Life Course Stressors and Functional Limitations in Later Life Among White, Black, and Hispanic Adults: Deleterious, Hardening, or Benign?

Abstract Objectives Although striking racial and ethnic disparities in health are manifest during later life, they may be rooted in early-life exposures. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we investigate whether life course stressors are associated with the risk of later-life functional limi...

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Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2022-01, Vol.77 (1), p.249-259
Main Authors: Sauerteig, Madison R, Ferraro, Kenneth F, Bauldry, Shawn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adverse Childhood Experiences - ethnology
African Americans - ethnology
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - ethnology
Female
Functional Status
Health Status Disparities
Health Surveys
Hispanic or Latino
Humans
Life Change Events
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Stress, Psychological - ethnology
THE JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY: Social Sciences
United States - ethnology
Whites - ethnology
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Summary:Abstract Objectives Although striking racial and ethnic disparities in health are manifest during later life, they may be rooted in early-life exposures. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we investigate whether life course stressors are associated with the risk of later-life functional limitations and whether this relationship differs by race and ethnicity. Methods We utilize longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether child and adult stressors predict trajectories of the occurrence and severity of functional limitations among a diverse sample of older adults. Results Child and adult stressors are associated with greater occurrence and severity of functional limitations during later life. Mediation analyses reveal the indirect influence of child stressors via adult stressors on occurrence and severity of functional limitations; however, the indirect effects are slightly stronger for Black and Hispanic adults than their White counterparts. Discussion Child stressors, in and of themselves, do not increase functional limitations among Black and Hispanic people but are associated with greater adult stress exposure, predisposing them to more functional limitations. Results suggest that childhood stressors are associated with distinct social pathways to functional limitations among White, Black, and Hispanic older adults.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbab066