Tetyana Pudrovska

The Sense of Mastery as a Mediator and Moderator in the Association Between Economic Hardship and Health in Late Life

Objectives: This study examines the ways in which the sense of mastery modifies the association between economic hardship experienced at different life stages and late-life depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms. Methods: Using data from a sample of 1,167 older adults, ordinary least squares regression techniques were used to estimate the main and mastery-contingent effects of economic hardship. Results: Results underscore the dual role of the sense of mastery in the stress process. First, mastery mediates the effects of both earlier- and later-life economic hardships on elders’ current physical and mental health. Second, mastery moderates the health impact of economic hardship, although those patterns depend on the period of economic hardship and health outcome. Discussion: Integrating the stress process model and a life course perspective, the authors argue that to fully understand protective capacity of psychosocial resources, stressors encountered at different life stages should be taken into account.

The Sense of Divine Control and the Self-Concept A Study of Race Differences in Late Life

Using data from adults aged 65 and older in the District of Columbia and two adjoining counties in Maryland, this study examines the relationship between the sense of divine control and two self-concepts: self-esteem and mastery. Perceived divine control involves the extent to which an individual perceives that God controls the direction and outcomes of life. Among Whites only, divine control is associated negatively with mastery. Adjustments for socioeconomic status, other forms of religiosity, and stressors contribute to that race-contingent association. In addition, among Blacks, divine control is associated positively with self-esteem—especially among Black women. That effect remains net of socioeconomic and other controls. Conversely, among white men, divine control is associated negatively with self-esteem, although adjustment for socioeconomic status explains most of that association. The authors discuss these findings in the context of the ongoing debate about the psychological effects of different forms of religiosity.

The role of early-life socioeconomic status in breast cancer incidence and mortality: unraveling life course mechanisms.

Objectives: We examine (a) how breast cancer onset and survival are affected by various dimensions of early-life socioeconomic status (SES) and (b) the extent to which women’s characteristics in adulthood mediate the associations between early-life conditions and breast cancer. Method: We apply Cox regression models and a decomposition analysis to the data from the 4,275 women in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Results: Higher levels of mothers’ education and early-life family income were associated with a greater risk of breast cancer incidence. The effect of mothers’ education was mediated by women’s adult SES and reproductive behaviors. Fathers’ education was related negatively to breast cancer mortality, yet this effect was fully mediated by women’s own education. Discussion: This study identifies mechanisms linking early-life social environment to breast cancer onset and mortality. The findings emphasize the role of social factors in breast cancer incidence and survival.

Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Mortality in Later Life: An Integration of Four Life-Course Mechanisms

OBJECTIVES Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we examine (a) how socioeconomic status (SES) at age 18 affects all-cause mortality at ages 54-72, and (b) whether the effect of early-life SES is consistent with the critical period, accumulation of risks, social mobility, and pathway models. We also explore gender differences in the effect of early-life SES and life-course mechanisms. METHOD Participants (N = 6,547) were surveyed in 1957, 1975, and 1993, with vital status established until 2011. We combine discrete-time survival analysis with structural equation modeling. SES and health behaviors are modeled as latent factors. RESULTS Early-life SES affects mortality indirectly via status attainment and health behaviors in adulthood and midlife. This finding is contrary to the critical period and consistent with the pathway model. Persistent disadvantage at three life stages is a strong risk factor for mortality, thus, supporting the accumulation of risks. Moreover, the mortality risk of individuals who experienced downward socioeconomic mobility is comparable to their peers with persistent disadvantage. DISCUSSION This study highlights the complexity of interrelated life-course processes underlying the effect of early-life SES on mortality in later life.

Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Physical Activity in Later Life Evidence From Structural Equation Models

Objectives: This study examines the association between early-life socioeconomic status (SES) at age 18 and physical activity (PA) at age 65, elucidates mechanisms explaining this association, and explores gender differences in mediating pathways. Methods: Multigroup structural equation modeling is applied to the 1957 to 2004 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). Results: Early-life SES is positively associated with exercise in later life. This association is mediated by socioeconomic resources, health problems, obesity, and depressive symptoms (women only) in 1993 and sports participation in 1957. All mediators explain over 95% of the effect of early-life SES. Discussion: This study emphasizes the importance of complex multiple pathways linking early family SES to later-life PA. We identify chains of risks that need to be broken to improve PA among older adults. Our findings also suggest that interventions aimed at maintaining optimal physical functioning in old age should begin at least at midlife.

Why is Cancer More Depressing for Men than Women among Older White Adults

Using data from two waves of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (N = 8,054), I examine gender differences in psychological adjustment to cancer among older white adults. Results from different types of longitudinal models reveal that cancer has more adverse psychological implications for men than women. Mens higher levels of depression are reduced after adjustment for adherence to masculinity ideals of strength, independence and invincibility. Cancer poses a threat to the masculine identity because it entails lack of control over ones body and other consequences incompatible with traditional masculinity. This study contributes to sociological knowledge of the ways in which gender shapes psychological resilience and vulnerability to cancer through meanings people attach to gender roles.

Psychological adjustment to divorce and widowhood in mid- and later life: do coping strategies and personality protect against psychological distress?

Abstract Little is known about the specific ways that young-old men and women cope with marital disruption. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we examine: (1) the extent to which widowhood and divorce in ones 50s or early 60s affect depressive symptoms and alcohol use; and (2) the extent to which coping strategies and personality traits protect against or elevate distress levels. We find that widowed men and women report elevated depressive symptoms and these effects persist more than 2 years after the loss. By contrast, divorce does not affect depressive symptoms, yet does have a large effect on mens alcohol use. Not one coping style mediates and very few coping styles moderate the effect of marital disruption on mental health. The adverse psychological implications of marital disruption may reflect the fact that for young-old adults both widowhood and divorce are “off-time” transitions and, thus, are particularly distressing.

Understanding the “Russian Mortality Paradox” in Central Asia: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

In the former Soviet republics of central Asia, ethnic Russians have exhibited higher adult mortality than native ethnic groups (e.g., Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek) in spite of the higher socioeconomic status of ethnic Russians. The mortality disadvantage of ethnic Russians at adult ages appears to have even increased since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The most common explanation for this “Russian mortality paradox,” is that deaths are better reported among ethnic Russians. In this study, we use detailed mortality data from Kyrgyzstan between 1959 and 1999 to evaluate various explanations for the Russian mortality paradox: data artifacts, migration effects, and cultural effects. We find that the most plausible explanation is the cultural hypothesis because the personal behaviors that appear to generate a large part of the observed mortality differences (alcohol consumption, in particular) seem to be closely tied to cultural practices. We examine the implications of this finding for understanding the health crisis in post-Soviet states.

Gender and Reinforcing Associations between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Body Mass over the Life Course

Using the 1957–1993 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we explore reciprocal associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and body mass in the 1939 birth cohort of non-Hispanic white men and women. We integrate the fundamental cause theory, the gender relations theory, and the life course perspective to analyze gender differences in (a) the ways that early socioeconomic disadvantage launches bidirectional associations of body mass and SES and (b) the extent to which these mutually reinforcing effects generate socioeconomic disparities in midlife body mass. Using structural equation modeling, we find that socioeconomic disadvantage at age 18 is related to higher body mass index and a greater risk of obesity at age 54, and that this relationship is significantly stronger for women than men. Moreover, women are more adversely affected by two mechanisms underlying the focal association: the obesogenic effect of socioeconomic disadvantage and the SES-impeding effect of obesity. These patterns were also replicated in propensity score–matching models. We conclude that gender and SES act synergistically over the life course to shape reciprocal chains of two disadvantaged statuses: heavier body mass and lower SES.

Gender, Job Authority, and Depression

Using the 1957-2004 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we explore the effect of job authority in 1993 (at age 54) on the change in depressive symptoms between 1993 and 2004 (age 65) among white men and women. Within-gender comparisons indicate that women with job authority (defined as control over others’ work) exhibit more depressive symptoms than women without job authority, whereas men in authority positions are overall less depressed than men without job authority. Between-gender comparisons reveal that although women have higher depression than men, womens disadvantage in depression is significantly greater among individuals with job authority than without job authority. We argue that macro- and meso-processes of gender stratification create a workplace in which exercising job authority exposes women to interpersonal stressors that undermine health benefits of job authority. Our study highlights how the cultural meanings of masculinities and femininities attenuate or amplify health-promoting resources of socioeconomic advantage.