Patterns of productive aging among Vietnamese war survivors: The influential role of early-life war exposure and past military service

ObjectivesWar disrupts millions of lives, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where armed conflicts are most frequent. Although war has received extensive research attention, its long-term impact on productive aging remains unclear. This study investigates how early-life war exposure affects productive aging among older Vietnamese war survivors and examines the moderating role of past military service and gender.MethodsData come from the Vietnam Health and Aging Study (N = 2,447 war survivors aged 60+). Latent class analysis identifies patterns of later-life engagement across five domains: work, in-kind support, caregiving, community involvement, and self-development. Multinomial logistic regression analyses assess the associations between war exposure, military role, gender, and productive aging profiles.ResultsThe analysis identifies five engagement patterns: High Engagers, Altruistic, Low Engagers, Civic Developers, and Active Workers. Greater war exposure is associated with profiles reflecting higher levels of engagement. Military role moderates this relationship: formal military veterans are more likely to be classified as Active Workers under high exposure conditions. Informal military members, by comparison, are more likely to be classified as Low Engagers. Gender further moderates these patterns, with women less likely to belong to profiles marked by high levels of public participation.DiscussionTo promote productive aging in conflict-affected LMICs, policymakers should consider the long-term effects of early-life war exposure, past military service, and gendered disparities. By addressing these inequalities through early-life interventions, we can potentially improve long-term engagement outcomes.