Life Courses Of Men Research Articles

Genome-wide polygenic risk scores for colorectal cancer have implications for risk-based screening.

Hereditary factors, including single genetic variants and family history, can be used for targeting colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, but limited data exist on the impact of polygenic risk scores (PRS) on risk-based CRC screening. Using longitudinal health and genomics data on 453,733 Finnish individuals including 8801 CRC cases, we estimated the impact of a genome-wide CRC PRS on CRC screening initiation age through population-calibrated incidence estimation over the life course in men and women. Compared to the cumulative incidence of CRC at age 60 in Finland (the current age for starting screening in Finland), a comparable cumulative incidence was reached 5 and 11 years earlier in persons with high PRS (80-99% and >99%, respectively), while those with a low PRS (< 20%) reached comparable incidence 7 years later. The PRS was associated with increased risk of post-colonoscopy CRC after negative colonoscopy (hazard ratio 1.76 per PRS SD, 95% CI 1.54-2.01). Moreover, the PRS predicted colorectal adenoma incidence and improved incident CRC risk prediction over non-genetic risk factors. Our findings demonstrate that a CRC PRS can be used for risk stratification of CRC, with further research needed to optimally integrate the PRS into risk-based screening.

Ageing in DIY and alternative cultures: Exploring forms of masculinity and adult play in Jackass forever

This article explores ageing in alternative cultures and co-existing forms of hyper and alternative masculinity in the US film Jackass Forever released in 2022. The film is a continuation of the original Jackass show launched in 2000. Although a highly profitable franchise, we argue Jackass is part of an alternative culture through its playfulness and pranks that are also dangerous and revel in self-humiliation. Most of the stunts and skits also adopt a DIY approach and reflect forms of perceived masculine and adolescent pranking and clowning. We argue that such alternative and DIY-influenced activities allow men to keep enjoying alternative, ‘carnivalesque’ forms of adult play well into middle-age and can have a pro-social and beneficial impact across men's life course. Yet even if subversive, Jackass can still also reproduce masculine constraints, including suppressing the expression of boundaries and vulnerable emotions.

Life course patterns after parental leave: a 10-year Swedish cohort study with sequence analysis

Abstract Background Knowledge on long-term life course patterns after parental leave is limited. We examined future work-, family-, and sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) life courses after parental leave in Sweden and the baseline factors associated with them. Methods A prospective cohort study using nationwide register microdata, including all women (n = 43,959) and men (n = 43,514) with their first parental leave benefit in 2010. We used sequence analysis to examine their work-, family-, and SA/DP-related life-course patterns for the 10-year follow-up. Multinomial regression analysis was used to analyse the associations of baseline sociodemographics and morbidity with specific cluster membership. Results Four life-course sequences were identified for both women and men. ‘Employment/studies’ (47% of women, 88% of men); ‘Employment/studies &amp; parental leave’ (37% of women); ‘Rapid return to employment/studies’ (6% of men); ‘Slow return to employment/studies’ (9% of women); ‘Low level of employment/studies’ (6% of women, 5% of men); and ‘Increasing sickness absence &amp; disability pension (SA/DP)’ (1% of men). In women, low education (OR range 4.31-58.02), immigrant background (OR range 1.37-3.95), and morbidity (OR range 1.08-1.91) were associated with being in the ‘Employment/studies &amp; parental leave', ‘Slow return to employment/studies', or ‘Low level of employment/studies’ life courses compared with the ‘Employment/studies’ life course. In men, the associations with low education (OR range 4.30-12.98), immigrant background (OR range 2.64-5.71) and morbidity (OR range 1.54-8.01) were found for ‘Rapid return to employment/studies', ‘Low level of employment/studies’ and ‘Increasing SA/DP'. Conclusions After the first parental leave, women have more often than men life course patterns of slow return to work or alternating periods of employment and parental leave. Education, birth country, and morbidity are associated with future life course patterns in women and men. Key messages • After the first parental leave, women have more variable working life courses than men, with more women with patterns of slow return to work or alternating periods of employment and parental leave. • Prior low education, immigrant background, and morbidity are associated with more variable life course patterns among both women and men.

Is Marital Quality Related to Physical Activity Across the Life Course for Men and Women?

Although physical activity is linked to multiple health outcomes, a majority of Americans do not meet physical activity guidelines, often with precipitous declines among older adults. Marital quality is a less-explored, but important, factor that may influence physical activity, as spouses often influence each other's health behaviors. We use nationally representative panel data to investigate whether positive and negative dimensions of marital quality influence physical activity, and whether age and gender moderate these relationships. We find that both marital support and strain are related to higher odds of more frequent active exercise and walking, pointing to the complex influence of marital quality. Marital support became increasingly important to higher levels of walking frequency as men aged. This study provides new information on the ways in which both positive and negative dimensions of marital quality may contribute to trajectories of physical activity across the life course.

Mental Health Across the Life Course for Men and Women in Married, Cohabiting, and Living Apart Together Relationships

This study examines the underexplored relationship between union type and mental health for married, cohabiting, and living apart together (“LAT”) individuals. Further, we assess whether gender and age moderate (separately and jointly) this relationship. Using data from Wave 1 of the Generations and Gender Survey ( N = 34,833), results suggest that cohabitors and LATs have worse mental health than married individuals. The negative effects of cohabiting or living apart on mental health are stronger for women than men. Young and middle-aged female LATs (to an equal magnitude) have worse mental health than married women of the same ages, while there are no such differences among older women. Middle-aged and older male LATs have worse mental health than married men of the same ages (with the larger effect found for middle-aged men), but there are no such differences among younger men. Thus, we highlight previously undocumented gender and life course dynamics of union type and mental health.

SOCIAL CHANGE, SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, AND COHORTS: CONTEXTUALIZING MEN'S HEALTH IN LATER LIFE

Research links men’s health to their participation in, and access to, social institutions such as marriage, education, and work. However, these institutions have undergone significant social change in the past century, altering their scope and influence on men’s health. We tie together several important concepts from sociology and gerontology to provide an explanatory framework for older men’s differential health profiles within and between cohorts, and over time. First, we address the gendered life course which are the structural and social arrangements that create distinctive experiences over the life course for men and women. Second, we employ the concept of cohort analysis to capture social changes in the institutionalized life course. Finally, we utilize the cumulative dis/advantage framework to help understand within-cohort differentiation in health status as men age. Taken together, we can better understand health, longevity, and disability profiles for older men and how these have shifted over time.

Impact of sexual trajectories of men who have sex with men on the reduction in HIV transmission by pre-exposure prophylaxis

Changes in sexual risk behavior over the life course in men who have sex with men (MSM) can influence population-level intervention efficacy. Our objective was to investigate the impact of incorporating sexual trajectories describing long-term changes in risk levels on the reduction in HIV prevalence by pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among MSM. Based on the Amsterdam Cohort Study data, we developed two models of HIV transmission in a population stratified by sexual behavior. In the first model, individuals were stratified into low, medium and high risk levels and did not change their risk levels. The second model had the same stratification but incorporated additionally three types of sexual behavior trajectories. The models assumed universal antiretroviral treatment of HIV+ MSM, and PrEP use by high risk HIV− MSM. We computed the relative reduction in HIV prevalence in both models for annual PrEP uptakes of 10% to 80% at different time points after PrEP introduction. We then investigated the impact of sexual trajectories on the effectiveness of PrEP intervention. The impact of sexual trajectories on the overall prevalence and prevalence in individuals at low, medium and high risk levels varied with PrEP uptake and time after PrEP introduction. Compared to the model without sexual trajectories, the model with trajectories predicted a higher impact of PrEP on the overall prevalence, and on the prevalence among the medium and high risk individuals. In low risk individuals, there was more reduction in prevalence during the first 15 years of PrEP intervention if sexual trajectories were not incorporated in the model. After that point, at low risk level there was more reduction in the model with trajectories. In conclusion, our study predicts that sexual trajectories increase the estimated impact of PrEP on reducing HIV prevalence when compared to a population where risk levels do not change.

It’s “like walking on broken glass”: Pan-Canadian reflections on work–family conflict from psychology women faculty and graduate students

Studies on work–family conflict amongst university faculty members indicate that women experience significantly more conflict in balancing their dual roles than their male counterparts. Research suggests that female faculty may be disadvantaged because of the norms structuring academic environments, which seemingly accommodate the life courses of men. Interestingly, the experience of work–family conflict for graduate students, who are besieged by many of the same environmental forces as female faculty, has been largely ignored within the scholarly literature. In the present study, qualitative responses regarding work–family conflict from 65 academic women (32 faculty; 33 graduate students) from universities and colleges across Canada were submitted to thematic analysis. Results revealed three interconnected themes: masculine workplace norms, the need to choose between work and family, and consequences of work–family conflict. The findings point to the need for academic institutions to critically examine their cultures surrounding motherhood in an effort to provide hospitable environments for faculty and graduate students who are, or who will become, parents.

Trajectories of quality of life, life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment after prostate cancer.

BackgroundTo describe trajectories of health‐related quality of life (QoL), life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment for men with prostate cancer over the medium to long term and identify predictors of poorer outcomes using growth mixture models.MethodsOne‐thousand sixty‐four (82.4% response) men diagnosed with prostate cancer were recruited close to diagnosis and assessed over a 72‐month (6‐year) period with self‐report assessment of health‐related QoL, life satisfaction, cancer‐related distress, and prostate specific antigen anxiety. Urinary, bowel, and sexual function were also assessed using validated questionnaires.ResultsPoorer physical QOL was predicted by older age, lower education, lower income, comorbidities, and receiving hormone therapy. Lower life satisfaction was related to younger age, lower income, not being partnered, and comorbidities. Poorer psychological trajectories were predicted by younger age, lower income, comorbidities, and receiving radical prostatectomy or brachytherapy. Better urinary, bowel, and sexual function were related to better global outcomes over time. Anxiety about prostate specific antigen testing was rare.ConclusionsDistinct trajectories exist for medium‐ to long‐term QoL, life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment after prostate cancer; with age and socioeconomic deprivation playing a differential role in men's survivorship profile and the impact of functional status on outcomes increasing over time. These results reinforce the need for an appraisal of men's life course in addition to treatment side effects when planning survivorship care after cancer.

RACIAL INEQUALITIES IN CONNECTEDNESS TO IMPRISONED INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES

AbstractIn just the last forty years, imprisonment has been transformed from an event experienced by only the most marginalized to a common stage in the life course of American men—especially Black men with low levels of educational attainment. Although much research considers the causes of the prison boom and how the massive uptick in imprisonment has shaped crime rates and the life course of the men who experience imprisonment, in recent years, researchers have gained a keen interest in the spillover effects of mass imprisonment on families, children, and neighborhoods. Unfortunately, although this new wave of research documents the generally harmful effects of having a family member or loved one incarcerated, it remains unclear how much the prison boom shapes social inequality through these spillover effects because we lack precise estimates of the racial inequality in connectedness—through friends, family, and neighbors—to prisoners. Using the 2006 General Social Survey, we fill this pressing research gap by providing national estimates of connectedness to prisoners—defined in this article as knowing someone who is currently imprisoned, having a family member who is currently imprisoned, having someone you trust who is currently imprisoned, or having someone you know from your neighborhood who is currently imprisoned—for Black and White men and women. Most provocatively, we show that 44% of Black women (and 32% of Black men) but only 12% of White women (and 6% of White men) have a family member imprisoned. This means that about one in four women in the United States currently has a family member in prison. Given these high rates of connectedness to prisoners and the vast racial inequality in them, it is likely that mass imprisonment has fundamentally reshaped inequality not only for the adult men for whom imprisonment has become common, but also for their friends and families.

Quantifying the tradeoffs of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer: A clinical decision analysis.

4636 Background: Recent results suggest that active surveillance is a reasonable alternative for men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, but there is a lack of data on the tradeoffs of immediate treatment vs. delayed intervention to guide clinical decision-making. Existing studies using quality-adjusted outcomes are difficult to apply clinically due to differences in individual preferences. Further, benefits of treatment may vary substantially based on age and baseline health status. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations using Markov Models were used to simulate the life course of men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer in the modern PSA era when treated with radical prostatectomy or monitored with active surveillance. Primary outcomes were life expectancy and average years of side effects from treatment, and a clinical incremental

The Retirement Life Course in America at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century

As the baby boom cohorts expand the number of U.S. retirees, population estimates of the employment, withdrawal and reentry behaviors of older Americans' remain scarce. How long do people work? How frequently is retirement reversed? How many years are people retired? What is the modal age of retirement? And, how do the patterns for women compare to those for men? Using the 1992-2004 Health and Retirement Study, we estimate multistate working life tables to update information on the age-graded regularities of the retirement life course of men and women in the United States. We find that at age 50 men can expect to spend half of their remaining lives working for pay, while women can expect to spend just one-third. Half of all men and women have left the labor force by ages 63 and 61, respectively. Although the majority of retirement exits are final, variation in the nature and duration of the retirement process is substantial, as about a third of men's and women's exits are reversed. By quantifying these patterns for men and women, we provide a sound empirical basis for evaluating policy designed to address the financial pressures population aging places on public and private pension systems.

The Medicalisation of Male Menopause in America

The topic of male menopause occupied space on the medical radar screen from the late 1930s through the mid-1950s, then virtually disappeared for the next four decades, until the late 1990s. By contrast, articles on this subject appeared in American popular magazines and newspapers at a consistent, if low-level, rate throughout the same period. This essay describes how the male menopause became medicalised, not by the driving forces of academic researchers and influential clinicians, but instead by a model perpetuated by lay people and medical popularisers. A medicalised conceptualisation of the body and the life-cycle had become widespread by the second half of the twentieth century, as Americans grew accustomed to regarding their lives through the lens of medicine. People came to expect medicine to provide a cure for any ailment; in the wake of the development of the so-called wonder drugs, no affliction seemed beyond medical and pharmaceutical intervention. A medicalised model had also been effectively produced for understanding and treating the menopause in women; a parallel, if not identical, stage in the life-course of men seemed reasonable. This framework, rather than persuasive evidence from the research laboratory or clinic, helped to medicalise male menopause and provided the basis for its eventual pharmaceuticalisation at the end of the twentieth century.

Men's life course trajectories: Exploring the differences by cohort and social class

Abstract Making use of retrospective information gathered through a 2001 national survey in Canada, we examined the timing of transitions and life course trajectories starting from events experienced early in life to events that usually happen later in life. The subjects of the study were men born from 1926 to 1975, and the analyses were done by 5‐year birth cohorts and by social status. Results of the analysis showed that there have been significant changes over cohorts and that the life course trajectories of the poor were different from those economically better off. Men from higher social class were more likely to experience family life events ‐ such as start of regular work and entry into union ‐ at older ages, and were also more likely to follow a normative life course trajectory. We explore the factors affecting such differences in the context of constraints on decision‐making.

Patterns of labour market integration in Europe--a life course perspective on time policies

This article examines the patterns of labourmarket integration over the life course of men and women in seven European ountries. We select a range of household categories coinciding with different phases in the life course and use the European Community Household Panel survey to identify four broad national models, which are associated with different state regimes with regards to ‘time policy’. These are the Nordic ‘universal breadwinner’ model (Sweden) of high participation involving long part-time or full-time hours and high employment continuity for both sexesover the life course; the ‘modified breadwinner’ model (France) where family formation and motherhood are still associated with withdrawal from the labour market for some groups of women and where mothers who are employed work predominantly full-time; the Mediterranean exit or full-time model (Italy and Spain) where fewer women are employed, but when employed generally work full-time; finally different models of ‘Maternal part-time work’ (Dutch, German and UK) where motherhood is associated with a reduction in the employment rate that is less than that found in the Mediterranean countries and in France, but where part-time hours are the norm for mothers, even when children are older. We conclude that the Nordicmodel features the least pronounced gender inequality in time allocation to employment over the life course combined with a greater level of ‘active ageing’ of older workers. This profile is supported by a coherent and integrated set of policies for time and income management over the life course in contrast to the more piecemeal measures that exist in other national models. Hence, the Nordic model offers important insights for EU employment policy.

The Life Course and the System of Social Security: Rethinking Incentives, Solidarity and Risks

The life course has become an important frame of reference in the debate about modernising social security. There is a general feeling that the current structure of social security is not adequately adapted to the altered life courses of men and women, nor is the current design adequate given the changing economic circumstances. This article describes the challenges the life-course perspective poses with regard to the system of social security and the trade-offs that are involved. The main argument of the article is that a life-course-conscious system of social security forces us to rethink the incentive structure of the current system of social security, the notion of solidarity and the concept of risk.

'Between what is said and what is done': Cultural constructs and young gay men's HIV vulnerability

This community-based, participatory inquiry mobilized peer ethnographers to observe their own scene and to conduct a series of focus groups in a project aiming to renew HIV prevention programming for young gay men. Ethnographers were provided training and guidance in qualitative research procedures in a process that evolved over months of observation and reflection. Eleven focus groups were conducted, totalling 71 participants. Local gay press was used to invite community feedback by voicemail. Pointed questions probed cultural sensitivities. Several layers of analysis were conducted to identify HIV vulnerabilities. Analysis of 'reality constitutive' talk revealed several culturally constructed HIV vulnerabilities, summarized as follows: individual-extraordinary challenges of personal development over gay men's life course; interpersonal-the unspoken grounds of gay relationships; social-the state of gay culture with respect to society and its local impact; structural- the transience of life in a west coast city. The use of peer ethnographers in developing knowledge for local HIV prevention generated significant data and had a transformative effect on all participants. Ethnographic field work and ethnomethodological analysis demonstrated considerable usefulness in uncovering cultural interpretations of young gay men's HIV vulnerabilities and what may be done about them.

Schizophrenia and the Life Course: National Findings on Gender Differences in Disability and Service Use

This article compares the social disability and service utilization across the life course of men and women with schizophrenia. Based on an analysis of data from the 1989 Mental Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey (n = 376), we compare functional limitations, service utilization and social integration among younger, middle aged, and older age groups. Compared to those with manic depression, individuals with schizophrenia are more disabled, and are more socially disadvantaged. These data confirm the generally held view of schizophrenia as the most disabling mental illness, point to the very high levels of need associated with it, and emphasize the need for general health care. Findings from the multivariate analysis provide mixed support for our hypotheses. Contrary to expectations based on new findings in the literature on course and outcome in schizophrenia, disability (both service utilization and functional limitations) was greater among older and middle aged adults than among their younger counterparts. In contrast, older individuals with schizophrenia appear to be more connected to potential sources of support. From a policy perspective, those improvements in social integration which do appear with age--whether marriage for men or the ability to make and keep friends among women--have their primary impact on the quality of life of the individual, without any direct opportunity for cost saving in terms of services to the seriously mentally ill.

WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME? Name Changing Patterns and the Life Course in Early Modern Japan

Many legal documents of the early modern period of Japan's history contain references to common people changing their personal legal names. This article is a first report of an effort to discover why men changed their names and the social structures behind this behavior. The study uses the population registries of Nishijo village in Central Japan to trace the name changes of men in the village, and the life courses of men who changed their names and of those who did not. It analyzes the relation of name changers to life events, to their family members, and to family structure. Name changing was strongly related to succession to the headship and inheritance in the stem family. In some families, specific names were inherited together with the headship. However, name changing seems to have been more commonly used to mark heirs and eldest sons who did not inherit and thus reveals the maneuvering within families to ensure the capable lineal continuity of the family. Name changing patterns may be an important tool for understanding the development of the stem family.

Segmenting the active sport tourist market: A life-span perspective

Active sport tourists are part of an increasingly specialised sector of the tourism industry. However, at present we know little about these people whose primary purpose for taking vacations is to engage in their favourite sport activities. The purpose of this study, therefore, ivas (i) to identify and explain the patterns of participation in sport tourism over the life course for men and women; (ii) to identify the characteristics of sport tourists during early adulthood (17—39 years), middle adulthood (40-59 years) and late adulthood (60-91 years), and (iii) to propose strategies for marketing sport tourism at different stages in the life course. A purposive sample of 1,277 New England residents completed a fixed choice questionnaire measuring tourist role preference (activities and behaviour while on vacation), socio-psychological needs and demographics. Of these 1,277 individuals, 621 are sport tourists (279 males and 342 females) ranging in age from 18 to 91 years, with a mean age of 41.92 years (SD 16.8). The results indicate that while active sport tourism is most popular among individuals in early adulthood, a sizable number of both men and women choose sport-oriented vacations in middle and late adulthood as well. Throughout the life course, active sport tourists tend to be healthy, prioritise the play element in their lives, and are relatively affluent and well educated. Changes which occur over the life course relate to choice of companion(s) while on vacation. I n early and late adulthood, many sport tourists report travelling with groups of friends while those in middle adulthood tend to travel with their families. The results are interpreted within a Levinsonian framework, and, implications for segmenting the active sport tourist market using a life-span approach are discussed.