{"title":"Frail parents and adult children's life-satisfaction: a longitudinal analysis of Norwegian data.","authors":"Morten Blekesaune, Vegard Skirbekk","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00883-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00883-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Earlier research has found that adult children's caregiving for older parents is associated with a decline in life satisfaction. However, other research indicates that emotional stress in adult children might be related to the declining health and frailty of their older parents rather than caregiving per se. Hence, there is a possibility that the first set of findings (declining life satisfaction when giving care) reflects factors not specified in statistical models rather than the care provided by adult children. This study tests this possibility by investigating changes in life satisfaction among 3,094 adult children from panel data in Norway that includes multiple indicators of health and care needs in older parents, together with data on who is providing care. Declining life satisfaction was observed among daughters but not among sons, and these changes were driven by the frailty and care needs of their parents rather than caregiving per se. The findings indicate that it is not caregiving that affects life satisfaction but the circumstances leading to caregiving. In these situations, adult daughters may struggle with sources of distress beyond providing support and care. Further research should investigate these relationships in countries with different distributions of care between families and public care institutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"49"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12480140/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145187124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Markus Wettstein, Anna E Kornadt, Lisa Marie Warner, Eva-Marie Kessler
{"title":"Perceptions of individual and societal onset of old age: associations with views on aging in a sample aged 16 to 96 years.","authors":"Markus Wettstein, Anna E Kornadt, Lisa Marie Warner, Eva-Marie Kessler","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00886-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00886-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There are considerable interindividual differences regarding when individuals perceive someone as \"old\" (i.e., perceived individual onset of old age). Individuals might also differ in when they believe that society considers someone as \"old\" (i.e., perceived societal onset of old age). We investigated how multiple indicators of views on aging (age stereotypes, subjective age, age knowledge, perceived ageism), socio-demographic factors (age, sex, education, region of residence), and self-rated health are related to perceptions of individual vs. societal onset of old age and with the difference between both measures in an age-heterogeneous sample. In the Age_ISM Germany survey, a representative sample of 2,000 Germans was recruited (age range 16-96 years, M = 56.6 years). We ran structural equation models with sampling weights and found that individuals report a perceived individual onset of old age that was on average more than eight years later than their perceived societal onset of old age. Perceived ageism was associated with an earlier perceived individual and societal onset of old age as well as with a greater discrepancy between both indicators. Feeling younger was associated with a later perceived individual onset of old age. Associations of views on aging, socio-demographics, and self-rated health with perceived individual onset of old age did not vary across age groups, whereas age-group differences emerged for perceived societal onset of old age. Our findings advance theoretical frameworks on views on aging by demonstrating a meaningful discrepancy between perceived individual and societal onset of old age, which are uniquely associated with views on aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"48"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12457244/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145126208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ageing in place in urban environments: building collaborative organisations for later life.","authors":"Tine Buffel, Chris Phillipson","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00875-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00875-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ageing in place, which refers to the idea of supporting older adults to remain living in their homes and communities for as long as they wish, has emerged as a dominant approach in public policy. However, the wider urban context influencing how people age in place, together with the pressures on the places in which people age, has been the subject of much less discussion. In response, this article reviews different ways of supporting ageing in place, exploring this theme in the context of issues associated with widening urban inequalities, austerity policies, and the privatisation of services and spaces within cities. Building on this analysis, the paper assesses the potential of initiatives which can empower and support groups within the older population, highlighting developments such as the village model, naturally occurring retirement communities, cohousing, and compassionate communities. Reflecting on the strengths and limitations of these initiatives, the paper examines the possibilities for developing new approaches to ageing in place as a collaborative venture, drawing on the collective resources of older people themselves, transforming as a result the urban environments in which they are themselves key actors.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"47"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12440835/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145070943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of age-related stereotype threat on subjective age, awareness of age-related change, and physical performance in older adults.","authors":"Anna C Müller, Anna E Kornadt, Nanna Notthoff","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00874-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00874-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Age-related stereotype threat-the fear of being judged based on negative age stereotypes-can affect physical performance in older adults. This study postulated that stereotype threat influences sports motor performance and that self-perceptions of aging (SPA), specifically subjective age (SA) and awareness of age-related change (AARC), reinforce this relationship. A total of 86 adults aged 65 and over participated in the study (65-85; M = 72.10, SD = 5.94). Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group with stereotype threat or a control group. Physical performance was assessed using the advanced version of the sports motor test for adults. SPA (SA, AARC losses and gains) were measured by self-report. The results indicated that compared to the control situation, stereotype threat did not result in lower performance in individual sports motor domains (coordination, mobility, strength, endurance), but only in total performance. Greater AARC losses predicted lower performance in the strength domain. No moderating effect of SA was observed, but a moderating effect of AARC gains was identified in the coordination domain. Stereotype threat only led to lower performance in interactions with AARC gains and in tasks that required both cognitive and physical components. Our findings show that compared to SA, AARC appears more relevant to stereotype threat and physical performance. Finally, the impact of stereotype threat on motor performance is not universally detrimental, but rather domain-specific and only partially moderated by individual differences in SPA.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"46"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12378272/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144974230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effects of Direct Payments on the well-being of older adults in England.","authors":"Jinbao Zhang, Julien Forder","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00882-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00882-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Self-directed care is a model that allows older adults with disabilities to arrange home- and community-based services flexibly. This study examines the impact of England's self-directed care-Direct Payments-on older adults' well-being and explores how the effects vary among individual characteristics. This study used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, 2012-2023) on adults aged 65 and older who used Direct Payments and managed care (N = 568). We used propensity score matching methods to estimate the impact of Direct Payments on unmet needs, depressive symptoms, and quality of life. Direct Payments reduced unmet needs and had non-significant effects on depressive symptoms and quality of life. The beneficial effects of Direct Payments were more salient among older adults who were younger, had experienced less physical loss, and had reported met needs in the preceding survey. Our findings suggest that Direct Payments effectively improve older adults' care outcomes by addressing their unmet needs, with individuals possessing greater health capital being more likely to benefit from using them. Policymakers and practitioners should support the disadvantaged and mitigate disparities in well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"45"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12373561/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144974219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Retirement timing and changes in quality of life: a retrospective analysis of transition from employment to old-age retirement in Finland.","authors":"Liisa-Maria Palomäki, Jyri Liukko, Aart-Jan Riekhoff, Sanna Tenhunen","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00881-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00881-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Retirement marks a significant life transition that is often accompanied by profound changes in perceived quality of life (QoL). The direction and magnitude of those changes depend on multiple factors whose combined effects remain under-researched. This study analyses the association between retirement timing and perceived changes in overall QoL and looks at how this association is mediated by changes in self-rated health, coping, satisfaction with leisure time, social relationships, and income adequacy. We use a register-supplemented cross-sectional survey conducted in 2022 among 2 212 old-age retirees who were previously employed and who retired in 2020 or 2021. Change in QoL and its domains is measured by comparing current perceptions with retrospective assessments of QoL pre-retirement. We apply the KHB method to decompose the association of retirement timing with QoL into direct and indirect parts to evaluate the role of each mediator. Before retirement, QoL was lowest for those retiring at the earliest eligibility age and highest for those who postponed retirement by at least 12 months. QoL increased most among the former and remained nearly unchanged among the latter. Most of the increase in QoL for those retiring at the earliest eligibility age was explained by improved coping and increased satisfaction with the amount of leisure time. Our results add to the multidisciplinary knowledge on retirement and suggest that retirement timing can act as a mechanism to improve QoL once employees have reached their statutory retirement age.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"44"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12364782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144875948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Su Yeon Jang, Silvia Loi, Frank J van Lenthe, Anna Oksuzyan, Mikko Myrskylä
{"title":"Inequalities in multimorbidity between native-born and immigrant older adults across Europe.","authors":"Su Yeon Jang, Silvia Loi, Frank J van Lenthe, Anna Oksuzyan, Mikko Myrskylä","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00879-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00879-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immigrants with a chronic disease may have a higher burden of multimorbidity than their native-born counterparts due to the unique experiences in their origin and the receiving countries. In this study, we provide a descriptive overview of inequalities in multimorbidity between immigrant and native-born older adults with chronic diseases in Europe. Our analysis includes individuals aged 50-79 years who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) from Waves 2 through 9. We first estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity among person-years with each of eight chronic diseases and then compare the prevalence between native-born and immigrant populations by computing the relative risk. Overall, immigrants with chronic diseases have a higher prevalence of multimorbidity compared to native-born individuals with the condition, a trend typically more pronounced among women. In particular, both immigrant men and women have a pronounced risk of multimorbidity with stomach ulcers compared to their native-born counterparts. In subgroup analyses by regions of origin and residence, we find that immigrants from Eastern Europe or Asia/Oceania and those living in Northern Europe have particular disadvantages in multimorbidity to their native-born counterparts, especially for disease combinations that include stomach ulcers. Our findings can help identify the target populations and health conditions that should be prioritized in efforts to reduce health disparities between native-born and immigrant older adults in Europe.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"43"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12354665/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144856762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sanne G Celant, H Susan J Picavet, Anne-Marie Buisman, M Liset Rietman, W M Monique Verschuren
{"title":"Individual vitality changes over 20 years among aging adults, using predefined and data-driven patterns: the Doetinchem Cohort Study.","authors":"Sanne G Celant, H Susan J Picavet, Anne-Marie Buisman, M Liset Rietman, W M Monique Verschuren","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00878-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00878-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>'Vitality' refers to healthy aging beyond medical measures, but long-term data on vitality is scarce. Hence, we examined individual vitality patterns over 20 years, and their lifestyle and health characteristics, using predefined and data-driven methods. We used data of 3,013 adults aged 26-70 at their first vitality measurement from the Doetinchem Cohort Study examined up to 5 times from 1995 to 2019 at 5-year intervals. Vitality was based on the SF-36 vitality scale, with scores > 50 indicating good vitality. Long-term vitality patterns were defined by two approaches, predefined and data-driven, and compared using cross-tabulation and Cramér's V. The predefined patterns were: persistent good, persistent poor, worsening, improving, and varying vitality. The lifestyle and health characteristics related to these patterns were identified by multivariate multinomial logistic regression, using persistent good vitality as the reference at both baseline (t1) and 20-year follow-up (t5). Data-driven analysis revealed patterns similar to the predefined method with varying vitality split in two variants. There was fair agreement between the approaches (Cramér's V: 0.49). Most participants exhibited persistent good vitality: 61% in the predefined, and 78% in the data-driven approach. Compared to the persistent good vitality group, others were characterized by younger age and poor health, including pain, chronic conditions, and particularly high prevalence of poor mental health. Sex, education, household and work status, along with lifestyle factors, played a role in only some patterns. Most adults showed persistent good vitality over 20 years, with good mental health as a key characteristic of long-term vitality.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"42"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12339789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144817915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social aspects of childlessness experiences in midlife and late adulthood: a scoping review.","authors":"Wenqian Xu, Jianmei Zhou, Federica Previtali, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00877-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00877-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite its increasing prevalence worldwide, ageing without children remains insufficiently studied. This article presents a scoping review of existing qualitative research examining the social aspects of childlessness in midlife and later adulthood. A total of 3444 papers were retrieved from nine electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Complete, APA PsycINFO, SocINDEX, Academic Search Complete, Humanities International Complete, Scopus, and Embase) and supplemented with a grey literature search using Google Scholar. Twenty-five articles were included. Four interconnected themes were found to relate to the experiences of childless adults in midlife and later adulthood: (1) living within structural contexts highlights how social norms, life course disadvantages, and policy frameworks affect well-being, access to services, and parenthood possibilities; (2) navigating care and support captures the varied ways childless adults access support through informal and formal care systems; (3) making sense of childlessness focuses on how individuals interpret their childless status; and (4) carving out control describes how individuals adapt to non-parenthood. These findings demonstrate the diversity, complexity, and evolving nature of childlessness experiences among middle-aged and older adults. However, this review also revealed several gaps in the existing literature, highlighting areas for future examination, such as experiences of childlessness among LGBTQ + individuals, how policy frameworks shape lived experiences, and how targeted support interventions may address the needs of childless populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"41"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12332159/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144800620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ania Mikos, Nataliya Fartdinova, Alexander Seifert, Nathalie Giroud, Florian Riese
{"title":"Association of hearing and vision impairment with cognitive impairment in nursing home residents in Switzerland.","authors":"Ania Mikos, Nataliya Fartdinova, Alexander Seifert, Nathalie Giroud, Florian Riese","doi":"10.1007/s10433-025-00880-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10433-025-00880-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The objectives of this study were to ascertain the prevalence of vision and/or hearing impairment and investigate their association with cognitive impairment in nursing home residents in Switzerland.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The sample comprised individuals aged 65-105 (mean = 84.0 and SD = 7.2) newly admitted for long-term care in one of 715 Swiss nursing homes from 2010 to 2019 (N = 132,880). Items from the Minimum Data Set of the Resident Assessment Instrument Swiss Version 2.0 assessed occurrence of hearing impairment (HI), vision impairment (VI), and dual sensory impairment (DSI, both HI and VI). We conducted logistic regression analyses to examine associations of each sensory impairment to cognitive impairment, controlling for medical and demographic factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sensory impairment was present in 57.28% of residents (HI 19.16%, VI 15.13%, and DSI: 22.99%) and cognitive impairment in 57.29%. The likelihood of cognitive impairment was greatest for DSI (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-1.60), followed by HI (PR 1.35; 95% CI 1.33-1.37) and VI (PR 1.18; 95% CI 1.16-1.20). The average marginal effect for DSI on cognitive impairment exceeded the sum of effects for HI and VI. Stratified models revealed that male sex, younger age, and higher medical comorbidity were associated with increased likelihood of cognitive impairment in DSI.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Sensory impairments are prevalent among newly admitted nursing home residents. While HI and VI are independently associated with cognitive impairment, an interactive burden emerges when they co-occur as dual sensory impairment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47766,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ageing","volume":"22 1","pages":"39"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12332150/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144795855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}