IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v207y2018icp11-18.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Quality of life at the retirement transition: Life course pathways in an early ‘baby boom’ birth cohort

Author

Listed:
  • Wildman, Josephine M.
  • Moffatt, Suzanne
  • Pearce, Mark

Abstract

Promoting quality of life (QoL) in later life is an important policy goal. However, studies using prospective data to explore the mechanisms by which earlier events influence QoL in older age are lacking. This study is the first to use prospective data to investigate pathways by which a range of measures of life-course socioeconomic status contribute to later-life QoL. The study uses data from the Newcastle Thousand Families Study cohort (N = 1142), an early ‘baby-boom’ birth cohort born in 1947 in Newcastle upon Tyne, an industrial city in north-east England. Using prospective survey data collected between birth and later adulthood (N = 393), a path analysis investigated the effects and relative contributions of a range of life-course socioeconomic factors to QoL at age 62–64 measured using the CASP-19 scale. Strong positive effects on later-life QoL were found for advantaged occupational status in mid-life and better self-reported health, employment and mortgage-freedom in later adulthood. Significant positive indirect effects on QoL were found from social class at birth and achieved education level, mediated through later-life socioeconomic advantage. Experiencing no adverse events by age five had a large total positive effect on QoL at age 62–64, comprising a direct effect and indirect effects, mediated through education, mid-life social class and later-life self-reported health. Results support a pathway model with the effects of factors in earlier life acting via later-life factors, and an accumulation model with earlier-life factors having large total, cumulative effects on later-life QoL. The presence of a direct effect of adverse childhood events by age five on QoL suggests a ‘critical period’ and indicates that policies across the life-course are needed to promote later-life QoL, with policies directed towards older adults perhaps too late to ‘undo the damage’ of earlier adverse events.

Suggested Citation

  • Wildman, Josephine M. & Moffatt, Suzanne & Pearce, Mark, 2018. "Quality of life at the retirement transition: Life course pathways in an early ‘baby boom’ birth cohort," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 11-18.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:207:y:2018:i:c:p:11-18
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.04.011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795361830176X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.04.011?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. R. Wiggins & G. Netuveli & M. Hyde & P. Higgs & D. Blane, 2008. "The Evaluation of a Self-enumerated Scale of Quality of Life (CASP-19) in the Context of Research on Ageing: A Combination of Exploratory and Confirmatory Approaches," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 89(1), pages 61-77, October.
    2. Dale Dannefer, 2003. "Cumulative Advantage/Disadvantage and the Life Course: Cross-Fertilizing Age and Social Science Theory," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 58(6), pages 327-337.
    3. Litt, J.S. & Schmiege, S.J. & Hale, J.W. & Buchenau, M. & Sancar, F., 2015. "Exploring ecological, emotional and social levers of self-rated health for urban gardeners and non-gardeners: A path analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1-8.
    4. Stephen Jivraj & James Nazroo & Bram Vanhoutte & Tarani Chandola, 2014. "Aging and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(6), pages 930-941.
    5. Tirth R Bhatta & Jeffrey M Albert & Eva Kahana & Nirmala Lekhak, 2018. "Early Origins of Later Life Psychological Well-Being? A Novel Application of Causal Mediation Analysis to Life Course Research," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(1), pages 160-170.
    6. Blane, D. & Higgs, P. & Hyde, M. & Wiggins, R. D., 2004. "Life course influences on quality of life in early old age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(11), pages 2171-2179, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Claudia Börnhorst & Dörte Heger & Anne Mensen, 2019. "Associations of childhood health and financial situation with quality of life after retirement – regional variation across Europe," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Josephine M Wildman, 2020. "Life-Course Influences on Extended Working: Experiences of Women in a UK Baby-Boom Birth Cohort," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(2), pages 211-227, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Siow Li Lai & Nai Peng Tey, 2021. "The Quality of Life of Older Adults in a Multiethnic Metropolitan: An Analysis of CASP-19," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, June.
    2. Sun, Nan & Yang, Fan, 2021. "Impacts of internal migration experience on health among middle-aged and older adults—Evidence from China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    3. Santini, Ziggi Ivan & Jose, Paul E. & Koyanagi, Ai & Meilstrup, Charlotte & Nielsen, Line & Madsen, Katrine R. & Koushede, Vibeke, 2020. "Formal social participation protects physical health through enhanced mental health: A longitudinal mediation analysis using three consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in E," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    4. Song, Jieun & Mailick, Marsha R. & Greenberg, Jan S., 2018. "Health of parents of individuals with developmental disorders or mental health problems: Impacts of stigma," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 152-158.
    5. Natasha Wood & David Bann & Rebecca Hardy & Catharine Gale & Alissa Goodman & Claire Crawford & Mai Stafford, 2017. "Childhood socioeconomic position and adult mental wellbeing: Evidence from four British birth cohort studies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, October.
    6. Missinne, Sarah & Colman, Elien & Bracke, Piet, 2013. "Spousal influence on mammography screening: A life course perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 63-70.
    7. Kathryn Hale & Truls Østbye & Bilesha Perera & Robert Bradley & Joanna Maselko, 2019. "A Novel Adaptation of the HOME Inventory for Elders: The Importance of the Home Environment Across the Life Course," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-21, August.
    8. Vanessa Zorrilla-Muñoz & María Silveria Agulló-Tomás & Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez & Alba Ayala & Gloria Fernandez-Mayoralas & Maria João Forjaz, 2022. "Ageing Perception as a Key Predictor of Self-Rated Health by Rural Older People—A Study with Gender and Inclusive Perspectives," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-13, February.
    9. Luo, Ye & Zhang, Zhenmei & Gu, Danan, 2015. "Education and mortality among older adults in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 134-142.
    10. Denise Howel & Suzanne Moffatt & Catherine Haighton & Andrew Bryant & Frauke Becker & Melanie Steer & Sarah Lawson & Terry Aspray & Eugene M G Milne & Luke Vale & Elaine McColl & Martin White, 2019. "Does domiciliary welfare rights advice improve health-related quality of life in independent-living, socio-economically disadvantaged people aged ≥60 years? Randomised controlled trial, economic and p," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-31, January.
    11. Visser, Mark & Fasang, Anette Eva, 2018. "Educational assortative mating and couples’ linked late-life employment trajectories," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 37, pages 79-90.
    12. Heather M. Rackin, 2017. "Comparing Veteran and Non-veteran Racial Disparities in Mid-life Health and Well-being," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(3), pages 331-356, June.
    13. Maclean, Johanna Catherine & Hill, Terrence D., 2015. "Leaving school in an economic downturn and self-esteem across early and middle adulthood," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 1-12.
    14. Matthias Pannhorst & Florian Dost, 2022. "A Life-Course View on Ageing Consumers: Old-Age Trajectories and Gender Differences," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(2), pages 1157-1180, April.
    15. Popova, Daria & Navicke, Jekaterina, 2019. "The probability of poverty for mothers after childbirth and divorce in Europe: the role of social stratification and tax-benefit policies," EUROMOD Working Papers EM11/19, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    16. Wolfe, Barbara & Song, Jieun & Greenberg, Jan S. & Mailick, Marsha R., 2014. "Ripple effects of developmental disabilities and mental illness on nondisabled adult siblings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 1-9.
    17. Stefan Gruber & Gregor Sand, 2022. "Does Migration Pay Off in Later Life? Income and Subjective Well-Being of Older Migrants in Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 969-988, April.
    18. Hideko Matsuo & Koen Matthijs, 2021. "The life course and subjective well-being across generations – an analysis based on cross-national surveys (2002–2016)," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 19(1), pages 417-466.
    19. Hudomiet, Péter & Hurd, Michael D. & Rohwedder, Susann, 2021. "The age profile of life satisfaction after age 65 in the U.S," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 431-442.
    20. Agatha Ravi Vidiasratri & Peter A. Bath, 2022. "Association between Internet Usage and Quality of Life of Elderly People in England: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-11, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:207:y:2018:i:c:p:11-18. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.