Mental and Physical Health of Older Adults: Insights From Cross-National Contexts

Chair(s)

• 

  Jennifer Ailshire, PhD, FGSA

  Professor
  Gerontology
  University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, California, United States

Co-Chair(s)

• 

  Eunyoung Choi, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Postdoctoral Associate
  Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
  University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, California, United States

Discussant(s)

• 

  Emma Nichols, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)

  Research Scientist
  Center for Economic and Social Research
  University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, California, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• LD

  Linh Dang, PhD

  Research Associate
  Department of Epidemiology
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• SC

  Shekhar Chauhan, PhD (he/him/his)

  postdoctoral fellow
  Claude Pepper Center
  Florida State University
  Tallahassee, Florida, United States
• 

  Nan Jiang, PhD MSW

  Associate Professor
  School of Medicine
  Tsinghua University
  Beijing, Beijing, China (People's Republic)
• NB

  Nicholas Bishop, PhD (he/him/his)

  Associate Professor
  Human Development and Family Science
  University of Arizona
  Tucson, Arizona, United States

Comparing the aging experience across country contexts offers a unique opportunity to determine whether observed differences in mental and physical health of older adults reflect a universal aging process or if they depend on the unique social and economic contexts in which older adults live. The HRS-family of surveys consists of nationally-representative, longitudinal studies of aging conducted in many countries around the world that have data and measures that have been harmonized within the Gateway to Global Aging data platform. This resource provides remarkable opportunities for cross-national comparative analyses of social and economic determinants of health and well-being among older adults. The papers in this session use these harmonized data to compare the aging experience across different social and economic exposures in multiple countries from around the world, including examinations of: 1) the role of exposure to recession and workplace security on psychological stress of older adults in the US and Korea; 2) the importance of resources and social status in mental health among widowed older adults in the US and India; 3) how caregiving relates to depression among informal family caregivers across 19 countries; and 4) the importance of migration status and country of residence for multimorbidity among Mexican Older adults in the US and Mexico. This symposium provides a comprehensive examination of how workplace, family, caregiving, and migration experiences contribute to health and well-being among older adults around the world.

Presentations:

• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Work Expectation and Psychological Stress During the Great Recession: The Role of Late-Life Employment Transitions
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Linh Dang, PhD – University of Michigan
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Differences in Protective Mental Health Resources Among Widowed in the United States and India
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Shekhar Chauhan, PhD (he/him/his) – Florida State University
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Depression Among Middle-Aged and Older Informal Caregivers in 19 Countries: A Cross-Nationally Harmonised Study
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Nan Jiang, PhD MSW – Tsinghua University
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST

  Migration Status, Country of Residence, and Multimorbidity Among Mexican Older Adults
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Nicholas J. Bishop, PhD (he/him/his) – University of Arizona