Marina Mendonça

Is alcohol consumption in older adults associated with poor self-rated health? Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

BackgroundIncreases in alcohol related mortality and morbidity have been reported among older people in England over the last decade. There is, however, evidence that drinking is protective for some health conditions. The validity of this evidence has been questioned due to residual confounding and selection bias. The aim of this study is to clarify which drinking profiles and other demographic characteristics are associated with poor self-rated health among a community-based sample of older adults in England. The study also examines whether drinking designated as being “increasing-risk” or “higher-risk” is associated with poorer self-rated health.MethodThis study used data from Wave 0, Wave 1 and Wave 5 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing [ELSA]. Logistic regression analysis, was used to examine the association between drinking profiles (based on quantity and frequency of drinking) and self-rated health, adjusting for gender, age, wealth, social class, education, household composition, smoking and body mass index [BMI].ResultsTwenty percent of the sample reported drinking above the recommended level at wave 0. Rates of poor self-rated health were highest among those who had stopped drinking, followed by those who never drank. The rates of poor self-rated health among non-drinkers were significantly higher than the rates of poor self-rated health for any of the groups who reported alcohol consumption. In the adjusted logistic regression models there were no drinking profiles associated with significantly higher rates of poor self-rated health relative to occasional drinkers.ConclusionsAmong those who drank alcohol, there was no evidence that any pattern of current alcohol consumption was associated with poor self-rated health, even after adjustment for a wide range of variables. The results associated with the stopped drinking profile indicate improvement in self-rated health can be associated with changes in drinking behaviour. Although several limitations of the study are noted, policy makers may wish to consider how these findings should be translated into drinking guidelines for older adults.

Late Nest Leaving in Portugal Its Effects on Individuation and Parent–Child Relationships

In Southern European countries, the number of emerging adults living with their parents is particularly high; however, the developmental and relational implications of this situation has not been yet systemically studied. Therefore, the present study aimed to (a) examine how emerging adult’s individuation process (i.e. conflictual, functional and financial independence) and the quality of parent–child relationship relationships (i.e. satisfaction and criticism) was related to emerging adult’s living arrangements and (b) investigate how the different individuation domains were associated with parent–child relationships and additionally test the moderation effect of living arrangements in this process. Four hundred and fifty-seven Portuguese emerging adults of age between 20 and 29 were assessed through self-report questionnaires. Results showed that living arrangements were associated with interpersonal forms of independence but were unrelated to the quality of parent–child relations. Moreover, distinct domains of individuation differently predicted parent–child relationships.

Is regular drinking in later life an indicator of good health? Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Background Older people who drink have been shown to have better health than those who do not. This might suggest that moderate drinking is beneficial for health, or, as considered here, that older people modify their drinking as their health deteriorates. The relationship between how often older adults drink and their health is considered for two heath states: self-rated health (SRH) and depressive symptoms. Methods Data were analysed from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a prospective cohort study of older adults, using multilevel ordered logit analysis. The analysis involved 4741 participants present at wave 0, (1998/1999 and 2001), wave 4 (2008/2009) and wave 5 (2010/2011). The outcome measure was frequency of drinking in last year recorded at all three time points. Results Older adults with fair/poor SRH at the onset of the study drank less frequently compared with adults with good SRH (p<0.05). Drinking frequency declined over time for all health statuses, though respondents with both continual fair/poor SRH and declining SRH experienced a sharper reduction in the frequency of their drinking over time compared with older adults who remained in good SRH or whose health improved. The findings were similar for depression, though the association between depressive symptoms and drinking frequency at the baseline was not significant after adjusting for confounding variables. Conclusions The frequency of older adults’ drinking responds to changes in health status and drinking frequency in later life may be an indicator, rather than a cause, of health status.

Family support in the transition to adulthood in Portugal--its effects on identity capital development, uncertainty management and psychological well-being.

In a familistic southern European society such as the Portuguese, the family has historically played a prominent role in supporting the negotiation of transition pathways into adulthood. The present study aimed at capturing (1) the relative weight of parental financial support and autonomy support in contributing to the youngsters psychological well-being (PWB), and (2) the mediating role of identity capital and uncertainty management in this relationship. A total of 620 participants completed measures of parental support, identity capital, uncertainty management and PWB. Autonomy support was found to be the strongest predictor of PWB, both directly and indirectly through its effects on identity capital and the use of target focused uncertainty management strategies. Conversely, financial support evidenced only a minor indirect impact through the mediation of tangible identity capital. Autonomy stimulation may constitute one of the most developmentally determinant family challenges in assisting the process of coming of age in Portugal.

Lifecourse transitions, gender and drinking in later life.

ABSTRACT Older people consume less alcohol than any other adult age group. However, in recent years survey data on alcohol consumption in the United Kingdom have shown that while younger age groups have experienced a decline in alcohol consumption, drinking behaviours among the elderly have not reduced in the same way. This paper uses data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to analyse both the frequency and quantity of older adults alcohol consumption using a lifecourse approach over a ten-year period. Overall drinking declined over time and the analysis examined how socio-economic characteristics, partnership, employment and health statuses were associated with differences in drinking behaviours and how these changed over time. Higher wealth and level of education were associated with drinking more and drinking more frequently for men and women. Poorer self-rated health was associated with less frequent consumption and older people with poor and deteriorating health reported a steeper decline in the frequency of alcohol consumption over time. Men who were not in a partnership drank more than other men. For women, loss of a partner was associated with a steeper decline in drinking behaviours. These findings have implications for programmes to promote responsible drinking among older adults as they suggest that, for the most part, characteristics associated with sustaining wellbeing in later life are also linked to consuming more alcohol.

Transição para a Idade Adulta e Adultez Emergente: Adaptação do Questionário de Marcadores da Adultez junto de Jovens Portugueses

O presente artigo tem como principal objectivo adaptar o instrumento Questionnaire of Markers of Adulthood -QMA (Arnett, 2001), junto de jovens portugueses. Inspirado no conceito de Adultez Emergente, um conjunto de marcadores psicologicos, biologicos, sociais e contextuais de transicao para a idade adulta foram avaliados a partir de 37 itens, junto de uma amostra de 224 estudantes universitarios. Analises factoriais exploratorias e confirmatorias evidenciaram uma estrutura com cinco factores. Os resultados deste estudo confirmam a importância dos marcadores psicologicos como elementos nucleares na definicao da idade adulta. Adicionalmente, para os jovens que ainda nao se percepcionam completamente adultos, a independencia financeira surge como um elemento crucial na sua definicao da idade adulta. Este estudo reforca a importância atribuida, por outros autores contemporâneos, a esta fase emergente da vida e oferece um instrumento capaz de avaliar, de forma fiavel e valida, a importância relativa dos marcadores de transicao na conceptualizacao da idade adulta em Portugal.

Intergenerational Solidarity and Satisfaction With Life: Mediation Effects With Emerging Adults

A crescente dependencia dos adultos emergentes em relacao a sua familia e as suas menores expectativas em relacao ao futuro desafiam as trocas de solidariedade entre geracoes e podem afetar a satisfacao com a vida. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito mediador do familismo, maturidade filial e satisfacao com a relacao na associacao entre diferentes direcoes de apoio (recebido, dado e discrepância entre ambos) e a satisfacao com a vida. Foram utilizados questionarios de autorresposta em uma amostra de conveniencia de 243 adultos emergentes de ambos os sexos, estudantes, trabalhadores e pertencentes a diferentes niveis socioeconomicos. Os resultados corroboram o efeito mediador das variaveis em estudo e sugerem que a magnitude do seu impacto depende da direcao do apoio: sao observadas mediacoes parciais para o apoio recebido e mediacoes totais para o apoio dado.

Solidaridad Intergeneracional y Satisfaccion con la Vida: Efectos de Mediacion con Adultos Emergentes

A crescente dependencia dos adultos emergentes em relacao a sua familia e as suas menores expectativas em relacao ao futuro desafiam as trocas de solidariedade entre geracoes e podem afetar a satisfacao com a vida. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito mediador do familismo, maturidade filial e satisfacao com a relacao na associacao entre diferentes direcoes de apoio (recebido, dado e discrepância entre ambos) e a satisfacao com a vida. Foram utilizados questionarios de autorresposta em uma amostra de conveniencia de 243 adultos emergentes de ambos os sexos, estudantes, trabalhadores e pertencentes a diferentes niveis socioeconomicos. Os resultados corroboram o efeito mediador das variaveis em estudo e sugerem que a magnitude do seu impacto depende da direcao do apoio: sao observadas mediacoes parciais para o apoio recebido e mediacoes totais para o apoio dado.

Solidariedade Intergeracional e Satisfacao com a Vida: Efeitos de Mediacao com Adultos Emergentes

A crescente dependencia dos adultos emergentes em relacao a sua familia e as suas menores expectativas em relacao ao futuro desafiam as trocas de solidariedade entre geracoes e podem afetar a satisfacao com a vida. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito mediador do familismo, maturidade filial e satisfacao com a relacao na associacao entre diferentes direcoes de apoio (recebido, dado e discrepância entre ambos) e a satisfacao com a vida. Foram utilizados questionarios de autorresposta em uma amostra de conveniencia de 243 adultos emergentes de ambos os sexos, estudantes, trabalhadores e pertencentes a diferentes niveis socioeconomicos. Os resultados corroboram o efeito mediador das variaveis em estudo e sugerem que a magnitude do seu impacto depende da direcao do apoio: sao observadas mediacoes parciais para o apoio recebido e mediacoes totais para o apoio dado.