This open access book provides a unique research perspective on life course transitions. Here, transitions are understood as social processes and practices. Leveraging the recent “practice turn” in ...the social sciences, the contributors analyze how life course transitions are “done.” This book introduces the concept of “doing transitions” and its implications for theories and methods. It presents fresh empirical research on “doing transitions” in different life phases (e.g., childhood, young adulthood, later life) and life domains (e.g., education, work, family, health, migration). It also emphasizes themes related to institutions and organizations, time and normativity, materialities (such as bodies, spaces, and artifacts), and the reproduction of social inequalities in education and welfare. In coupling this new perspective with empirical illustrations, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars from demography, sociology, psychology, social work and other scientific fields, as well as for students, counselors and practitioners, and policymakers.
This open access book examines how families and other social institutions interact to shape outcomes over the life course. It considers how to use research evidence to reduce social disadvantage ...through translation of evidence to support public policies and programs. The chapters focus on key life course stages such as early child development, adolescence, emerging adulthood, parenting, marriage, relationships and ageing, as well as examining experiences and outcomes for selected social groups such as Indigenous children, migrants and refugees, and gay, lesbian and bisexual groups. The book presents evidence using high-quality and recent data. With a focus on Australia, the volume provides new insights into how context shapes life course pathways and outcomes and a contrast to work that typically focuses on Europe and the United States. It will be of value to anyone interested in understanding how family background and life course pathways influence social disadvantage.
Health development science; Developmental origins of chronic illnesses; Community; Diabetes; Autism; Obesity; Nutrition; Health disparities across the lifespan; Fetal programming
This open access book investigates from a life-course perspective the individualization process and the challenges faced by young adults in post-collectivist China, where people are enjoined to ..."liberate" (jiefang) their individual capacities, to "rely on themselves" (kao ziji) and to no longer "depend on the state" (kao guojia). Based on unique quantitative and qualitative data, this book provides a solid empirical portrait of Chinese youths and transformation of social policies in post-collectivist China This book will be a great resource to students, academics as well as social scientists and policy-makers who wish not only to understand how, in such a short period of time, young adults and their families have managed to navigate from a relatively egalitarian society to one of the most unequal, but also how the articulation between socialist and neoliberal ideologies is reconfiguring social and economic relations as well as women’s and men’s life-course. The basis of the English translation of this book from its French original manuscript was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision and rewriting of the content was done by the author.
In Gottfredson and Hirschi's self‐control theory, introduced in 1990, they contend that self‐control is a unidimensional construct that develops early in childhood and remains stable throughout the ...life span. According to findings reported in recent research, however, these arguments are now being challenged, with scholars pointing to ways in which self‐control may be multidimensional in nature and may change beyond the period of alleged stabilization. In this study, we draw on Steinberg's dual systems model, introduced in 2008, to consider this issue further. We examine that model's two key elements of low self‐control—risk‐seeking and impulsivity—to determine whether they are empirically distinguishable from one another and have differing developmental trajectories from childhood to early adulthood. We also consider the consequences of changes in risk‐seeking and impulsivity for within‐individual changes in crime. We examine these issues with data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) for individuals from 10 to 30 years old. The results of our analyses show support for a multidimensional and dynamic conception of self‐control—from age 10 to age 30, risk‐seeking and impulsivity are empirically distinct and develop in divergent ways that are consistent with the dual systems model. Changes in risk‐seeking and impulsivity also affect changes in crime, but their effects vary with age and changes in the other element. We discuss these findings and their implications for self‐control and the development of life‐course criminology.
The COVID‐19 global pandemic and the resulting economic, health, and educational disruptions have upset all aspects of young people’s lives. The pandemic’s reach will likely continue in the near term ...and as psychological and academic trajectories unfold over time. In this article, we draw on the central tenets of life course theory—intertwined developmental trajectories, linked lives, and stratification systems (Elder, 1998)—to inform understanding of potential adverse effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on children’s and adolescents’ adjustment and well‐being, as well as mechanisms and processes that may buffer or exacerbate the pandemic’s negative impact. We review empirical evidence on the impact of previous macro‐level crises (e.g., the Great Recession) to illustrate how life course theory can aid developmental scientists in examining the effects of COVID‐19 on children’s development. We conclude with recommendations for research.
This study examines how the intersecting consequences of race-ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics status (SES), and age influence health inequality. We draw on multiple-hierarchy stratification and ...life course perspectives to address two main research questions. First, does racial-ethnic stratification of health vary by gender and/or SES? More specifically, are the joint health consequences of racial-ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic stratification additive or multiplicative? Second, does this combined inequality in health decrease, remain stable, or increase between middle and late life? We use panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,976) to investigate between-and within-group differences in in self-rated health among whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans. Findings indicate that the effects of racial-ethnic, gender, and SES stratification are interactive, resulting in the greatest racial-ethnic inequalities in health among women and those with higher levels of SES. Furthermore, racial-ethnic/gender/SES inequalities in health tend to decline with age. These results are broadly consistent with intersectionality and aging-as-leveler hypotheses.
Grit is the combination of perseverance and passion that helps people overcome challenges. Sport participation is a form of purposive leisure that may lead to the development of grit. Consequently, ...this study analyzes sport participation experiences over the life course and their implications for the development of adults' grit. With data from the National Sports and Society Survey (N = 3,993), two series of nested regression models are used to explore the relationships between sport participation and grit. The first series focuses on the links between sport participation levels while growing up and their perceived impacts on work ethics, as a proxy for grit. The second series examines the relationships between sport participation levels over the life course and adults' grit. Findings suggest that more sustained sport participation in childhood as well as adulthood lead to higher levels of adults' grit.
The World Health Organization (WHO) encourages countries to provide appropriate vaccinations for children, adolescents, and relevant adult populations. Childhood programme have been the focus of ...global investments, but recent pandemics have increasingly demonstrated the value of life course vaccination. Our objective is to compare national life course immunization programmatic maturity prior to mass COVID-19 vaccine introduction, the largest adult vaccination programme, globally. As coverage estimates (typically used to assess childhood programmes) are not available for adult vaccinations, this analysis pilots a standardized quantitative metric of programmatic maturity.
Through consultation with vaccination experts, we developed a standardized approach to assess national immunization programme maturity across the life course. In accordance with expert input, five vaccines were selected to represent delivery across the life course: diphtheria tetanus toxoid and pertussis (DTP); measles (MCV) second dose; human papillomavirus (HPV) final dose; pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) final dose; and seasonal influenza annual dose. Experts recommended inclusion of the following indicators for each vaccine: a legal mandate (national policy), experience delivering the vaccine (programme duration), and vaccine use (uptake for relevant populations). We developed a metric accordingly that provides up to 5 points per vaccine ("vaccine specific maturity score") which when summed forms the "life course maturity score", with a maximum score of 25. We analysed the prevalence of national policies, experience, and use by region and World Bank income group.
More than 55% of the 194 WHO Member States had childhood vaccine policies for all three of the vaccines considered (DTP, MCV, and PCV) compared to 60% for HPV (proxy for adolescent vaccination programme) and 52% for seasonal influenza (proxy for adult vaccination programme). Childhood vaccination programmes (e.g., MCV and DTP) had the highest vaccine specific maturity scores, while seasonal influenza and HPV vaccination programmes had much lower scores. The national life course maturity scores ranged from 1 to 23, with a global median of 12 (IQR: 8; 16).
The piloted metric provides an overview of the maturity of life course immunization programmes. The metric is structured to be a flexible, rapid resource that can be used to assess other combinations of vaccines across the life course. The findings from this paper provide a baseline of immunization programme maturity for childhood, adolescent, and adult vaccination programmes immediately prior to the COVID-19 vaccine introduction. This maturity score, or adaptations of this approach, could be used to monitor the trajectory of national immunization programme maturity across the life course in the years ahead.
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