Family Member Death and Subjective Life Expectancy Among Black and White Older Adults

Donnelly, Rachel; Umberson, Debra; Pudrovska, Tetyana

doi:10.1177/0898264318809798

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…We are also unable to stratify analyses by offspring demographic characteristics, which likely relate to patterns observed here. Our descriptive results suggest that Black children and those with lower levels of parental education socially disproportionately experience parental death, aligning with results from prior studies indicating that socially disadvantaged groups are more likely to experience early familial loss (Donnelly et al 2018;Umberson 2003). Prior work also suggests that the long-term effects of early parental death differ by offspring's race (Patterson et al 2020).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Worksupporting

confidence: 87%

“…

Parental bereavement is a major stressor that can occur at any time over an individual's life course (Donnelly, Umberson, and Pudrovska 2018;Marks, Jun, and Song 2007) and can be detrimental to both physical and mental well-being (McLeod 1991;Umberson 2003). Theories of grief posit that mental distress following bereavement depends on the amount of time passed since the loss, with distress increasing immediately following parental death and eventually subsiding to return to baseline mental health (Abeles, Victor, and Delano-Wood 2004).

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parental Death and Mid-adulthood Depressive Symptoms: The Importance of Life Course Stage and Parent’s Gender

2021

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Traditional theories of grief suggest that individuals experience short-term increases in depressive symptoms following the death of a parent. However, growing evidence indicates that effects of parental bereavement may persist. Situating the short- and long-term effects of parental death within the life course perspective, we assess the combined influence of time since loss and life course stage at bereavement on mental health for maternal and paternal death. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 11,877) to examine biological parental death from childhood to mid-adulthood, we find that those who experience recent maternal or paternal death have heightened depressive symptoms. Furthermore, those who experience maternal death in childhood or paternal death in young adulthood exhibit long-term consequences for mental health. Our findings underscore the theoretical importance of early life course stages and parent’s gender when determining whether depressive symptoms persist following parental bereavement.

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Section: Limitations and Future Worksupporting

confidence: 87%

“…

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confidence: 99%

Parental Death and Mid-adulthood Depressive Symptoms: The Importance of Life Course Stage and Parent’s Gender

2021

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“…The individual variability of sHLE and sLE estimates was great among respondents. Among the well-established determinants of sLE such as the longevity of forebears [ 14 – 18 ] self-perceived health status [ 16 , 18 – 20 ], age [ 16 , 18 , 19 ], gender [ 16 , 18 , 21 – 23 ], lifestyle-related risks [ 18 , 24 – 26 ], socio-economic status [ 21 , 27 ] and psychosocial factors [ 18 , 20 , 28 – 31 ], we found association of sHLE with self-perceived health, age while self-perceived health, close relatives’ longevity, social conditions, happiness and perceived lifestyle influenced sLE.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While LE estimates provide information on the general status of the population, subjective life expectancy (sLE) has been studied as a proxy to gain insight into individual variances of LE [ 13 ]. The determinants of sLE include the longevity and health of forebears [ 14 – 18 ], health status [ 16 , 18 – 20 ], age [ 16 , 18 , 19 ], gender [ 16 , 18 , 21 – 23 ], lifestyle-related risks [ 18 , 24 – 26 ], socio-economic status [ 21 , 27 ] as well as a number of psychosocial and psychological factors, such as happiness, optimism, social relationships, depression or the sense of control [ 18 , 20 , 28 – 31 ]. sLE has proven to be a predictor of actual life-expectancy and mortality [ 19 , 32 , 33 ], a determinant of decisions about retirement [ 34 , 35 ], consumption and savings [ 36 ] as well as health behaviours [ 37 , 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing actuarial and subjective healthy life expectancy estimates: A cross-sectional survey among the general population in Hungary

et al. 2022

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Background Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is becoming an important indicator of population health. While actuarial estimates of HLE are frequently studied, there is scarcity of research on the subjective expectations of people about their HLE. The objective of this study is to compare actuarial and subjective HLE (sHLE) estimates in the ≥50-year-old Hungarian general population. Furthermore, we assessed subjective life expectancy (sLE) and explored determinants of the individual variance of sHLE and sLE. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey in 2019. Subjective health expectations were measured at 60, 70, 80 and 90 years of age via the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI). Point-estimates of sLE and background variables were also recorded. sHLE was estimated from GALI and sLE responses. Actuarial estimates of life expectancy (LE) and HLE for 2019 were provided by the Central Statistical Office of Hungary. Results Five hundred and four respondents (female 51.6%) were included. Mean (±SD) age was 63 (±7.5) years. Median LE (81.5 years, 95%CI 81.1–81.7) and sLE (82 years, 95%CI 80–85) were similar (p = 0.142), while median sHLE (66.8 years, 95%CI 65.5–68.3) was lower than HLE (72.7 years, 95%CI 82.4–82.9) by 5.9 years (p<0.001). Despite the greater median actuarial LE of women compared to men (p<0.001), we found no gender differences between the median sLE (p = 0.930), HLE (p = 0.417) and sHLE (p = 0.403) values. With less apparent gender differences among the predictors when compared to sLE, sHLE was mainly determined by self-perceived health, age and place of residence, while self-perceived health, close relatives’ longevity, social conditions, happiness and perceived lifestyle influenced sLE. Conclusions Along subjective life expectancy, subjective healthy life expectancy may be a feasible indicator and provide insights to individuals’ subjective expectations underlying the demographic estimates of the healthy life expectancy of the population.

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“…Perhaps because even one family member death is consequential, we know much less about how exposure to multiple family deaths shapes health outcomes for Black adults and for white adults. One study found that compared to white adults, Black adults were more likely to experience two or more family member deaths prior to age 50, and this cumulative exposure to family deaths undermined subjective life expectancy—a predictor of future health and mortality—in later life (Donnelly, Umberson, and Pudrovska 2020). Another recent study found that cumulative losses by midlife were associated with a biological marker of cardiovascular risk in women, especially among Black women (Lewis et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Family Member Deaths and Cardiometabolic Health among Black and White Older Adults

2022

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Although the bereavement literature is voluminous, we know very little about how exposure to multiple family member deaths across the life course shapes health trajectories as people age and whether unequal exposure to bereavement contributes to racial inequities in cardiometabolic health. We use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1992–2016) to consider how multiple family member deaths before midlife shape trajectories of cardiometabolic health after age 50 for Black and white adults (n = 22,974). Results show that multiple family member deaths prior to age 50 are associated with more cardiometabolic conditions at age 50 and a faster increase in conditions with advancing age. Moreover, Black adults are significantly disadvantaged by a greater risk of bereavement and more cardiometabolic conditions regardless of bereavement status. The life course trauma of exposure to multiple family member deaths uniquely contributes to the cardiometabolic risk of Black Americans.

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Family Member Death and Subjective Life Expectancy Among Black and White Older Adults

Cited by 13 publications

References 48 publications

Parental Death and Mid-adulthood Depressive Symptoms: The Importance of Life Course Stage and Parent’s Gender

Parental Death and Mid-adulthood Depressive Symptoms: The Importance of Life Course Stage and Parent’s Gender

Comparing actuarial and subjective healthy life expectancy estimates: A cross-sectional survey among the general population in Hungary

Multiple Family Member Deaths and Cardiometabolic Health among Black and White Older Adults

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