Nicky J. Newton
Northwestern University
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Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences | 2016
Kira S. Birditt; Nicky J. Newton; James A. Cranford; Lindsay H. Ryan
OBJECTIVES The cardiovascular system may represent a significant pathway by which marriage and stress influence health, but research has focused on married individuals cross-sectionally. This study examined associations among chronic stress, negative spousal relationship quality, and systolic blood pressure over time among middle-aged and older husbands and wives. METHOD Participants were from the nationally representative longitudinal Health and Retirement Study. A total of 1,356 (N = 2,712) married and cohabitating couples completed psychosocial and biomeasure assessments in waves 2006 and 2010. Analyses examined whether Wave 1 (2006) relationship quality and stress were associated with changes in blood pressure over time. RESULTS The effects of stress and negative relationship quality were dyadic and varied by gender. Husbands had increased blood pressure when wives reported greater stress, and this link was exacerbated by negative spousal relationship quality. Negative relationship quality predicted increased blood pressure when both members of the couple reported negative quality relations. DISCUSSION Findings support the dyadic biopsychosocial model of marriage and health indicating: (a) stress and relationship quality directly effect the cardiovascular system, (b) relationship quality moderates the effect of stress, and (c) the dyad rather than only the individual should be considered when examining marriage and health.
Archive | 2010
Abigail J. Stewart; Nicky J. Newton
The subject of gender in adulthood is, on its face, too large for a single chapter. In an attempt to define it so that it is feasible to address, we narrow our focus to three broad issues: gender and lifespan developmental approaches to studying adult personality; gender and the aging mind and body across adulthood; and the implications of gendered social roles for adult development and aging. We chose these issues for several reasons. First, we wanted to highlight the differences between a “lifespan developmental” approach to understanding gender in adulthood and an “aging” approach (see also Elder & Shanahan, 2006; Fuller-Iglesias, Antonucci, & Smith, 2008). The first emphasizes growth across the lifespan, often includes qualitatively distinct periods or stages, and does not focus on decline or decrements. This approach emphasizes ways that adults of different ages (e.g., in their 20s vs. their 40s) may differ from each other in important ways. The second approach nearly always includes attention to processes of decline and decrements in functioning, but also increasingly notes functions that do not decline or that might even increase. These two approaches are both important and have both been used to study some phenomena, but in many cases only one of them has been employed. For that reason, we have quite different impressions of aging itself according to these different views, and those differences have consequences for our understanding of gender. For example, personality has been examined most thoroughly in developmental terms in adulthood, is often understood in terms of continuities or lack of change, but has rarely been examined in terms of decline or “aging.” In contrast, the cognitive and physical changes associated with adulthood are nearly always conceptualized in terms of broad processes rather than stages and, indeed, usually in terms of decline. Individual researchers who take both approaches to understanding gender in adulthood have advocated attention to contextual issues such as culture, class, or race/ethnicity, but most research has failed to incorporate it. We examine social roles as one set of contextual issues that have been studied in some depth and are often gendered, though men and women both occupy many of them. Finally, in this chapter we pay attention to those aspects of the psychology of adult persons that seem to be inflected by gender, though we note with interest areas where there has been little research. We assume that some aspects of adult psychology are general to both women and men (e.g., that responsibilities for work and other people generally increase until old age, that there is a switch in focus to “time left” after mid-life), and we do not focus on those. Instead we consider evidence that gender matters in certain psychological experiences of adulthood in the three areas mentioned above: personality, cognitive and physical changes, and social roles. Thus, for example,
International Journal of Aging & Human Development | 2014
Nicky J. Newton; Izora H. Baltys
Generativity, or providing for the next generation (Erikson, 1950), is usually associated with midlife, and related to parenting. However, the extent to which grandparenting or non-parenting are associated with generativity, especially within the context of race, is less well known. The current study uses narrative data from the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (FLSA; N = 150) to examine the relationship between generativity and parent status–parents, grandparents, as well as non-parents–in midlife African Americans and Whites. Responses to questions concerning future plans in Life Story narratives were coded for four subtypes of generative expression: general generativity, productive generativity, generative caring, and generative need to be needed; these subtypes of generativity were associated with parent status in different ways for middle-aged men and women of each race group. The findings highlight the importance of context, providing a glimpse of expressions of generativity at the intersection of parent status and race.
Translational Issues in Psychological Science | 2017
Lindsay H. Ryan; Nicky J. Newton; Preet K. Chauhan; William J. Chopik
Retirement can be difficult, and experiences vary greatly. Although health, financial status, and family responsibilities have been associated with retirement adjustment, individual psychosocial characteristics may also play a role. Moreover, relatively little is known about the impact of perceived “job lock”—the belief that retirement is impossible due to financial or health constraints—and its relationship with later retirement adjustment. The current study addresses these limitations in the literature by examining the retirement transition over 4 years in a large sample of United States adults, with a particular focus on the ways in which personality may affect this transition. Data collected at baseline (2008/2010) and again 4 years later (2012/2014) included the Big Five personality traits, preretirement job lock, self-rated health, and multiple indicators of postretirement well-being, such as global and experienced well-being (anchored within activities in a single day). Participants were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N = 716; Mage = 61.9 at baseline). Results indicated that experienced positive affect was the only postretirement well-being outcome with a significant association with job lock, although only for those with low Conscientiousness. Findings also suggest that preretirement personality and subjective health play an important role for postretirement well-being. Thus, the current study highlights the importance for researchers and practitioners to consider both preretirement personality and health when evaluating individuals’ management of the retirement transition.
The Journal of Positive Psychology | 2017
William J. Chopik; Nicky J. Newton; Lindsay H. Ryan; Todd B. Kashdan; Aaron Jarden
Abstract Gratitude has been described as an adaptive evolutionary mechanism that is relevant to healthy psychological and interpersonal outcomes. Questions remain as to whether the presence and benefits of gratitude are consistent from young adulthood to old age; prior research has yielded mixed evidence. We examined the magnitude and direction of age differences in gratitude in three samples (combined N = 31,206). We also examined whether gratitude was associated with greater/lesser well-being at different periods in the life course. We found that the experience of gratitude was greatest in older adults and least in middle aged and younger adults. Further, we found that the associations between gratitude and subjective well-being remained relatively constant across the lifespan. Findings are discussed from a developmental perspective.
Developmental Psychology | 2016
Nicky J. Newton; Brady K. Jones
Expressions of the intent to leave behind something when we die can contain elements of both selflessness and selfishness. In this paper, we identify 3 different types of expressed legacy (personal, broader, and composite), and distinguish between them by examining their correlates (generativity, narcissism, and community involvement), as well as differences in expressed legacies for midlife African Americans and European Americans. Quantitative and qualitative data from surveys and interviews were drawn from the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (FLSA; N = 138; aged 55-58). We examined the contributions of generativity, narcissism, community involvement, and SES to each legacy, as well as the comparative levels of common significant predictors for each legacy, and the comparative likelihood of expressing particular legacies by race. Quantitative analyses showed that a different constellation of correlates predicted each legacy. Additionally, African Americans were more likely than European Americans to express legacies that indicated community involvement. Qualitative analyses showed that legacy groups (and races) also differed in open-ended responses encompassing personal concerns, talents, and goals. These findings highlight some of the mechanisms and correlates of how the intent to leave a legacy can provide meaning and purpose for midlife African Americans and European Americans. Results are discussed in light of previous research concerning how legacies are transmitted, and potential differences in cultural roots and meaning for African Americans and European Americans.
Journal of Women & Aging | 2018
Nicky J. Newton; Preet K. Chauhan; Shauna T. Spirling; Abigail J. Stewart
ABSTRACT Retirement is a complex life transition. Women’s retirement, like their work lives, may be further complicated, for example, by family or financial obligations; they may feel forced to retire or to continue working or feel they have the choice to do so. This study examines the role of voluntary versus involuntary retirement or continued work participation among retirement-age women; specifically, the relationships between choice, work status, and well-being. Compared to women forced to retire, women who chose retirement or continuing to work had higher levels of life satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of examining retirement within the life course context.
Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences | 2016
Nicky J. Newton; Jana Pladevall-Guyer; Richard Gonzalez; Jacqui Smith
Objectives The associations of personality with activity participation and well-being have been well studied. However, less is known concerning the relationship between personality and specific aspects of activity engagement in older adults. We conducted a fine-grained examination of the effects of extraversion and conscientiousness on reported activity engagement-which we define as participation, time allocated, and affective experience-during 8 everyday activities. Method Data were obtained using a day reconstruction measure from a subgroup of participants in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5,484; mean age = 67.98 years). Results We found mixed support for hypotheses suggesting that specific personality traits would be associated with activity participation, time allocated, and activity-affective experience. For example, extraverts were more likely to socialize and experienced higher socializing-related positive affect, but did not spend more time socializing. Discussion Results are discussed in light of the value of including personality in, and its contribution to, studies of activity engagement in later life. In addition, the need to acknowledge the complexity of the concept of activity engagement in future research is highlighted.
Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences | 2014
Kira S. Birditt; Nicky J. Newton; Susannah Hope
Journal of Adult Development | 2014
Nicky J. Newton; Jennifer M. Herr; Jessica I. Pollack; Dan P. McAdams