Adult Life Course Research Articles

Association between common mental disorder and obesity over the adult life course

Prospective data on the association between common mental disorders and obesity are scarce, and the impact of ageing on this association is poorly understood. To examine the association between common mental disorders and obesity (body mass index > or = 30 kg/m(2)) across the adult life course. The participants, 6820 men and 3346 women, aged 35-55 were screened four times during a 19-year follow-up (the Whitehall II study). Each screening included measurements of mental disorders (the General Health Questionnaire), weight and height. The excess risk of obesity in the presence of mental disorders increased with age (P = 0.004). The estimated proportion of people who were obese was 5.7% at age 40 both in the presence and absence of mental disorders, but the corresponding figures were 34.6% and 27.1% at age 70. The excess risk did not vary by gender or according to ethnic group or socioeconomic position. The association between common mental disorders and obesity becomes stronger at older ages.

Longitudinal Tracking of Left Ventricular Mass Over the Adult Life Course

Information is limited on the longitudinal tracking of left ventricular (LV) mass over the adult life course and the determinants of such change. We used multilevel modeling to evaluate the correlates of LV mass prospectively over a 16-year period in 4217 Framingham study participants (mean age 45 years, 53% women) using up to 4 serial routine echocardiographic observations on each individual (11 762 observations). Age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, smoking, and diabetes mellitus were related to longitudinal measures of LV mass. Women and participants with diabetes mellitus experienced a steeper increase in LV mass with advancing age (compared with men and those without diabetes mellitus; P for interactions <0.0001 and 0.0003, respectively). Women also displayed greater increments in LV mass with increasing body mass index (compared with men, P=0.04 for interaction). Participants with optimal values of these risk factors experienced lesser increases in LV mass over time. Analyses evaluating short-term (4-year) changes in LV mass (2605 unique individuals providing 4494 observations) identified the same key determinants that influenced its long-term trajectory (ie, body mass index, sex, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, and smoking). Our longitudinal observations on a large community-based sample identified higher blood pressure, excess adiposity, smoking, and diabetes mellitus as fundamental determinants of LV mass tracking over the adult life course. These observations are consistent with the notion that maintenance of optimal levels of these risk factors in midlife will reduce the burden of LV hypertrophy, and possibly heart failure, in older age.

Exposure to interparental violence and psychosocial maladjustment in the adult life course: advocacy for early prevention

Background:Early family-level and social-level stressors are both assumed to be the components of two main path models explaining the association between exposure to interparental violence in childhood and its long-term...

Overweight and Obesity Over the Adult Life Course and Incident Mobility Limitation in Older Adults: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study

Obesity in middle and old age predicts mobility limitation; however, the cumulative effect of overweight and/or obesity over the adult life course is unknown. The association between overweight and/or obesity in young, middle, and late adulthood and its cumulative effect on incident mobility limitation was examined among community-dwelling US adults aged 70-79 years at baseline (1997-1998) in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study (n = 2,845). Body mass index was calculated by using recalled weight at ages 25 and 50 years and measured weight at ages 70-79 years. Mobility limitation (difficulty walking 1/4 mile (0.4 km) or climbing 10 steps) was assessed semiannually over 7 years of follow-up and was reported by 43.0% of men and 53.7% of women. Men and women who were overweight or obese at all 3 time points had an increased risk of mobility limitation (hazard ratio = 1.61, 95% confidence interval: 1.25, 2.06 and hazard ratio = 2.85, 95% confidence interval: 2.15, 3.78, respectively) compared with those who were normal weight throughout. Furthermore, there was a significant graded response (P < 0.0001) on risk of mobility limitation for the cumulative effect of obesity in men and overweight and/or obesity in women. Onset of overweight and obesity in earlier life contributes to an increased risk of mobility limitation in old age.

The Science of compassionate love: theory, research, and applications

Preface and Acknowledgments : Beverley Fehr (University of Winnipeg), Susan Sprecher (Illinois State University), and Lynn Underwood (Hiram College). Part I: Definitions, Theory, and Measurement . 1. Compassionate Love: A Framework for Research: Lynn G. Underwood (Hiram College). 2. Compassionate Love: Conceptual, Measurement, and Relational Issues: Beverley Fehr (University of Winnipeg) and Susan Sprecher (Illinois State University). 3. Measuring Prosocial Behavior, Altruism, and Compassionate Love on US Television: Stacy L. Smith (University of Southern California), Sandi W. Smith (Michigan State University), Katherine M. Pieper (University of Southern California), Edward Downs (Penn State University), Jina H. Yoo (University of Missouri St. Louis), Becka Bowden (Michigan Bankers Association), Amber Ferris (Kent State University), and Matthew C. Butler (Office of Health and Human Services, State of Michigan). Part II: The Sociodemographics of Compassionate Love . 4. Love and Caring in the United States: Trends and Correlates of Empathy, Altruism, and Related Constructs: Tom W. Smith (University of Chicago). 5. Compassionate Motivation and Compassionate Acts across the Adult Life Course: Evidence from US National Studies: Nadine F. Marks (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Jieun Song (University of Wisconsin-Madison). Part III: Compassionate Love in Close Relationships . 6. Empathy and Compassionate Love in Early Childhood: Development and Family Influence: Brenda L. Volling, Amy M. Kolak, and Denise E. Kennedy (all University of Michigan). 7. Compassionate Love in Early Marriage: Lisa A. Neff (University of Toledo) and Benjamin R. Karney (University of California, Los Angeles). Part IV: Compassionate Love for Non-Close Others . 8. A Behavioral Systems Perspective on Compassionate Love: Mario Mikulincer (Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya), Phillip R. Shaver (University of California, Davis), and Omri Gillath (University of Kansas). 9. Compassionate Acts: Motivations for and Correlates of Volunteerism among Older Adults: Allen M. Omoto (Claremont Graduate University), Anna M. Malsch (Portland State University), and Jorge A. Barraza (Claremont Graduate University). 10. Compassionate Love for Individuals in Other Social Groups: Salena Brody (Collin County Community College), Stephen C. Wright (Simon Fraser University), Arthur Aron (State University of New York at Stony Brook), and Tracy McLaughlin-Volpe (Boston College). Part V: Compassionate Love in Health Care and Other Caregiving Contexts. 11. Compassionate Family Caregiving in the Light and Shadow of Death: Linda J. Roberts, Meg Wise, and Lori L. DuBenske (all University of Wisconsin-Madison). 12. Compassionate Clinicians: Exemplary Care in Hospital Settings: David R. Graber (Medical University of South Carolina) and Maralynne D. Mitcham (College of Health Professions). 13. Caregiving in Sociocultural Context: Norman D. Giesbrecht (University of Calgary). Part VI: Compassionate Love in an Intercultural Context. 14. Testing Aspects of Compassionate Love in a Sample of Indonesian Adolescents: Julie Vaughan, Nancy Eisenberg (both Arizona State University), Doran C. French (Illinois Wesleyan University), Urip Purwono (Universitas Padjadjaran), Telie A. Suryanti (associate consultant), and Sri Pidada (deceased). Part VII: Commentary. 15. Compassionate Love: Concluding Reflections: Daniel Perlman (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Rozzana Sanchez Aragon (National Autonomous University of Mexico). Index

Body mass index over the adult life course and cognition in late midlife: the Whitehall II Cohort Study

Background:The extent to which cognition in late midlife is influenced by lifetime obesity is unclear.Objective: We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) over the adult life course and cognition in late midlife and assessed the cumulative effects of obesity and underweight.Design: Data from the Whitehall II Study were examined. BMI at 25 y (early adulthood) was self-reported at phase 1 and was measured in early midlife (mean age = 44 y; phase 1) and in late midlife (mean age = 61 y; phase 7). Cognition (n = 5131) was assessed in late midlife (phase 7) by using the Mini-Mental State Examination and tests of memory and executive function, all of which were standardized to T scores (mean ± SD: 50 ± 10).Results: Both underweight and obesity were associated with lower cognition in late midlife and with early adulthood, early midlife, and late midlife measures of BMI. Being obese at 2 or 3 occasions was associated with lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores and scores of memory and executive function in analyses adjusted for age, sex, and education [difference (95% CI) in mean T scores compared with normal-weight group: −1.51 (−2.77, −0.25), −1.27 (−2.46, −0.07), and −1.35 (−2.45, −0.24), respectively]. Participants who were underweight at ≥2 occasions from early adulthood to late midlife had lower executive function [difference (95% CI) in mean T score: −4.57 (−6.94, −2.20)]. A large increase in BMI from early to late midlife was associated with lower executive function.Conclusions: Long-term obesity and long-term underweight in adulthood are associated with lower cognitive scores in late midlife. Public health messages should promote a healthy weight at all ages.

The Black–White difference in age trajectories of functional health over the life course

This study examines whether the racial disparity in functional health grows unabated over the adult life course – the cumulative disadvantage hypothesis – or shrinks among the oldest old – the age-as-leveler hypothesis. Special emphasis is placed on the role of socioeconomic status (SES), which is highly associated with race. The analysis uses latent growth-curve modeling to examine differences in age trajectories of functional health between Black and White Americans and is based on nationally representative panel data of 3497 adults. Results cautiously support the age-as-leveler hypothesis. Net of functional health at baseline, Black adults experience a growing disadvantage in functional health over time until the oldest ages, when the gap in functional health begins to shrink. Results indicate that the potential leveling mechanisms of age may be specific to women. SES including financial assets explains the divergence in functional health across young and middle-aged Black and White adults, but not the later-life convergence. This study reveals the life-course pattern of racial disparity in functional health and suggests that more theoretical development is needed in this field to explain why the age-as-leveler and cumulative disadvantage processes are different for functional health than for other outcomes.

The experiences of “aging” among formerly homeless adults with chronic mental illness: A qualitative study

Little is known about the life course of older adults with serious mental illness who have also been homeless. Using 44 life history interviews with 25 study participants ages 40 to 62, this study used case study and thematic analysis to examine the lived experience of such individuals as they enter their mid- and later-life years. Participants, whose lives were marred by early-onset substance abuse, symptoms of mental illness and a descent into homelessness, spoke of an awareness of aging and premature mortality. Major themes that emerged were: (1) reflecting on losses, (2) growing older and wiser, (3) struggling with normality, (4) having space and time to reevaluate, and (5) awareness of the future and “time left.” Life histories which focus on the person-in-context and their subjective experiences provide a viable research method to further the understanding of one of the most underserved and hardest-to-reach populations.

Work, Family and Criminal Desistance: Adult Social Bonds in a Nordic Welfare State

This research presents an application of Sampson and Laub’s theory of age-graded informal social control in a national environment in which the structural and cultural contexts of work and family are radically different from the United States, where the theory was developed. Focused on a sample of Finnish recidivists, the study examines the role of work, parenthood, marriage and cohabitation in the process of criminal desistance. The study fi nds empirical support for the basic assumptions of the theory as well as the general contention that the restraining capacity of adult life course transitions is sensitive to the cultural context in which they are embedded.

Biological implications of low condition factor “axe handle” specimens of the Antarctic toothfish,Dissostichus mawsoni, from the Ross Sea

AbstractWe evaluated the condition factor (K), an index of weight per unit length, in a sample of 49 761 longline-caught specimens of Antarctic toothfish,Dissostichus mawsoni, from the Ross Sea. Our sample consisted of specimens from northern (60–70°S) and southern (70–78°S) regions. Fifty percent of the northern sample and 4.9% of the southern sample were large individuals with a low condition factor (Kah ≤ 1.0182) and displaying an “axe handle (ah)” morphology with a notably thinner trunk. In the northern sample 55.4% of the males and 43.2% of the females were less thanKah.In the southern region 5.3% of the males and 4.5% of the females were less thanKah. The axe handle morphology is attributable to the metabolic loss of muscular and subcutaneous lipid stores, and probably proteins, from white muscle. Our discussion considers energy metabolism as related to migration, feeding and reproduction. We suggest that migration, a life history trait of the phyletically basal notothenioid cladesPseudaphritisandEleginops, persists inD. mawsoni. The spawning migration from the southern shelf to ridges and seamounts in the north may reflect fidelity to historic spawning grounds. As evidenced by the axe handle specimens neutral buoyancy of largeD. mawsonimay be ephemeral, fluctuating over the course of adult life.

A Long Adolescence in a Lame Direction? What Should We Make of the Changing Structure and Meaning of Young Adulthood?

Sociological data confirms what we have often felt: (a) adulthood is now a more difficult status to attain; (b) transitioning to adulthood admits to different pathways, complicating ministry with young adults; and (c) the meaning people attribute to being “adult” is more varied than when societal roles were more ascribed. This article offers sociological analysis of these trends, especially as they impact how Christian identity is shaped. It also suggests strategic foci for Christian educators tending the life course of young adults.

Blood Pressure Change and Risk of Hypertension Associated With Parental Hypertension&lt;subtitle&gt;The Johns Hopkins Precursors Study&lt;/subtitle&gt;

Parental hypertension is used to classify hypertension risk in young adults, but the long-term association of parental hypertension with blood pressure (BP) change and risk of hypertension over the adult life span has not been well studied. We examined the association of parental hypertension with BP change and hypertension risk from young adulthood through the ninth decade of life in a longitudinal cohort of 1160 male former medical students with 54 years of follow-up. In mixed-effects models using 29 867 BP measurements, mean systolic and diastolic BP readings were significantly higher at baseline among participants with parental hypertension. The rate of annual increase was slightly higher for systolic (0.03 mm Hg, P= .04), but not diastolic, BP in those with parental hypertension. After adjustment for baseline systolic and diastolic BP and time-dependent covariates--body mass index, alcohol consumption, coffee drinking, physical activity, and cigarette smoking--the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) of hypertension development was 1.5 (1.2-2.0) for men with maternal hypertension only, 1.8 (1.4-2.4) for men with paternal hypertension only, and 2.4 (1.8-3.2) for men with hypertension in both parents compared with men whose parents never developed hypertension. Early-onset (at age <or=55 years) hypertension in both parents imparted a 6.2-fold higher adjusted risk (95% CI, 3.6-10.7) for the development of hypertension throughout adult life and a 20.0-fold higher adjusted risk (95% CI, 8.4-47.9) at the age of 35 years. Hypertension in both mothers and fathers has a strong independent association with elevated BP levels and incident hypertension over the course of adult life.

Emerging Adulthood: What Is It, and What Is It Good For?

ABSTRACT— This article asserts that the theory of emerging adulthood is a useful way of conceptualizing the lives of people from their late teens to their mid‐ to late 20s in industrialized societies. The place of emerging adulthood within the adult life course is discussed. The weaknesses of previous terms for this age period are examined, and emerging adulthood is argued to be preferable as a new term for a new phenomenon. With respect to the question of whether emerging adulthood is experienced positively or negatively by most people, it is argued that it is positive for most people but entails developmental challenges that may be difficult and there is great heterogeneity, with some emerging adults experiencing serious problems. With respect to the question of whether or not emerging adulthood is good for society, it is argued that claims of the dangers of emerging adulthood are overblown, but emerging adulthood is probably a mixed blessing for society.

Obesity and hospitalization over the adult life course: does duration of exposure increase use?

Consistent with a new genre of research on life-course analyses of health-service use, this study explores the consequences of long-term exposure to a risk factor. Drawing from cumulative-disadvantage theory, the study examines whether obesity, especially chronic obesity, increases hospitalization admission and length of stay. Analyses make use of hospital records abstracted over 20 years from a national survey of adults 41 to 77 years of age at baseline (n = 4,574). Multiple measures of body weight are used to calculate adult obesity duration. Results reveal that obesity increased hospital admissions and length of stay over the 20 years studied. Among persons obese at any time during the study, years of obesity also led to longer stays. The findings highlight the utility of measures of the duration of risk exposure for both life-course studies of health and tests of cumulative-disadvantage theory.

Graphing Age Trajectories

Surveys often sample adults across a broad range of ages, measuring the same outcomes in several interviews spaced during a period of years and comparing the changes observed across segments of the adult life course. Put in sequence, those change vectors provide a composite image of the outcome's life course trajectory. To illustrate, the authors estimate depression vectors in a sample of U.S. adults ages 18 and older at baseline in 1995, with follow-up interviews in 1998 and 2001. They show the vector equations and their graphs and also their synthetic-cohort projection. The authors introduce the trend-function and virtual-cohort projection, showing how they provide tests of ``convergence'' and other hypotheses about trajectories and trends. Results show depression dropping and then rising across adulthood more steeply than suggested by cross-sectional differences among age groups. They also indicate a rise and fall in age-specific levels of depression across cohorts.

The effects of social origins, life events, and institutional sorting on adults’ school transitions

This study tracks a longitudinal, nationally representative sample of non-baccalaureate, high school graduates or equivalents over the adult life course, examining postsecondary adult school transitions and the types of schools entered. Baccalaureate degrees are the primary means to upward wage mobility in the time period examined. We estimate the relative effects of different domains of influence on the odds of adult school entry and type: social origins, life course roles, institutional tracking across schools, and labor market position. Findings are that advantaged social origins, fewer competing life events and stable employment promote postsecondary school entry, especially for women. Greater school attainment by adulthood promotes adult entry as well. Net of these factors, institutional sorting predicts school entry and especially, the type of school entered. Pre-baccalaureate certificates and degrees are stopping points for women, and reduce the odds of later school entry. For all entrants, a history of no postsecondary schooling or vocational-only schooling reduces the odds of enrolling in four year schools and universities. In short, there is a path dependent process of cumulative educational advantage within cohorts that leads to widening inequalities within and between groups ordered by gender and social class.

Chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis enhances both subventricular zone neurogenesis and olfactory learning in adult mice

The ability to generate new neurons during the course of adult life is preserved in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in the mammalian brain. These two regions constitute specifically regulated neurogenic niches, and provide newborn neurons involved in olfactory and spatial learning, respectively. Nitric oxide (NO) is a negative regulator of neurogenesis in the subventricular zone, whereas its role in the dentate gyrus remains controversial. Using systemic administration of NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors to chronically inhibit NO production, we increased neural precursor proliferation in the subventricular zone as well as neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb, without modifying the number of mitotic cells or the granular cell layer thickness in the dentate gyrus. The same treatment specifically improved olfactory learning performance, whereas spatial learning and memory was unchanged, thus demonstrating that olfactory memory is closely associated with the level of ongoing neurogenesis in the subventricular zone-olfactory bulb. The anatomical specificity of the NOS inhibitor actions was not due to differences in the availability of NO, as demonstrated by immunohistochemical detection of neuronal NOS and S-nitrosylated proteins in both regions. Remarkably, the distinct NO sensitivity might result from a differential expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in precursor cells in both regions, as the proliferative effect of NOS inhibitors in the subventricular zone was restricted to the cells that expressed this receptor.

The Color of Hospitalization Over the Adult Life Course: Cumulative Disadvantage in Black and White?

Drawing from cumulative disadvantage theory, this research addresses the following questions: Do hospital admission and discharge rates differ for White and Black adults? If yes, do the differences amplify in later life? This study made use of hospital records abstracted from a long-term prospective study of adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I: Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (N = 6,833). Semi-Markov models were specified to examine the likelihood of hospital admission and discharge for Black and White adults aged 25 to 74 years old at baseline. Black adults were less likely than White adults to be admitted to the hospital, but they had longer lengths of stay. The risk of death in the hospital was greater for both Black men and women than for White men and women. In addition, the observed racial differences in hospitalization experiences amplified in later life. Health inequality in America is manifest in how White and Black adults enter and exit hospitals. The findings demonstrate growing heterogeneity in later life by race.

THE AGE‐SHIFT: OBSERVATIONS ON SOCIAL POLICY, AGEISM AND THE DYNAMICS OF THE ADULT LIFECOURSE

Through a critical engagement with policy trends, we ask how shifts in ideologies of ageing might influence the possibilities available to adults as they grow older. Of particular interest are the implications for how people are being encouraged to think about the adult lifecourse. We address these questions by looking at policy development, taking the 2000–2005 period in the UK as a case example, and by comparing this period to wider regional and international trends. Finally, we assess the implications of contemporary policy, from a psychodynamic point of view, for the maintenance of a viable identity in later life and for intergenerational relationships.

Individual lifetime exposure to inorganic arsenic using a space–time information system

A space-time information system (STIS) based method is introduced for calculating individual-level estimates of inorganic arsenic exposure over the adult life-course. STIS enables visualization and analysis of space-time data, overcoming some of the constraints inherent to spatial-only Geographic Information System software. The power of this new methodology is demonstrated using data from southeastern Michigan where 8% of the population is exposed to arsenic >10 microg/l (the World Health Organization guideline) in home drinking water. Participants (N=440) are members of a control group in a population-based bladder cancer case-control study in southeastern Michigan and were recruited by phone using random digit dialing. Water samples were collected and analyzed for arsenic at current residence and participants were required to answer questions concerning lifetime mobility history and dietary habits. Inorganic arsenic concentrations were estimated at past residences and workplaces, and in select foods. Fluid and food consumption data were integrated with mobility histories and arsenic concentrations to calculate continuous estimates of inorganic arsenic intake over the adult life-course. Estimates of continuous arsenic exposure are displayed, making use of both participant age and calendar year as measures of time. Results illustrate considerable temporal variability in individual-level exposure, with 26% of the participants experiencing a change in drinking water arsenic concentration of at least +/-10 microg/l over their adult lives. The average cumulative intake over the adult life-course ranges from 2.53 x 10(4)-1.30 x 10(5) microg, depending on the selected exposure metric. The STIS-based exposure assessment method allows for flexible inclusion of different parameters or alternative formulations of those parameters, thus enabling the calculation of different exposure metrics. This flexibility is particularly useful when additional exposure routes are considered, input datasets are updated, or when a scientific consensus does not exist regarding the proper formulation of the exposure metric. These results demonstrate the potential of STIS as a useful tool for calculating continuous estimates of adult lifetime exposure to arsenic or other environmental contaminants for application in exposure and risk assessment.