Consistent with previous studies, findings indicate that having more role-identity absences constitutes a risk factor for poorer psychological well-being. Results further demonstrate that being a formal volunteer can protect older adults with a greater number of major role-identity absences from decreased levels of purpose in life. The findings suggest that associations between volunteering and psychological well-being might be contingent upon the volunteer's role-identity status and the dimension of psychological well-being examined.

Guided by a life course perspective and concepts from models of stress and coping, this study tested the extent to which self-reported profiles of physical and psychological violence in childhood from parents were associated with greater odds of obesity in adulthood. This study also examined the extent to which adults’ greater use of food in response to stress served as a mediator of potential associations of risk. Multivariate regression models were estimated using data from 1650 respondents in the 1995–2005 National Survey of Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS). Results indicated that respondents who reported having experienced both psychological and physical violence from parents—with at least one type of violence having reportedly occurred frequently—were more likely to be classified as obese in contrast to respondents who reported never having experienced either type of violence from parents. Evidence from a sequence of models that tested mediation effects indicated that greater use of food in response to stress among respondents with problematic histories of violence explained, in part, their higher risk of adult obesity. Findings contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding psychosocial predictors of obesity, as well as the physical health consequences of childhood family violence. Results further suggest the importance of addressing particular aspects of life course social relationships—such as violence in childhood from parents—and their implications for psycho-behavioral uses of food within efforts to reduce rates of adult obesity.

This study examined associations between adult children's cumulative problems and their parents' psychological and relational well-being, as well as whether such associations are similar for married and single parents. Regression models were estimated using data from 1,188 parents in the 1995 National Survey of Midlife in the United States whose youngest child was at least 19 years old. Participants reporting children with more problems indicated moderately poorer levels of well-being across all outcomes examined. Single parents reporting more problems indicated less positive affect than a comparable group of married parents, but married parents reporting more problems indicated poorer parent-child relationship quality. Findings are congruent with the family life course perspective, conceptualizing parents and children as occupying mutually influential developmental trajectories.Keywords family relationship quality; family stress; intergenerational family relations; life course perspective; marital status; mental health Distressing circumstances-such as substance abuse, divorce, and long-term unemployment -are not uncommon among adults in the United States (Allegreto & Stettner, 2004;Kreider & Fields, 2002;Pham-Kanter, 2001). Empirical studies have indicated that these problems not only jeopardize the well-being of adults who directly experience them but also endanger the well-being of distressed individuals' family members, including their children and partners (e.g., Bigatti & Cronan, 2002;Werner & Smith, 2001). There has been little empirical investigation, however, of the extent to which adults' problems affect other family members, in particular individuals' parents.Guided by a family life course perspective, this study investigated linkages between adult children's cumulative number of problems and their parents' well-being. More specifically, we used data from the 1995 National Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) to test the hypothesis that parents of adult children experiencing more types of problems would report poorer psychological well-being (more negative affect, less positive affect, and less selfacceptance) and poorer relational well-being (poorer parent-child relationship quality and more family relationship strain) than parents of adult children experiencing fewer types of problems. We also examined whether being married (vs. single) moderates these associations, Note An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, November 17 -20, 2004, Orlando, Florida. Support for this research was provided by grants from the National Institute on Mental Health (MH61083) and the National Institute on Aging (AG20166 & AG206983). hypothesizing that being married would help to buffer parents from the negative implications of their adult children's greater number of problems. NIH Public Access Theoretical and Empirical BackgroundThis study draws on the family life course perspective as a theoretical framework that orients scholar...

Background Accumulating evidence indicates that stress impairs sleep quality. Few studies, however, have examined the extent to which early life stress can jeopardize sleep in adulthood. Purpose Guided by a life course epidemiological perspective on health, this study examined associations between childhood abuse and adult sleep problems. Methods We used data from 835 respondents in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). Self-report measures assessed the frequency of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in childhood, as well as global and component indicators of sleep problems in adulthood. Results Having experienced all three types of childhood abuse—even infrequently—was associated with global sleep pathology, as well as specific types of sleep problems. Reports of both frequent physical and frequent emotional abuse—even in the absence of sexual abuse—were also associated with poor sleep. Conclusions Childhood abuse is a risk factor for individuals’ long-term sleep problems.

Initiatives to promote aging in place have emerged rapidly in the United States across various health care settings (e.g., acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities) and broader community settings (e.g., public social service agencies). Moreover, recent federal policies include a growing number of provisions for local efforts to promote aging in place. Despite emerging bodies of research that have described singular initiatives in their own right, there has been very little scholarship that forges conceptual linkages across this increasingly vast domain of research, practice, and policy. Integrative theory development is critical to ensure that aging-in-place initiatives do not become fragmented from each other. This article uses insights from ecological frameworks-specifically Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory and M. Powell Lawton's general ecological model of aging-to conceptualize a range of programs as aging-in-place initiatives and for describing their similarities and differences, particularly in terms of the features through which they intend to promote aging in place. Theoretically derived dimensions along which to characterize aging-in-place initiatives include environment-focused aspects (e.g., the types of social systems and structures that the initiatives target for change) and person-focused aspects (e.g., the extent to which the initiatives target particular subgroups of older adults). The article concludes with a discussion on how these theoretically derived dimensions can be used to advance and integrate research, practice, and policy to systematically develop and expand aging-in-place initiatives.