Rainer K. Silbereisen

Dispositional optimism fosters opportunity-congruent coping with occupational uncertainty.

OBJECTIVEnWe investigated the relationship between dispositional optimism and coping with growing occupational uncertainty, drawing on the life span theory of control to assess coping.nnnMETHODnParticipants were 606 German adults with various sociodemographic backgrounds, aged 16-43. They were interviewed at the end of 2005 (Time 1) and at the beginning of 2007 (Time 2). We regressed each control strategy at Time 2 on its scores at Time 1, optimism at Time 1, three moderating variables, and their interactions with optimism.nnnRESULTSnDispositional optimism predicted an increase in both goal engagement strategies (selective primary and compensatory primary control) only under favorable conditions (low regional unemployment rate, low perceived growth in occupational uncertainty, and high perceived controllability of this stressor). Specific conditions moderating the effects of optimism differed between the two engagement strategies. In addition, an unfavorable labor market situation as such prompted an increase in goal engagement. No effects of optimism on goal disengagement (compensatory secondary control) at Time 2 were found.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe effects of dispositional optimism on the change in control strategies were contingent on the labor market situation, which supports the view that optimists are better able to tailor their coping responses to available opportunities.

Perceived Level and Appraisal of the Growing Expectations for Active Ageing Among the Young-Old in Germany

Demographic change and the call for active ageing impose new demands on older individuals. Using data on German adults aged 56 to 75 (N = 1,468), the authors investigated perceived level of activation demands (e.g., increased expectations that the young-old will contribute to the public good) and appraisal of them as threatening or challenging by individuals with different health status and socioeconomic backgrounds. Overall, perceived level of demands was moderately high, and they were seen rather as a challenge. East Germans, those with better subjective health, and those unemployed reported a higher level of activation demands, whereas retired and widowed individuals reported a lower level. Moreover, East Germans, individuals with lower educational attainment, and those reporting health problems (but not physically handicapped individuals) experienced these demands more as a threat and less as a challenge. The authors argue that more targeted policy strategies are needed to promote active ageing in disadvantaged groups.

Age, cumulative (dis)advantage, and subjective well-being in employed and unemployed Germans: a moderated mediation model.

The negative impact of unemployment on subjective well-being (SWB) is well known, but the role of age in this relationship remains unclear. We suggest that cumulative advantage (or disadvantage) associated with the duration of current employment status may produce an age-related divergence in SWB between employed and unemployed individuals. We used cross-sectional data on employed (n = 1382) and unemployed (n = 254) Germans (age 18-42) surveyed in 2005. We found that, among currently employed individuals, relatively older age predicted longer employment duration (tenure), which was related to higher SWB via higher income and higher perceived occupational security. Among currently unemployed individuals, age predicted longer unemployment duration, which was associated with lower SWB via lower perceived social support. Thus, age was indirectly related to higher SWB in employed individuals and to lower SWB in unemployed individuals. In this way, cumulative advantage of long-term employment and cumulative disadvantage of long-term unemployment contributed to the age-related divergence in SWB between employed and unemployed Germans already in the first half of working life.

Early, on-time, and late behavioural autonomy in adolescence: Psychosocial correlates in young and middle adulthood

Drawing on two nationally representative German studies (N(1) = 1744, N(2) = 759), we examined correlates of early, on-time, and late curfew autonomy, a retrospective indicator of behavioural autonomy, in young and middle adulthood (19-37 years of age). Adjustment in four domains was considered: educational attainment, externalizing problem behaviour, subjective well-being, and interpersonal relationships. The early group showed lower adjustment in multiple domains across young and middle adulthood. The late group reported a mixed pattern of adjustment at younger ages (lower externalizing problems, but lower positive affect, lower importance of peers, and lower likelihood to have a partner) and positive adjustment in all domains at older ages. Timing effects were controlled for sociodemographic characteristics and retrospective measures of early adversities, pubertal timing, disclosure to parents, and peer group affiliation in adolescence. Findings show that late behavioural autonomy in its correlates is not simply the opposite of early behavioural autonomy.

Diverse Routes to Civic Participation Across Ages and Cultures: An Introduction

Civic participation is a cornerstone of civil societies and a part of positive and productive individual development. Much is known about individual predictors of civic participation among ethnic majority Western adolescent and young adult samples. In this special issue, the authors aim to uncover the predictors of civic participation in less studied populations to better understand diverse routes to civic participation across ages and cultures. Framed by life-span and ecological perspectives, this special issue draws together studies that target different age groups, from adolescents to the old–old, as well as minority and immigrant populations and residents of diverse countries, including the United States, Australia, Eastern and Western European countries, and Turkey.

Social Comparison in Coping With Occupational Uncertainty: Self‐Improvement, Self‐Enhancement, and the Regional Context

OBJECTIVEnTaking into account the regional context, we investigated whether social comparison in coping with occupational uncertainty served self-improvement (i.e., adaptive coping) or self-enhancement (i.e., subjective well-being).nnnMETHODnRespondents were 620 German adults aged 16 to 43, 59% female, who participated in three yearly follow-ups of a larger survey. The number of observations was 1,309 for contemporaneous and 1,079 for longitudinal analyses. Participants reported on perceived occupational uncertainty (e.g., risk of losing a job and difficulties with career planning), strategies for coping with it, and whether, and in which direction, they made social comparisons in coping with occupational uncertainty.nnnRESULTSnMaking social comparisons (vs. not) was associated with higher goal engagement and lower goal disengagement. Upward (as opposed to downward) comparison prospectively predicted higher goal engagement. Under high regional unemployment, upward comparison prospectively predicted lower goal disengagement, whereas making social comparisons was contemporaneously associated with higher subjective well-being. Higher regional unemployment rates predicted more frequent comparison, whereas comparison direction was predicted only by situational variables, especially personal control over the outcomes.nnnCONCLUSIONSnWhen operationalized as a conscious mental action and put in the context of coping with occupational uncertainty, social comparison serves primarily self-improvement.

Unpacking the link between family socioeconomic status and civic engagement during the transition to adulthood: Do work values play a role?

ABSTRACT We investigated whether the link between family-of-origin socioeconomic status (SES) and civic engagement in young adulthood is mediated by youth’s work values, that is, the desired characteristics of their current or future jobs. We used data from a Finnish study: 2004 (age 16–18, NT1u2009=u20091,301); 2011 (age 23–25, NT2u2009=u20091,096); and 2014 (age 25–27, NT3u2009=u20091,138). A higher family SES in 2004 predicted youth’s higher civic engagement in 2014. A higher family SES also predicted a lower importance of extrinsic job rewards (e.g., good pay) in 2011, but it was unrelated to the importance of intrinsic job rewards (e.g., learning opportunities). Extrinsic work values, in turn, predicted lower civic engagement in 2014, above and beyond sociodemographic and personality characteristics. Intrinsic work values predicted higher civic engagement. Thus, extrinsic, but not intrinsic, work values partly mediated the link between family SES and youth civic engagement.

Perceived Expectations for Active Aging, Formal Productive Roles, and Psychological Adjustment Among the Young-Old

We investigated how older adults’ perceptions of societal expectations for active aging, or activation demands (e.g., to stay fit and to contribute to the public good), relate to their involvement in paid work and formal volunteering and psychological adjustment. We used two waves of survey data on young-old Germans (aged 56–75, NT1 = 1,508, NT2 = 602). With the exception of several items on perceived activation demands, paid work and volunteering were not significant longitudinal predictors of such demands. In females, perceived activation demands increased the likelihood to work for pay a year later. Finally, among nonworking individuals, perceived activation demands predicted a better physical self-concept and a higher positive affect, whereas among nonvolunteers, such demands predicted fewer depressive symptoms a year later. We conclude that the policy debate on active aging may benefit some older German adults but is of little consequence for most of them.

Leisure Activities Choices among Adolescents

Abstract In this article, we provide descriptive time-use data on adolescent leisure. Next, we link normative developmental tasks or concerns of adolescence to the context of leisure. We then outline other, nondevelopmental factors of adolescents leisure participation, such as external constraints, individual motivation, and personality differences. Finally, we review the methods used to assess leisure participation and motivation in adolescence, touch upon the implications of leisure for adolescent health and development, and outline possible avenues of intervention.