Midlife in the 2020s: Opportunities and Challenges Infurna, Frank J.; Gerstorf, Denis; Lachman, Margie E.
American psychologist/The American psychologist,
05/2020, Letnik:
75, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Development is a cumulative, lifelong process, but strikingly little is known about development in midlife. As a consequence, many misconceptions exist about the nature of midlife and the ...developmental milestones and challenges faced by middle-aged adults. We first review dominant views and empirical research that has debunked false narratives. Next, we discuss major opportunities and challenges of midlife. This includes the unique constellation of roles and life transitions that are distinct from earlier and later life phases as well as shifting trends in mental and physical health and in family composition. We additionally highlight the importance of (historical shifts in) intergenerational dynamics of middle-aged adults with their aging parents, adult children, and grandchildren; financial vulnerabilities that emerge and often accrue from economic failures and labor market volatility; the shrinking social and health care safety net; and the rising costs of raising children. In doing so, we discuss issues of diversity and note similarities and differences in midlife experiences across race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We consider midlife as a pivotal period that includes a focus on balancing gains and losses, linking earlier and later life periods, and bridging generations. Finally, we propose possibilities for promoting reversibility and resilience with interventions and policy changes. The suggested agenda for future research promises to reconceptualize midlife as a key period of life, with a concerted effort to focus on the diversity of midlife experiences in order to meet the unprecedented challenges and opportunities in the 2020s and beyond.
Public Significance Statement
Middle-aged adults are facing unprecedented societal challenges, but scientifically, midlife remains largely uncharted territory. We outline and discuss opportunities and challenges middle-aged adults are confronted with, including changes in relationships of middle-aged adults with their aging parents, adult children, and grandchildren as well as vulnerabilities that emerge from economic failures, labor market volatility, and a shrinking social and health care safety net, which operate in the context of historical shifts in mental and physical health and family composition. We discuss interventions and policy changes to help promote reversibility and resilience among middle-aged adults to meet the unprecedented challenges.
Midlife as a pivotal period in the life course Lachman, Margie E.; Teshale, Salom; Agrigoroaei, Stefan
International journal of behavioral development,
01/2015, Letnik:
39, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We provide evidence for multidirectionality, variability, and plasticity in the nature and direction of change in physical health, cognitive functioning, and well-being during the middle years of the ...life course. The picture of well-being in midlife based on longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study is a more positive one than portrayed in previous cross-sectional studies. We present middle age as a pivotal period in the life course in terms of balancing growth and decline, linking earlier and later periods of life, and bridging younger and older generations. We highlight the role of protective factors and multisystem resilience in mitigating declines. Those in middle age play a central role in the lives of those who are younger and older at home, in the workplace, and in society at large. Thus, a focus on promoting health and well-being in middle age can have a far-reaching impact.
Previous studies have examined physical risk factors in relation to functional health, but less work has focused on the protective role of psychological and social factors. We examined the individual ...and joint protective contribution of control beliefs, social support and physical exercise to changes in functional health, beyond the influence of health status and physical risk factors in middle-aged and older adults. Given that functional health typically declines throughout adulthood, it is important to identify modifiable factors that can be implemented to maintain functioning, improve quality of life, and reduce disability.
We conducted a national longitudinal study, Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), with assessments in 1995-1996 and 2004-2006, and 3,626 community-residing adults, aged 32 to 84, were included in the analyses. Functional health (Physical Functioning subscale of the SF-36) and protective factors were measured at both occasions. While controlling for socio-demographic, health status, and physical risk factors (large waist circumference, smoking, and alcohol or drug problems), a composite of the three protective variables (control beliefs, social support, and physical exercise) at Time 1 was significantly related to functional health change. The more of these factors at Time 1, the better the health maintenance over 10 years. Among middle-aged and older adults, declines in health were significantly reduced with an increased number of protective factors.
Age-related declines in health were reduced among those with more protective factors up to a decade earlier in life. Modifiable psychological, social, and physical protective factors, individually and in the aggregate, are associated with maintenance of functional health, beyond the damaging effects of physical risk factors. The results are encouraging for the prospect of developing interventions to promote functional health and for reducing public health expenditures for physical disability in later life.
This study assesses whether childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is related to cognitive function and cognitive change at mid and later life and explores the buffering effects of parenting style and ...adulthood SES.
Data were derived from the 3 waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, a national survey including 7,108 participants aged from 24 to 75 years at baseline. We used multiple regression and multilevel models to investigate the associations between childhood SES, adulthood SES, and cognitive performance and change at midlife and the role of parents' affection and discipline.
Low childhood SES was associated with lower cognitive function and more cognitive decline at mid and later life. Adulthood SES moderated the effect of childhood SES on cognitive function. Interactions showed that paternal discipline was positively related to cognitive function among participants with low childhood SES, and negatively related to cognitive function among participants with high childhood SES. High paternal affection was associated with less cognitive decline at mid and later life.
The findings advance the understanding of the long-term consequences of SES and psychosocial factors in early life that can lead to optimal cognitive function in middle and old age.
Voice prosody measures have been linked with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it is unclear whether they are associated with normal cognitive aging. We assessed relationships between voice measures and ...10-year cognitive changes in the MIDUS national sample of middle-aged and older adults ages 42–92, with a mean age of 64.09 (standard deviation = 11.23) at the second wave. Seven cognitive tests were assessed in 2003–2004 (Wave 2) and 2013–2014 (Wave 3). Voice measures were collected at Wave 3 (N = 2585) from audio recordings of the cognitive interviews. Analyses controlled for age, education, depressive symptoms, and health. As predicted, higher jitter was associated with greater declines in episodic memory, verbal fluency, and attention switching. Lower pulse was related to greater decline in episodic memory, and fewer voice breaks were related to greater declines in episodic memory and verbal fluency, although the direction of these effects was contrary to hypotheses. Findings suggest that voice biomarkers may offer a promising approach for early detection of risk factors for cognitive impairment or AD.
Abstract
Objectives
Although educational attainment is related to cognitive function in later life, little is known about the mechanisms involved. This study assessed the independent mediating ...effects of two behavioral variables, physical and cognitive activity, on the association between educational attainment and cognitive function and change.
Methods
Data were derived from the three waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Predictors (educational attainment) were from the 1995 baseline, mediators (physical and cognitive activities) were from the 2004 wave, and outcomes (cognitive function) were from the 2004 and 2013 waves. Conditional process modeling was applied using PROCESS in SPSS.
Results
There were both direct and indirect effects of educational attainment on level and change of executive function (EF) and episodic memory (EM). Physical activity and cognitive activity were both significant mediators for cognitive level. For mediators of change, however, cognitive activity was significant for EF and physical activity was significant for EM.
Discussion
Physical and cognitive activity are discussed as possible factors for protecting against cognitive decline in later life. The findings have implications for advancing supportive policies and practices related to maximizing the benefits of education and physical and cognitive activities for cognition in middle age and later life.
The belief that people are in control of desired outcomes, including those associated with aging, is a hallmark of American culture. Nevertheless, older adults are less likely than the young to ...believe there are things that can be done to control aging-related declines in areas such as memory. Within age groups, individual differences in control beliefs are related to cognitive performance, health, and well-being. Mechanisms linking perceived control and positive outcomes include adaptive behaviors such as strategy use and physical activity. There is some evidence that control beliefs can be modified in later life, as illustrated in an intervention for fear of falling. Further work is needed to examine the antecedents of perceived control in later life and the implications of control beliefs in other aging-related domains.
Social interactions today expand beyond in-person interactions. Therefore, it is important to recognize that social interactions can occur with social network members across multiple communication ...modes (in-person, phone, and online). The current study explored the role that social support plays in the relationship between mode frequency (in-person, phone, and online), network communication mode diversity (breadth and evenness of communicating with network members via different communication modes), and well-being (positive affect, stress, and loneliness) from the 3-year UCNET (UC Berkley Social Networks Study, N = 1159) dataset. The study contained samples for two age groups (cohorts) – 21–31 year-olds and 50–70 year-olds, which also allowed for an exploration of age differences in these relationships. Longitudinal random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) showed a high degree of stability over the 3 years for all variables. Cross-sectional structural equation mediation models showed that social support mediated the relationships of mode frequency (in-person, phone, and online) and network communication mode diversity with well-being (more positive affect and less loneliness and stress). Age differences were found in the relationship between frequency of communication modes and social support, in that the frequency of communication mode was positively related to social support for younger adults, but not for middle-aged/older adults. Current findings provided future research directions geared toward further understanding of the mode frequency and network communication mode diversity constructs and how they relate to various psychosocial outcomes.
Although the study of midlife has increased somewhat over the last decade, middle-aged adults are often omitted from research on adult development and aging. Possible reasons for the lack of ...attention to middle age are considered and recommendations for ways to increase research on midlife are suggested to generate new knowledge and to dispel the myths. Findings related to the happiness curve and the midlife crisis are discussed in the context of addressing misconceptions. A model of midlife as a pivotal period in the life course at the intersection of growth and decline is presented. Closing the research gap in the middle of the life course will help to further our understanding of this understudied age period. The findings can inform interventions to promote well-being among the middle-aged with concomitant benefits for the welfare of those younger and older who depend on them.
Physical activity is closely linked with health and well-being; however, many Americans do not engage in regular exercise. Older adults and those with low socioeconomic status are especially at risk ...for poor health, largely due to their sedentary lifestyles. Fitness technology, including trackers and smartphone applications (apps), has become increasingly popular for measuring and encouraging physical activity in recent years. However, many questions remain regarding the effectiveness of this technology for promoting behavior change. Behavior change techniques such as goal setting, feedback, rewards, and social factors are often included in fitness technology. However, it is not clear which components are most effective and which are actually being used by consumers. We discuss additional strategies not typically included in fitness technology devices or apps that are promising for engaging inactive, vulnerable populations. These include action planning, restructuring negative attitudes, enhancing environmental conditions, and identifying other barriers to regular physical activity. We consider which strategies are most conducive to motivating behavior change among sedentary adults. Overall, fitness technology has the potential to significantly impact public health, research, and policies. We suggest ways in which app developers and behavior change experts can collaborate to develop successful apps. Advances are still needed to help inactive individuals determine how, when, where, and with whom they can increase their physical activity.
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