Comparing the Future Concerns of Early Wave Baby Boomers With the Concerns of Young-Old Adults

Abstract

Using data from a statewide needs assessment survey, this study examines and compares the self-reported future concerns of two age groups in Mississippi: Early wave Baby Boomers (age 55 to 64; n = 383) and the young-old (age 65 to 75; n = 349). Items under analysis focus on issues related to future concerns surrounding financial resources, health, and employment. Results from multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) indicate that Early wave Baby Boomers have higher levels of future concern than the young-old group in all three areas. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the financial and employment concerns of the Baby Boomers were higher than the concerns of the older group even after subjective well-being and income were taken into account. However, age differences in health concerns disappeared after controlling for current health and well-being. These findings suggest that the financial concerns of the Baby Boomers extend to the whole cohort and not just to the most financially stressed.

In the End It All Makes Sense

“…For example, in this study the Young Adult group was coping with full-time study, casual work, and activities, while the Older Adult group was mainly retired. This is not to imply that retirement and older adulthood is stress-free: Issues such as loneliness (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006), caregiving (Riedijk et al., 2006), and health and financial concerns (Adams-Price, Turner, & Warren, 2015) are well-recognized as pertinent for this age group. As this study was conducted in 2010, none of the participants in the Older Adult age group were part of the “baby boom” generation (those born after 1945).…”

Overview of Substance Use and Mental Health Among the “Baby Boomers” Generation

“…The ageing population in developed countries is growing at an unprecedented rate (Morgan et al, 2011). This ageing or "greying" of the population presents significant health and social challenges for this century and the largest increase in the number of older adults is yet to come, but is imminent, as more Baby Boomers grow older (Adams-Price, Turner, & Warren, 2015). Between 1946 and1964, 78 million children (Baby Boomers) were born in the United States of America (US), and in 2010, Baby Boomers comprised approximately 26% of the US population (King, Matheson, Chirina, Shankar, & Broman-Fulks, 2013).…”

“…One person out of every 5 Americans will be an older person (Bowman & Gerber, 2006a). (Bowman & Gerber, 2006a) has been mainly due to advances in health, medical treatment and pharmaceuticals.. Whilst healthy ageing is a public health goal for older adults (Snyder & Platt, 2013), for many Baby Boomers, extended life expectancy is and will be a 'double edged sword', bringing with it many potential years of financial, psychological and physical health concerns, which are not necessarily ameliorated by levels of income and wealth (Adams-Price et al, 2015).…”

Examining Social Connections as a Link Between Religious Participation and Well-being Among Older Adults

“…Scheibe and Carstensen (2010) reviewed the literature on well-being across the life-span and concluded that adults over 65 and under 85 have high SWB because of better regulation of emotions. Adams-Price, Turner, and Warren (2013) reported specifically that 55-64-year-olds had lower SWB than adults aged 65-75 and attributed the lower SWB to the uncertainty of being in transition to old age and to greater stress and worry. Finally, recent studies have shown low SWB for adults over the age of 85 (Gerstorf et al, 2010;Kotter-Gruhn, Kleinspehn-Ammerlahn, Gerstorf, & Smith, 2009) …”