squares regression models were created to assess the number of depressive symptoms. Childhood disability was significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms; however, late midlife social and health factors accounted for differences between those with and without childhood disability. Late midlife physical health appeared to be a particularly salient mediator. Individuals who experience childhood disability may accumulate more physical impairment over the life course, thus experiencing worse mental health such as greater depressive symptoms in late midlife.

Paths to Late Midlife Well-Being for Women and Men: The Importance of Identity Development and Social Role Quality

Theories of adult development suggest that personality development and social role involvements are sources of adult well-being for both men and women. However, previous research on this topic has focused mainly on (a) women, and (b) early stages of adulthood. We tested an alternative model for predicting late-midlife adults’ well-being, with role quality, number of roles, and healthy adaptation to late midlife (reflected in lower concern about aging) as mediators of the relationship between young adult identity development and well-being in late midlife. Results indicated that the model fit women’s experience very well, and men’s experience somewhat. Follow-up analyses indicated that the model fit men’s experience with respect to family role quality, but that young adult identity played a lesser role in men’s well-being in later midlife, and that problems in the late-midlife work role were reflected in concerns about aging for men, but not for women.