Abstract Midlife is a stage in life where a person enters a more complex maturity as they went through a transitional phase into elderly age. This phenomenon corresponds to UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, where the matters of health, well-being, community, and decent income become a cornerstone for healthy and sustainable ageing. Therefore, problems within midlife are addressed such as midlife crisis. Midlife crisis is when middle aged adults went through series of significant changes, often in negative perspective in terms of physical, mental, and social conditions, such as life purpose, identity, productivity, and health conditions. Though the term shrouded with myths and stereotypes, the idea of midlife crisis is indeed factual. 20% of midlife adults were reported to had gone through midlife crisis sometime in their life. On the other hand, midlife crisis phenomenon is still widely unrecognized, this also showed with the lack of space for midlife adults to connect with each other and have space for their own growth, therefore a community space is needed. Based on data gathered through questionnaires and observation, the role of community and empowerment becomes crucial as it could connect and support individuals in their struggles. The community also becomes a vessel for boosting productivity and optimization for their inherent potentials such as skills and meaningful hobbies that could ensure well-being during ageing process and upon entering elderly age. To study even further, literature review is conducted to better understand the issues faced during midlife and the planning of community centre that can accommodate the activities and needs of midlife individuals in gathering and building community through spatial design that is sensitive and understanding.

Drawing on scholarship and online testimonies, this article construes the midlife crisis as a quintessentially middle‐class malaise: a symptom of the middle‐class principle of investment. It afflicts people who have spent most of their lives investing in resources that promise security and prosperity while forcing them to constantly reinvest. In affording them a glimpse of the futility of these investments, the midlife crisis might even be considered an anti‐capitalist malaise. Yet, operating within structures over which individuals have little control, the responses that the midlife crisis elicits affirm the same capitalist dynamics that brought it about. The analysis reveals how individual responses to this crisis − quiescence, redirected investment and divestment − ultimately reinforce rather than challenge capitalist structures.

Front and back cover caption, volume 41 issue 6 Front cover caption, volume 41 issue 6 Midlife crisis In this issue, Hadas Weiss examines the midlife crisis as a middle‐class malaise. These paired images from American Beauty (1999) illuminate why this film became the definitive visual reference for suburban entrapment. Together, they reveal the totalizing nature of the trap: confinement exists in both professional and domestic life. The office scene shows spreadsheet columns transformed into prison bars. The fluorescent lighting and corporate sterility capture what Weiss identifies through digital ethnography: decades of career investment producing only ‘the same day on repeat’. The numerical data filling the screen visualizes the tyranny of measurement and accountability. Workers grow exhausted. Constant reinvestment never delivers genuine security. This image has continued to circulate widely online because it gives material form to an otherwise abstract predicament. The domestic image extends confinement into private life. Window bars mirror the spreadsheet's vertical lines. The house, that quintessential middle‐class investment, offers no refuge. Those experiencing this crisis question whether demonstrating that ‘the way to go through life is to be miserable and tortured, just for a nice house’ justifies the cost to selfhood. The paired images reject conventional narratives of dramatic rupture or reckless escape. They reveal instead a pervasive condition where professional and domestic domains operate under identical capitalist logic. This analysis shows what anthropological method can reveal. Weiss's digital ethnography of Reddit testimonies captures the complex whole of contemporary middle‐class experience. She connects individual testimonies to structural conditions. Thousands of anonymous posts reveal patterns that isolated individuals cannot see. This holistic approach shows how the midlife crisis emerges from specific economic arrangements rather than personal failure. Ethnographic attention to everyday digital discourse reveals the contradictions embedded in contemporary capitalism. The method documents how people name their predicament using available cultural resources, including these iconic film images. Back cover caption, volume 41 issue 6 The Moulds at the End of the Corridor In this issue, Jamie Cross examines how moulds reveal multispecies life entangled with inequality and austerity politics. Mould colonises a wall in UK social housing. A narrow corridor leads to a wall overtaken by common indoor moulds such as Stachybotrys or Aspergillus, which thrive on damp, poorly maintained substrate. Peeling paint and discoloured plaster evidence chronic moisture ingress from neglected infrastructure. The article uses such scenes to interrogate recent interest in ‘metabolic politics’: the governance of the transformative capacities of non‐human life in the Anthropocene. Indoor moulds expose the limits of celebratory narratives about human‐fungal collaboration, revealing instead how microbial life is patterned by classed, racialized and climatic inequalities. By examining microecologies in the UK, from scientific spaces to social housing, the article expands the scope of environmental anthropology, medical anthropology and science and technology studies, offering new ways to trace the politics of exposure and the atmospheres we inhabit. By focusing on indoor environments rather than exterior ecologies, it challenges anthropology's recent fascination with forests, farms and ‘wild’ multispecies encounters. Our most intimate relations with fungi unfold not in matsutake forests but in corridors like this one, where poor tenants inhale spores that middle‐class anthropologists can study from a distance. In a warming world that creates new conditions for mould species to thrive, these corridors expose how multispecies theory risks romanticizing entanglement while overlooking who actually lives with, and suffers from, fungal intimacy.

The article proposes a new reading of Leopold Tyrmand’s Social and Emotional Life in the context of midlife crisis, which eluded interpreters who have focused mainly on the political and satirical aspects of the work. In this context, the author examines the novel from two perspectives: ,,workcentric” or ,,textcentric” and ,,psychocentric”, assuming that it is both an artistic illustration of the midlife crisis phenomenon diagnosed in 1965, as well as a product of a similar crisis occurring in the author’s own psyche. The author is interested in the external symptoms of the crisis and its manifestations in the internal lives of the characters, including their methods of coping with it, on the one hand, and in the work’s connections with Tyrmand’s biography, on the other. Therefore, Social and Emotional Life is interpreted as a text thematizing the writer’s struggles to translate the experienced crisis into a complete literary work. The main theoretical point of reference in the article is the concept of midlife crisis proposed by the Canadian psychoanalyst Elliott Jacques.

ABSTRACT This paper critically assesses the literature on Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), based on a systematic literature review, encompassing work from both the rural studies and marketing disciplines. It reflects on the gaps between the contributions from both disciplines, and how they could be addressed in future research. A typology of AFNs helps understand the varied challenges faced. Too many AFN studies depend solely on producer and loyal customer perspectives, leading to overly optimistic assessments of their consumer appeal. Moreover, a tendency to downplay or overlook marketing management considerations, reduces the literature’s relevance for practitioners. Addressing the latter, and more critical assessments of how different types of AFNs can address social and planetary imperatives, are vital for reinvigorating the AFN literature to overcome its mid-life crisis.

Midlife crisis, characterized by emotional turbulence, identity reevaluation, and existential distress, is a psychological phenomenon often misrepresented or under-measured in both popular discourse and scientific literature. Existing global prevalence estimates are largely derived from general well-being surveys rather than standardized psychological instruments. Furthermore, there was a notable absence of concise, culturally sensitive, and psychometrically validated tools to assess midlife crisis in diverse populations. The current study aimed to develop and validate the Concise Midlife Crisis Measure (CMCM)—a brief, reliable, and conceptually grounded scale for assessing midlife crisis. The current research was conducted in two phases involving 470 participants (Mean Age = 49 years, SD = 5.29; women = 40%). The validation of the CMCM involved exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses along with convergent and divergent validity. The unidimensional CMCM, comprising 11 items (English) demonstrated excellent reliability (α = 0.954; ICC = 0.974). The model fit indices, such as CFI (0.962), TLI (0.952), RMSEA (0.089), and SRMR (0.032), showed strong validity. Convergent and divergent validity was demonstrated by the scale’s correlation (p < 0.001) with the Gerascophobia or Excessive Fear of Aging Scale (r = 0.325) and the Psychosocial Life Satisfaction Scale (r = -0.201), respectively. Significant inverse correlations were found between midlife crisis, age, and education. Tertile analysis revealed that approximately 32.6% of participants exhibited high levels of midlife crisis symptoms. The CMCM is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing midlife crisis in research and clinical settings.

Middle aged adults are vulnerable to binge eating due to biases against self and aging body resulting due to challenges like hormonal changes, midlife crises, menopause, career changes, empty nest syndrome and shifts in family dynamics. Research on this period of life is relatively limited, and many aspects of midlife are still relatively unexplored. The current study aims to investigate the predictive relationship between loneliness, emotional dysregulation, sense of control and binge eating among middle aged adults. The study was conducted on 102 middle aged adults residing in Mumbai. Participants completed UCLA Loneliness Scale (version 3), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS- SF), Sense of Control Scale (SC) and Loss of Control over Eating Scale Brief (LOCES-Brief). Pearson’s product-moment correlation revealed a significant relationship between all variables. Further, regression analysis revealed that loneliness, emotional dysregulation, and sense of control were found to be independent significant predictors of binge eating (p &lt; 0.001). Student’s t-test revealed no gender differences in the amount of binge eating experienced. These results demonstrate the importance of loneliness, emotional dysregulation, sense of control in binge eating amongst middle aged adults. These findings will aid in developing treatment plans for binge eating disorder in middle aged adults.

Abstract Research has identified a bimodal age distribution among mass murderers, with younger offenders typically in late adolescence and older offenders in middle age. An evolutionary perspective offers a complementary framework for interpreting differences in motivations, stressors, and target selections across offender subtypes. Drawing from Life History Theory (Stearns, 1976) and evolutionary models of male competition, and resource control (Daly &amp; Wilson, 1988; Duntley &amp; Buss, 2011), this study explores how age-specific environmental stressors interact with evolved psychological mechanisms, shaping pathways to mass violence. A systematic review was conducted in April 2022, using Web of Science, Scopus, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and a manual search. Of 634 studies retrieved, 20 peer-reviewed empirical studies met the stringent inclusion criteria, specifically examining the triggers, and stressors, experienced by mass murderers. A search in September 2024 identified no additional studies. Eligible studies were quality-assessed, and narratively synthesized to identify recurring psychological patterns, and situational triggers. Findings suggest that younger offenders often experience chronic rejection, and status deprivation, leading to public acts of retaliatory violence as an assertion of dominance, and a means of achieving notoriety. In contrast, older offenders, facing acute status losses such as divorce or financial collapse, were more likely to engage in familicide and suicidality, reflecting a maladaptive “last resort” strategy. Evolutionary models of male competition and risk-taking offer insight into why early-life social rejection can increase status-driven aggression, while midlife crises may provoke desperate attempts to regain control over one’s reproductive legacy. By integrating proximate stressors with evolutionary and life history frameworks, this review supplements existing criminological and psychological perspectives, providing an additional interpretive lens for understanding offender subtypes. While evolutionary theory does not offer an alternative model of mass violence, it is an added value perspective which highlights consistent patterns that may inform future research, risk assessment, and prevention strategies.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between resilience, psychological well-being (PWB) and midlife crisis (MLC); the mediating role of resilience; and differences across socio-demographic variables. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 304 middle-aged participants from the Doaba region of Punjab using standardized tools measuring resilience, PWB and MLC. Statistical analyses included correlations, regression, mediation analysis and group comparisons using non-parametric tests. Findings Both resilience and PWB exhibited a negative correlation with MLC. Thus, they protect an individual from the appearance of crisis symptoms. From regression analysis, it was derived that resilience and PWB strongly predict lower MLC scores with greater effects of resilience. Finally, mediation analysis results ensured that resilience mediated between PWB and MLC. Socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, family type and socioeconomic status had limited impact on all the variables of interest, including resilience, PWB and MLC. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional nature of the study limits causal inferences between resilience, PWB and MLC. The culturally specific sample confines the generalizability of findings to other populations. Response biases may have occurred from self-reported measures; data accuracy might have been compromised because of this. Future studies must be longitudinal, involve more diverse populations and embrace mixed-method approaches to bolster validity. Further addition of variables, such as personality traits, major life events and social support systems, may give an idea of the more encompassing factors that influence resilience and midlife crises. Practical implications Mental health practitioners can then develop coping mechanisms and improve emotional regulation. The ability to live life in satisfaction during a MLC is improved when resilience training is incorporated in wellness programs in workplaces and local organizations. Social implications Peer support and guidance for people experiencing midlife transitions will help communities strengthen collective resilience and well-being. They promote frank discussions and mutual understanding, ensuring that people will be able to handle issues better with reduced stigma surrounding midlife crises. It will promote an environment of support from the community toward addressing psychological and emotional turmoil, allowing mental health generally and leading to a less judgmental view of the society when people are faced with challenges during midlife. Originality/value This study is innovative in the sense that it looks into the interlinkage of resilience, PWB and MLC among middle-aged individuals. The development of a new tool to measure MLC fills a gap in psychometric instruments. It advances knowledge on midlife challenges, bringing out the mediating role of resilience. Furthermore, it offers new insights into socio-demographic influences that open up the possibility of tailor-made interventions for individuals navigating this critical life phase.

With the rapid development of generative AI technology, significant potential and cultural biases have emerged in its portrayal of contemporary Chinese female images. This study focuses on three generative AI systems — DeepSeek, ChatGPT-4.0, and DouBao AI Painting — to compare how Chinese and Western AI "recreate" Oriental female imagery. Through interpretative analysis, we reveal cultural and technological limitations underlying these portrayals. Findings indicate stark differences in cultural interpretations: Chinese AI obscures "midlife crises," exoticizes bodies through male gaze, and commodifies visuals, reflecting tensions between traditional "virtuous wife/mother" roles and "modern women". In contrast, Western AI distorts Chinese female images via "partial" worldviews, atmospheric distortion, and aesthetic hegemony, reproducing cultural power imbalances. The constructed images by Chinese AI mirror postfeminist complexities, while Western AI perpetuates Orientalist tropes, revealing lingering power dynamics in global cultural representation.

Instagram Addiction is a widely discussed topic. Middle age is a period of pre-menopause which results in hormonal, psychological and physical changes. Many people of this age group go through midlife crisis, which can result in decreased marital satisfaction. This article is a comparative study on Instagram addiction and marital quality between working and non-working middle-aged women. The age range of present sample is from 40-50 years. The participants of the study were 60 middle aged women, of whom 30 participants are working women and rest of them are non-working women, selected from urban area through purposive sampling method. Objectified body consciousness scale by Mckinley,N.M.,&amp; Hyde,J.S and the marital quality scale by A. Shah was administered to collect data. The results were obtained after necessary statistical analysis. No significant relationship was found between marital quality and Instagram addiction in case of middle-aged married women.

Menopause is the inevitable termination of reproductive life as a non-modifiable risk factor with aging in women having no or tangential to significant, even disabling symptoms. To weigh up follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), fasting blood glucose (FBG), Two-hour postprandial glucose (2hr PPBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and hemoglobin (Hb) levels among perimenopausal and menopausal women. An open-label analytical cross-sectional non-interventional study was conducted on 100 consecutive female patients from Rural Bengal in their perimenopausal and menopausal phases at the Departments of Biochemistry and Obstetrics and Gynecology of a tertiary care teaching institute of eastern India from April to September 2024. Mean FSH, LH, PRL, FPG, 2 hr PPBG, HbA1C, and Hb levels in 50 perimenopausal women were compared with 50 menopausal women. In the menopausal group, mean FSH and mean LH levels were higher, while mean PRL levels were lower compared to the perimenopausal group; differences were found highly significant. Mean FBG, mean 2 hr PPBG, mean, and mean Hb levels were higher among the menopausal group compared to premenopausal women; differences were found highly significant. In menopausal group mean FSH, LH, FBG, 2hr PPBG, HbA1C, and Hb levels were higher; mean PRL level was lower compared to women in the perimenopausal group; these information will definitely benefit practitioners of primary care and family medicine especially in the low and middle income countries.

Abstract Introduction: Perimenopause, a transitional phase in midlife, affects the quality of life (QoL) due to aging, family responsibilities, mid-life crises, and socio-cultural factors, especially in working women balancing workplace and household demands. Engaging in physical activity (PA) has been found to reduce the symptoms and improve QoL. Aim: This study aimed to assess the level of physical evaluation QoL and examine their correlation among perimenopausal women. Materials and Methods: This study included 126 working women 45–55 years old in the perimenopausal stage, screened using the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop-10 criteria. Outcome measures were International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ) – Short Form for PA and Utian QoL Questionnaire (UQOL) for QoL. Results: Participants demonstrated the high levels of vigorous PA (median IPAQ score: 2079) alongside a high QoL (median UQOL score: 77). There was a positive correlation between PA and QoL (Spearman’s rho = 0.227). However, the results obtained were not statistically significant (P = 0.11). Conclusion: Perimenopausal women in this study were highly active and reported a good QoL. Additional studies are needed to investigate the contributing factors and their possible interconnections.

This paper analyzes midlife crisis and conflict, and their impact on familial relationships in John Updike's short story "Separating". Updike portrays the disintegration of a marriage through the portrayal of Richard and Joan Maple, a middle-aged couple, as they confront the emotional complexities which their impending separation imposes on their family dynamics. By intertwining both internal and external conflicts, Updike addresses love’s erosion, personal dissatisfaction, and societal transformation. Richard's inner conflicts—his struggle to accept the inevitability of the divorce, his emotional detachment, and his ambivalence toward his role as a father—reflect broader cultural and emotional shifts in mid-20th-century America, particularly the evolving perceptions of marriage and family structures. Employing a qualitative approach, this research article examines how midlife crisis and conflict are represented in Updike's "Separating" within the sociocultural context of the time. This study, however, continues to make a significant contribution to world literature, offering future researchers valuable insights, ideas, and viewpoint on the writer and his works.

Patients after diagnosis of leukemia face midlife crisis. In some instances, it may be accompanied by anxiety or depression, which may require pharmacological intervention. In this study, we explored the association between benzodiazepine (BZP) usage and time to first treatment (TTFT) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) under a watch-and-wait (W&W) approach. Utilizing data from Maccabi Healthcare Services in Israel, we analyzed 3,474 CLL patients, focusing on BZP and non-BZP users. 330 patients (9.5%) received a BZP agent for a minimum of 3 months. Among BZP users, the ten years treatment free ratio is 83.4%, while among non-BZP users it is 90.7%. Through inverse probability and time-dependent Cox proportional models, we observed that BZP usage was significantly associated with a shorter TTFT (HR 1.78, p = 0.029). Our study suggested BZP usage, is associated with shorter TTFT. While an association was observed, causality cannot be confirmed, and further studies are needed to validate the hypothetical association and clarify the underlying mechanisms and clinical implications.

The article explores the concept of the midlife crisis, its causes, and manifestations in middle-aged women. It examines the views of domestic and foreign psychologists on the issue and justifies the main psychological aspects of the crisis period in women, as well as ways to overcome it. The psychological aspects of the crisis period in middle-aged women are analyzed, including the stages and factors that trigger this crisis, as well as its manifestations in personal and social aspects of women’s lives. It is described how changes in biological, psychological, and social contexts can create a sense of inner conflict and uncertainty, which affects the emotional and psychological state of a woman. Special attention is given to the views of domestic and foreign psychologists, who describe the midlife crisis as a stage accompanied by a reassessment of life values, achievements, as well as the woman’s role in society and the family. Various theories explaining the causes of the midlife crisis are considered, including biological changes, the decline of reproductive function, social and cultural factors, and internal conflicts that may arise due to changes in a woman’s self-awareness. The article also analyzes how the crisis period can be accompanied by feelings of loss of youth and time, leading to stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The importance of a psychotherapeutic approach to helping women during the crisis transformation period is emphasized, including methods for correcting self-esteem, stress management, and developing a positive attitude toward life changes. The article describes ways to overcome the crisis through self-development, seeking professional psychological support, support from loved ones, and changing one’s attitude toward age and life circumstances. The study shows that the crisis period can become a stage of significant changes and an opportunity for self-actualization and the achievement of new life goals.

This article aims to deepen our understanding of the midlife crisis of nuns (a study group) and women living alone (a control group). We present the results of an empirical study conducted on a group of 100 women aged 35–45. This study aimed to discover whether convent life, along with its spiritual-religious formation, may have a positive influence on the ability of women to deal with a midlife crisis and aid the development of their mature personalities by strengthening their sense of purpose and shaping their value systems. The issue tackled by this article can be contained in the following question: Is religious formation central to convent life able to support a person in a midlife crisis in gaining a higher degree of personal maturity? We may gain an answer to this by considering whether nuns engaged in such religious formation compared to women living alone would exhibit any differences in personal maturity and a sense of life’s purpose and value system.

In Michel Houellebecq's écriture grise, the decline of Western civilization is intertwined with contemporary maladies and the fear of aging. A bleak depiction of aging bodies functions as an extended metaphor for broader social pathologies, including the decline of spirituality, community well-being, and traditional values. Recurring themes such as the obsession with sex and anti-aging bodywork, the cult of youth, compulsive consumerism, and erotic hedonism reflect Houellebecq's critique of the transformations of the second half of the 20th century. Many of his protagonists, trapped in an existential midlife crisis and driven by anxieties related to intimate relationships and societal pressures to remain functional, youthful, and engaged, frequently resort to suicide. Using the framework of interdisciplinary age studies and the critical theory of social pathologies, this article discusses how Houellebecq's characters struggle to navigate the challenges within competitive neoliberal imperatives, libidinal economies, and the discourse of successful aging. It also underscores how his oeuvre, often characterized as apocalyptic, dystopian, or neo-decadent, advocates for authentic connection, care, faith, and unconditional love as essential components of human existence and survival.

Growing older is a definite cycle of growth and development in everyone's life. All kinds of joys and pains can be experienced, as the crisis of middle adulthood is a crossroads between the peak of psychological well-being and the stress of stress. This research aims to determine the influence of purpose and life satisfaction as predictors of coping with stress-inducing crises in middle adulthood. This research used a quantitative design with a sample of 96 middle-aged adults aged 40 and over. The research sample was selected using a convenience sampling method through an online questionnaire with multiple linear regression data analysis methods. The instrument for this research uses a meaning in life Scale prepared by researchers based on Frankl's Theory of the meaning in life, the LSI - A Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Stress Scale from the DASS - 42. The results of the study showed that the meaning in life and life satisfaction influence the crisis period of middle-aged adults in coping with stress. (R = 0.653; R² = 0.426; F = 34.557; p &lt; 0.000) using multiple linear regression tests. The effect of purpose in life is not significant with stress (t = 2.132; p = 0.036), life satisfaction is significantly related to stress (t = 8.187; p &lt; 0.000). Facing and coping with crises in middle adulthood therefore requires taking life satisfaction into account when seeking solutions to the stress they cause.

The Effect of Psychological Acceptance of Middle-Aged Men on the Sense of Midlife Crisis; Focusing On the Mediating Effects of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion