Middle Age_Midlife crisis.pdf

Advanced Developmental Psychology Middle Adulthood Brainstorming What comes to your mind when you think about midlife? Categorize your thoughts Cultural Significance of Midlife • Age 40 to 65 • Carrying much of the societal load • Workforce • Bridging younger and older generation through caregi...

Advanced Developmental Psychology Middle Adulthood Brainstorming What comes to your mind when you think about midlife? Categorize your thoughts Cultural Significance of Midlife • Age 40 to 65 • Carrying much of the societal load • Workforce • Bridging younger and older generation through caregiving-related duties • Mental and physical health undergo significant changes • Stress, chronic illness, functional limitations, lower well-being From your experience with familiy and friends • What is the so called „midlife crisis“ about? • Discuss with a partner • Share your main thoughts Changing Expectations in Midlife Two core challenges: • Changing nature of intergenerational dynamics • Financial vulnerabilities Changing Expectations in Midlife Two core challenges: • Changing nature of intergenerational dynamics • Parenting pressure • Care for adult children due to historically challenging labor market • Higher life expectancy: duties for their aging parents while full-time work • Financial vulnerabilities (especially in the US) • Shrinking social and health care safety net • No paid family leave; halth care coverage Historical trends of mental and physical health in midlife within- and between-nations • Differences in the frequency of multigenerational households • Differences in socioeconomic status • Expectations surrounding caregiving for raising children • Expectations for contribution to the care of aging family members Nature and type of government programs Historical Change in Midlife Health, Well-Being, and Despair: Cross-Cultural and Socioeconomic Comparisons Objective: Is the worsening of middle-aged adult‘s mental and physical health confined to the US? Is this historical trend (of worsening) generalizable across levels of education attainment? Method: Longitudinal panel data from nationally representative data sets in the US, Australia, Germany, South Korea, and Mexico Comparing findings across nations with similarities and differences Cohort differences and historical trends in mental and physical health of middle-aged adults Sample • United States: 28,219 • Australia: 10,836 • Germany: 27,822 • South Korea: 6,402 • Mexico: 20,803 Not all studies included the exact same measures Data analyses • First Model: • Cohort differences in levels and rates of change across each outcome • Second Model: • Role of education and control for gender and race (in the US sample) First Model Results • Physical health: • Later-born cohorts across each nation reported fewer health conditions • Later-born cohorts across each nation (except for Germany) reported better physical functioning • Later-born cohorts across each nation reported better self-rated health • Mental health: • US and Australia: Later born cohorts reported poorer overall mental health • Germany, South Korea, and Mexico: later born cohorts reported a historical improvement of mental health and cognition • Germany: later-born cohorts reported increasing life satisfaction and mental health Second Model Results • Variations by education • Attaining more years of education was associated with better functioning across the outcomes; no differences across cohorts • In the US the protective effects of education were diminished in later-born cohorts Discussion • Changes of health and well-being in midlife across cohorts depend on experiences in younger ages (Great Depression, Post-war generation) • Global shift towards individualist values and practices (due to greater population density, higher marriage age, decreased fertility, later degree completion)  increases in external locus of control, decreases in civic intrest and trust and increases in individualistic traits  How does this explain the cross cohort and national differences (e.g., US vs. Germany)? In the future What do you expect for your physical and mental health when you are middle aged?