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Objectives: This study examined whether trajectories of depressive symptoms of one spouse are associated with the other spouse's memory., Methods: Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2004-2016) were used ( N = 5690 heterosexual couples). Latent-class growth analysis and structural equation models examined the actor and partner effects of depressive symptom trajectories on memory., Results: Four depressive symptom trajectories were identified (i.e., persistently low, increasing, decreasing, and persistently high). Compared to the low trajectory group, the increasing and persistently high trajectories were associated with worse memory for both men and women. While none of the wives' depressive symptom trajectories was significantly associated with husbands' memory ( p > .05), husbands' decreasing trajectory was linked to wives' better memory (β = 0.498, 95% CI = 0.106, 0.890)., Discussion: Older adults with increasing and persistently high depressive symptoms may experience worse memory. Psychosocial interventions targeting depressive symptoms among older men may be beneficial to their spouses' memory.

Guided by an intersectionality framework, this study examined intersectional discrimination attributions and their associations with health outcomes. Older respondents (aged ≥50) from the Health and Retirement Study in 2014-2015 were included ( N  = 6286). Their reasons for discrimination (age, gender, sexual orientation, race, national origin, religion, financial status, weight, physical appearance, disability, and others) were examined. Latent class analysis examined the subgroup profiles. Six classes were identified: class 1 (54.52% of the sample) had no/minimal discrimination; Class 2 (21.89%) experienced primarily ageism; class 3 (8.81%) reported discrimination based on age/gender/national origin/race; class 4 (7.99%) attributed discrimination to financial/other reasons; class 5 (5.87%) experienced discrimination based on age/weight/physical appearance/disability; and class 6 (0.92%) perceived high discrimination. Intersectional discrimination was associated with poorer self-rated health and higher depressive symptoms compared to the no/minimal discrimination group. Multiple marginalized identities co-occur and contribute to discrimination. An intersectional approach is recommended to understand discrimination in later life.

This study explores the associations of retirement, and of public and private pensions, with older adults' depressive symptoms by comparing differences between countries and age groups. Harmonized data were analyzed from the family of Health and Retirement Study in 2012-2013 from China, England, Mexico, and the United States ( n  =   97,978). Respondents were asked if they were retired and received public or private pensions. Depressive symptom was measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Retirement was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms for the United States and with lower depressive symptoms for Mexico and England. Public pension was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms for Mexico and with higher depressive symptoms for the United States and China. Private pension was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms for the United States, China, and England. Our study shows that continuity theory demonstrates cross-national variation in explaining the association between retirement and depressive symptoms.

It has been discussed previously that older adults' living arrangements are associated with mortality. This study investigated the relationships between older adults' living arrangements and sleep-related outcomes in China. The nationally representative sample included 4,731 participants who participated on two different occasions, with a total of 9,462 observations (2012 and 2014 waves). Panel logistic regression and panel ordinary least squares regression models were estimated with outcomes of sleep quality and average hours of sleep daily, respectively. Approximately 62% of individuals reported good quality of sleep. We observed that older adults who lived with family members had 17% greater odds of reporting good quality of sleep (adjusted odds ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [1.03, 1.34], p  < .05) and reported longer sleep duration daily (β = .334, standard error = .069, p  < .01), compared with those who lived alone. Social support is needed to strengthen the residential relationship, especially with family members.

Objective: This research investigates the associations between smoking frequency and body mass index (BMI) among older adults in China with and without the inclusion of food consumption behaviors. Method: Applying three waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2009, 2012, and 2014), with 12,312 observations from 4,104 participants, gender-stratified panel ordered logistic regressions were performed. Food consumption included intake frequency and types of fruits, vegetables, staple food, cooking oil, and meat. Results: Among male older adults, more frequent smoking behavior was associated with lower BMI with the inclusion of food consumption behaviors. However, more frequent smoking behavior was not associated with BMI among female participants with the inclusion of food consumption behaviors. Former smoking status was not associated with BMI in all models. Discussion: The findings suggest the need of food consumption behaviors when researchers study the associations between smoking frequency and obesity. Gender gaps also should be considered.