Retirement In Europe Research Articles

The impact of cancer on psychosocial function and quality of life: A cross-sectional study in 18 pan-European countries.

To improve psychosocial cancer care in Europe, more information is needed on psychosocial function and quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients in European countries. To investigate differences in psychosocial function between cancer survivors and the general population in Europe, in relation to national economic status and personal factors. Data were from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (Wave 6). Main outcomes were psychosocial functioning: activity limitations, income adequacy, loneliness, depression, and QoL. Factors possibly associated with the main outcomes were ever having cancer, gross domestic product (GDP), and personal factors (age, gender, education, marriage status, employment status, number of children, number of chronic diseases). The study sample featured 6238 cancer survivors and 60,961 individuals without cancer aged 50 or older in 17 European countries and Israel. Levels of depression were higher and QoL was lower among cancer survivors compared to individuals without cancer and worse in low GDP countries, whereas differences in income adequacy and loneliness were not statistically significant. The interaction of cancer groups and country groups indicated a significant interactional effect on activity limitations, loneliness, depression, and QoL. In a multivariate regression analysis, personal factors, GDP, and being a cancer survivor predicted the main outcome variables. Cancer has a persistent negative effect on survivors that is related to a country's GDP. Cancer survivors in low-GDP countries are affected by the consequences of cancer intertwined with the hardships of living in a low-GDP country.

Multimorbidity and out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine in Europe: Longitudinal analysis of 13 European countries between 2013 and 2015.

Many European Health Systems are implementing or increasing levels of cost-sharing for medicine in response to the growing constrains on public spending on health despite their negative impact on population health due to delay in seeking care. This study aims to examine the relationships between multimorbidity (two or more coexisting chronic diseases, CDs), complex multimorbidity (three or more CDs impacting at least three different body systems), and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for medicine across European nations. This study utilized data on participants aged 50 years and above from two recent waves of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe conducted in 2013 (n = 55,806) and 2015 (n = 51,237). Pooled cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs were used, as well as a two-part model, to analyse the association between multimorbidity and OOPE for medicine. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 50.4% in 2013 and 48.2% in 2015. Nearly half of those with multimorbidity had complex multimorbidity. Each additional CD was associated with a 34% greater likelihood of incurring any OOPE for medicine (Odds ratio = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.31-1.36). The average incremental OOPE for medicine was 26.4 euros for each additional CD (95% CI = 25.1-27·7), and 32.1 euros for each additional body system affected (95% CI 30.6-33.7). In stratified analyses for country-specific quartiles of household income the average incremental OOPE for medicine was not significantly different across groups. Between 2013 and 2015 in 13 European Health Systems increased prevalence of CDs was associated with greater likelihood of having OOPE on medication and an increase in the average amount spent when one occurred. Monitoring this indicator is important considering the negative association with treatment adherence and subsequent effects on health.

National and education-specific trends in life and health expectancies in Denmark 2004-2015.

Several studies have revealed widening of inequalities in life expectancy, but little is known about the recent changes in health expectancy nationally and between socioeconomic groups. This study examines dynamics of national and education-specific life expectancy and health expectancies at age 50 years in Denmark from 2004/2007 to 2015. Nationwide register data on education and mortality were linked and combined with Danish health data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and changes in life expectancy and three health expectancy indicators were estimated by Sullivan's method. From 2004 to 2015, national life expectancy at age 50 years increased by 2.4 years for men and 2.1 years for women. Simultaneously, after an initial rapid improvement from 2004 to 2007, the pace of progress in health expectancy decreased. From 2007 to 2015, the difference in life expectancy at age 50 years between men with long and short education increased from 4.3 to 5.0 years. For women, the corresponding increase in the life expectancy gap was less pronounced from 3.5 to 3.8 years. The educational gap in lifetime without long-term illness decreased from 4.6 years to 3.1 years for men and from 6.1 years to 4.6 years for women. On the contrary, the educational gap increased for lifetime without activity limitations and in self-rated good health. Previously observed improvements in health expectancy in Denmark slowed down despite continuing progress in life expectancy. This worrying change coincides with persistent educational inequalities in life expectancy and health expectancy and is a challenge to a sustainable social and health development in the future.

The role of social deprivation and depression in dementia risk: findings from the longitudinal survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe.

Knowledge on the link of individual social deprivation with dementia is incomplete. We thus aimed to see whether an association with dementia risk can be observed using a recently developed Social Deprivation Index (SoDep Index). Further, as deprivation is related to depression, we investigated the role of depression in the association. We analysed data of 11 623 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) respondents. Social deprivation status was determined by SoDep Index score. Dementia was determined by self-reported diagnosis. Dementia risk by social deprivation status was estimated using Cox proportional hazard models, including relevant covariates (gender, marriage status, chronic conditions). Depressive symptom status was added in a second step. Further, we completed subgroup analyses by social deprivation status and analysed the relevance of depressive symptoms in dementia risk in each deprivation group. In an additional sensitivity analyses we corrected for mortality and used impaired cognitive testing performance as an alternative outcome. High (v. low) social deprivation status was associated with an increased dementia risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.79 [95% CI 1.31-2.45]) in the Cox analysis adjusted for covariates only. Further adjustment for depressive symptom status indicated a largely direct association between social deprivation status and dementia risk. Moreover, compared to not having experienced depressive symptoms in the past or at baseline, those with past (HR = 1.67 [95% CI 1.23-2.25]), baseline (HR = 1.48 [95% CI 1.04-2.10]) or stable depressive symptoms (HR = 2.96 [95% CI 2.12-4.14]) had an increased dementia risk. The association between stable depressive symptom status and dementia risk was in the high social deprivation subgroup particularly pronounced. Sensitivity analyses replicated results. Results add to a growing body of evidence indicating that a public health approach to dementia prevention must address socioeconomic inequity. Results suggest a largely direct association between social deprivation and dementia risk. Adults who experience high social deprivation appear particularly affected by detrimental effects of depressive symptomatology on dementia risk and need intervention.

Transition to retirement impact on risk of depression and suicidality: results from a longitudinal analysis of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Depression is among the main contributors to older adults' mental health burden. Retirement, one of the major life transitions, has been claimed to influence mental health substantially. Following up on a previous meta-analysis, the study aims to assess from a longitudinal perspective short- and long-term impacts of transitioning to retirement on depression risk and suicidality in older adults across Europe. We conducted a longitudinal study using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), collected between 2004 and 2020 in 27 European countries plus Israel. To estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for depression and suicidality at seven time intervals before and after retirement, we fitted adjusted generalized estimating equation models for repeated measures. We included 8,998 individuals employed at baseline and retired at follow-up (median follow-up time: 9years; maximum: 16years). Compared to the year of retirement, the risk of depression was 11% lower in the following year (RR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81-0.99), 9% lower after 2years (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.82-1.00) and after 3years (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.81-1.01). Significant estimates remained among females, married individuals, those with an intermediate or higher level of education, former manual workers and those who retired at or before their country's median retirement age. A significant increase in depressive symptoms emerged from the tenth year after retirement among former non-manual workers (RR 1.21; 95% CI 1.05-1.40) and late retirees (RR 1.37; 95% CI 1.16-1.63). No heterogeneity emerged among strata. As for suicidality, we reported an increase in risk only 5years or more after retirement, namely +30% 5-9years after retirement (RR 1.30; 95% CI 1.04-1.64) and +47% 10 or more years after retirement (RR 1.47; 95% CI 1.09-1.98). Sensitivity analyses excluding subjects who reported a diagnosis of depression over the study period and those retirees who declared to receive a disability pension confirmed the results obtained in the overall analysis. Longitudinal adjusted data suggest an independent effect of retiring associated with a reduction in depression and suicidality risk in the short run, with its effect decreasing in the long run. Such trends are particularly evident among selected subgroups of elderly populations. If greater flexibility in pensionable age may help prevent depression late in life, the transition to retirement is to be accompanied by targeted health promotion interventions. In an ageing society, welfare policies should be evaluated, considering their long-term impact on mental health.

Loneliness and Mental Health in Response to Early and Late COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study of Czech Adults Aged 50 and Over.

The unpredictable spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, national lockdowns, and public health measures implemented in the Czech Republic had a negative effect on older adults' mental health and loneliness. The 2,631 older adults in 2020 and 2,083 older adults in 2021 used in this study formed a nationally representative sample of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Almost every third older adult experienced feelings of loneliness in both stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. Loneliness increased in 2021 in those individuals who reported their physical health as poor, who felt nervous, sad or depressed, and who had ever left their home since the outbreak. According to age-related drivers of loneliness, feelings of loneliness were prevalent (40% vs. 45%) among younger retirees in both waves. In both data sets, declared feelings of sadness or depression were the strongest sustainable predictor of loneliness (2020 and 2021 models, OR = 3.69; 95% CI [2.90, 4.69] and OR = 2.55; [1.97, 3.30]). Being a woman and feeling nervous equated with a higher likelihood of feeling lonely compared to counterparts. Policy makers should therefore aim to carefully improve psychosocial and health-related consequences faced by this vulnerable population during the pandemic and beyond.

THE IMPACT OF LIFE-COURSE SOCIO-ECONOMIC POSITION ON QUALITY OF LIFE AT LATER AGES : EVIDENCE FROM ESTONIA

This study, guided by life-course theory and cumulative (dis)advantage theory, investigates the impact of the accumulation of socio-economic advantages and disadvantages, over the life course, on the quality of life (QoL) of the older population, and the mediating role of their current financial distress. In our study, we focus on the accumulation model. The study primarily uses data from Estonia in wave 4 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), with supplemental data from wave 5. Linear regression models were calculated based on two measures of quality of life : CASP-12 and life satisfaction. When measured by CASP-12, the socio-economic position in adulthood seems to play a more important role than that of childhood for the current quality of life of older people and even seems to compensate for it slightly when the current financial distress level is controlled for. However, when measured by life satisfaction, accumulated socio-economic (dis)advantages, especially in early youth, have a greater impact on the current quality of life of older people. It is important to acknowledge that different measures of QoL might yield different results.

Job Satisfaction as Important Factor of Work Quality and the Influence of Selected Factors

Current demographic developments and population projections indicate that the search for approaches that lead to employees remaining in employment even after reaching retirement age will gain importance. Job satisfaction is one of the most important approaches to prolonging working life. The job satisfaction of older workers is in the scope of researchers as older age groups are growing workforce in the labor market of national economies and the European Union. Researchers are mainly focused on the relationship between job satisfaction and various factors like older age, gender, disability, skills, or salary. The scientific study aims to specify the influence of «Satisfied with job» and the factors «Work allowed development of skills», «Work had adequate salary», and «Work atmosphere» for the group of workers aged 50 and over. SHARE, the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, which has a transnational dimension, is used to detect the specification of the relationship. The Chi-square test is used to detect dependence. The tightness of the dependence is detected by using Cramér’s V. Where the relationship is expressed, it is detected using adjusted standardized residuals. The strongest tightness of dependence is expressed in the case of random variables «Satisfied with job» and «Work allowed development of skills». This fact points to the importance of developing work skills among workers. At the same time, the scientific study results show that the respondents answered the same statistically significantly more than what would correspond to the assumed independence of both random variables in all three cases. It follows that if employers are trying to make their employees significantly «Satisfied with job», then in addition to adequate remuneration, they must choose procedures that lead to them also being significantly satisfied with the «Work atmosphere» and the possibilities of developing employees` skills. The significance of the conclusions obtained while fulfilling the objective is broad. Results provide employers and decision-makers with important findings about the factors influencing job satisfaction. Appropriately used management methods and interventions based on such knowledge are able to positively influence the quality of work, and work performance and fully utilize work potential.

Looking for COVID side effects in the EU through the analysis of health and behavioural profiles.

More than two years after the great outbreak of COVID suffered in almost the whole world, and in particular in Europe, we have gradually learned about the direct effects of this virus on our health and what consequences it can have if we become infected. However, this pandemic also had great economic and social consequences that affected people in an indirect way, which we can call COVID side effects. In this work we carried out an innovative type of analysis based on the concept of archetypoids in order to find extreme observations in a database of mixed-type data and used them to classify individuals yielding to different health and behavioural profiles in coping with the COVID outbreak in the EU. We use data from the first COVID-19 Survey of the SHARE project (Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe). The resulting profiles are easier to interpret than others based on central observations, and help to understand how the situations of restrictions and lock-downs affected people since the outbreak of the pandemic. Another key point of the work was to analyse how determinant are some aspects such as gender, age group or even geographical location in how each person experienced the pandemic. The method that we propose is wide enough to be used in other health and wellbeing surveys.

The Effects of Control Measures and Social Networks on Depression Among Older People During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

This study examined the correlates of change in the depressed state among people aged 65 and older during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, particularly the effects of crucial pandemic-related variables. Data were drawn from the longitudinal Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), including information obtained from two special pandemic-related telephone interviews (N = 18, 266). The analysis regressed depressed state soon after the outbreak (T1) and again a year later (T2), on four pandemic-related variables (infection status, the stringency of control measures, and two forms of social network contact during the pandemic: face-to-face contact and communication through electronic means), controlling for baseline depression and health, sociodemographic variables, personality traits, and social network characteristics. The main findings were threefold. First, the epidemic-control measures were found to increase the likelihood of a depressed state soon after the pandemic outbreak, but not in the longer run. This data suggests that respondents became more resilient about the pandemic and its effects over time. Second, interpersonal contact utilizing electronic media did not reduce depression rates in the long run and increased depressed state in the short run. Thus, as mandated by epidemic-control policy, the promotion of electronic contact instead of face-to-face contact constituted a mental health risk factor. Third, face-to-face contact reduced the likelihood of change for the worse in the rate of depression among the respondents. This last finding underscores the need for older people to have close interpersonal contact, even in times of pandemic.

Socio-Economic Gaps in Workers’ Participation in Private Pension Programmes in Ten European Countries

AbstractIn recent decades, many European governments have passed pension reforms to incentivise participation in private pension plans. However, we still have minimal understanding of whether participation in such plans is concentrated in certain groups or spread uniformly across society, or what their stability over time is. To illuminate the social selectivity of these plans and potential changes in that selectivity over time, we analyse six waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in ten European countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Specifically, we focus on participation gaps in individual and occupational plans of workers across six dimensions: gender, education, age, social class, income, and risk preference. The results indicate large and persistent social divides in participation rates. As expected, rates are significantly higher among workers who are not close to retirement, those with an upper service occupation and those with high income. Importantly, these divides did not shrink significantly over the period considered – 2006 to 2021. Social selectivity is not consistently smaller in contexts of more mature private pension provision, whereas it is consistently smaller in countries with more generous public pensions.

Do the Retired Elderly in Europe Decumulate Their Wealth? The Importance of Bequest Motives, Precautionary Saving, Public Pensions, and Homeownership

AbstractWe use microdata on a large number of European countries from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to examine the wealth accumulation (saving) behavior of the retired elderly in Europe. We find that less than half of the retired elderly in Europe are decumulating their wealth and that the average wealth accumulation rate of the retired elderly in Europe is positive though relatively moderate (6.6 percent over a 3‐year period). These findings suggest that the Wealth Decumulation Puzzle (the tendency of the retired elderly to not decumulate their wealth or to decumulate their wealth more slowly than expected) applies in the case of Europe. Moreover, our regression results suggest that bequest motives, generous public pension systems, and the reluctance of retired elderly homeowners to sell or borrow against their owner‐occupied housing are the primary explanations for the existence of the Wealth Decumulation Puzzle in Europe.

Blood Pressure Signal Entropy as a Novel Marker of Physical Frailty: Results from the FRAILMatics Clinical Cohort.

In this study we investigated the association between information entropy in short length blood pressure signals and physical frailty status, in a group of patients aged 50+ recruited from the Falls and Syncope Unit at the Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing in St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. This work is an external clinical validation of findings previously derived in a population-based cohort from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). The hypothesis under investigation was that dysregulation (as quantified by entropy) in continuous non-invasive blood pressure signals could provide a clinically useful marker of physical frailty status. We found that in the 100 patients investigated, higher entropy in continuously measured resting state diastolic blood pressure was associated with worse physical frailty score, as measured by the Frailty Instrument for primary care of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-FI). Since physical frailty is defined as a pre-disability state and hence it can be difficult for clinicians to identify at an early stage, the quantification of entropy in short length cardiovascular signals could provide a clinically useful marker of the physiological dysregulations that underlie physical frailty, potentially aiding in identifying individuals at higher risk of adverse health outcomes.

FINANCIAL DISTRESS OF ADULT CHILDREN TAKING CARE OF AGING PARENTS

Abstract Providing care to parents is often a rewarding experience for adult children, however, one trade-off is the toll it takes on the caregiver's own financial security. Using the framework of life course theory, the current research examines the sources of support (family, community and the government) that may reduce parental caregivers' financial distress. In this study, we examine whether intensive parental caregivers are experiencing financial distress and whether the association between caregiving and financial distress is ameliorated by the presence of having siblings, community support, and government policy supportive of caregiving. This study utilizes data provided by the fifth wave of the survey of health and retirement in Europe (SHARE). Preliminary analyses are consistent with previous studies, that providing intensive care to parents is associated with an increased risk of experiencing healthcare hardship. Moreover, the findings align with life course theory as having support from family members and the government is associated with lower levels of financial distress. However, the effect of community support is not significant. This study suggests that adult children, especially adult daughters, sacrifice their own financial security for the benefit of caring for their parents. In addition, having a broad support network, such as caregiving support groups and caregiving educational programs, can reduce adult children’s financial distress, and enable them to provide care longer, which avoids or delays the need for costly institutional care. Ongoing analyses examine the potential long-term consequences of caregiving.

WEALTH INEQUALITIES IN PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS AMONG OLDER ADULTS ACROSS EUROPE AND JAPAN

Abstract Although prior research has provided insights on the association between country-level factors and health inequalities, key research gaps remain. First, most previous studies examine subjective rather than objective health measures. Second, the wealth dimension in health inequalities is understudied. Third, a handful of studies explicitly focus on older adults. To bridge these research gaps, this study aims to: i) measure wealth-related health inequalities in physical and cognitive impairments; and ii) examines the extent to which welfare states moderate wealth inequalities in physical and cognitive impairments among older people across Japan and Europe. We utilized harmonized data of non-institutionalized individuals aged 50-75 for physical and cognitive impairments from the Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement (JSTAR) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), for (n= 31,969 and 31,348, respectively). We applied a concentration index to quantify the degree of wealth inequalities in impairments. Our multilevel linear regression analyses examined whether national public health spending and healthcare access resources explained cross-country differences in wealth inequalities in physical and cognitive impairments. Findings indicated that inequalities in both impairment outcomes favored wealthier individuals in all countries, but the magnitude of inequality varied across countries under examination. Furthermore, a higher share of public health spending, lower out-of-pocket expenditures, and higher investment in healthcare resources were associated with lower wealth inequalities especially for physical impairments. Our findings suggests that different health interventions and policies may be needed to mitigate specific impairment inequalities.

COGNITIVELY ENGAGING SOLITARY ACTIVITIES: ANOTHER LAYER OF PROTECTION AGAINST LONELINESS

Abstract Participating in social activities and sustaining more extensive networks are beneficial in mitigating loneliness in the aging population. However, these coping strategies are subject to multiple structural and individual constraints, including neighborhood stressors, physical limitations, and social-economic strain. The present research scrutinizes cognitively engaging solitary activities as a potential alternative to alleviate loneliness. It examines their intersections with social activities and networks and how disadvantaged groups prone to loneliness can benefit from them. We use Wave 4 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe to perform linear and logistic regressions. Results show that 78% of older Europeans perform solitary activities such as reading and playing word/number games at least weekly, a much higher rate than the 29% engaged in formal social activity. Social and personal activities do not compete but instead complement each other. Older individuals performing solitary activities report significantly lower loneliness, and this engagement compensates for low social participation and small social networks. Routine solitary activities are also protective among individuals at older ages and among those lacking a partner, additional housemates, and children. Overall, the present research highlights that solitary activities, particularly the cognitively engaging ones, are a practical layer of protection against loneliness. Future research should further examine variations in the effectiveness between solitary activities and explore the possibilities and challenges in bridging them with digital media and technologies to alleviate loneliness.

MULTIMORBIDITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE: EXAMINING THE PATHWAYS THROUGH LONELINESS, ADL, IADL, AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Abstract Background. Multimorbidity, defined as two or more chronic conditions, negatively affects quality of life. However, little is known about the underlying pathways leading from multimorbidity to lower quality of life (QoL). Objective. The objective of this paper was to examine multiple potential mediating factors (loneliness, Activities of Daily Living [ADL], Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL], depressive symptoms) in the relationship between multimorbidity and quality of life. Furthermore, we explored moderated mediation patterns by age, gender, and education. Methods. Longitudinal data were drawn from five waves (from 2011 to 2020) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). We included 37,082 individuals aged 50 years and older in the analyses. The predictor (multimorbidity) and covariates were measured four and the mediators two years before the QoL outcome (CASP-12). Confounder-adjusted mediator and outcome models were fitted using mixed-effects models. The total association was decomposed into direct and indirect pathways applying causal mediation analyses with Monte-Carlo simulations. Results. Multimorbidity was associated with lower QoL four years later; 2.12%, 6.17%, and 19.90% of the association was mediated by ADL, IADL, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Mediation by loneliness was not significant. Generally, the mediation patterns were more pronounced in women and individuals with tertiary education as compared to primary and secondary. Differential mediation by age quartiles did not reveal a clear pattern. Conclusions. The results showed that depressive symptoms were the most important mediator between multimorbidity and QoL, with ADL and IADL also playing an important role.

Health shocks and spousal labor supply: an international perspective.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00148-022-00929-7.

THE GEOGRAPHIC LAYOUTS OF OLDER EUROPEANS’ SOCIAL NETWORKS AND LONELINESS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract Many older Europeans sustain core personal networks that are geographically dispersed. The pandemic has brought concerns about their mental health, especially during lockdown periods when travel was not permissible and casual local contact was limited. This study examines whether and how older adults’ loneliness and depressed feelings vary by the prior geographic layouts of their core discussion networks. It uses a sample of community-dwelling respondents aged 50 and above (Wave 6, in 2015) from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), with a follow-up at Wave 8 in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic. Latent Class Analysis and linear regression show that individuals whose networks were comprised mainly of families 5-25km and >25km away were not especially likely to feel lonely or distressed, despite typically lacking nearby confidants. We also uncover groups of people occupying more compositionally diverse networks. While these individuals were generally more likely to perceive loneliness, they tended not to attribute such feelings to the pandemic onset. The exception was individuals sustaining diverse networks comprised mainly of friends and families at intermediate distances (5-25km), who perceived heightened loneliness in the pandemic. Overall, even scattered at longer distances, family-oriented networks demonstrate good protectiveness against loneliness and depression. Meanwhile, diverse networks appeared to fall short in protectiveness under some conditions of geographic dispersion.

KINLESSNESS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG EUROPEAN OLDER ADULTS

Abstract So-called “kinless” older adults (unpartnered and childless) are a growing population across the globe who may be at higher risk for social isolation and cognitive decline. Yet, this group of older adults is understudied in dementia-related research and their risk of cognitive decline likely varies by country context. We analyze data from the Survey of Health, Ageing & Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to explore cognitive decline by family structure and country. We assess cognitive decline along a gradient of “kinlessness” by comparing older adults with a) partner and child, b) partner and no child, c) no partner and child, and d) no partner and no child across 20 European countries. Results of this study will outline the dementia risks faced by the growing population of older adults with non-traditional family structures and highlight characteristics of country context that might enhance or reduce risk of cognitive decline for “kinless” older adults.