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Using data from two waves of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (N = 8,054), I examine gender differences in psychological adjustment to cancer among older white adults. Results from different types of longitudinal models reveal that cancer has more adverse psychological implications for men than women. Men's higher levels of depression are reduced after adjustment for adherence to masculinity ideals of strength, independence and invincibility. Cancer poses a threat to the masculine identity because it entails lack of control over one's body and other consequences incompatible with traditional masculinity. This study contributes to sociological knowledge of the ways in which gender shapes psychological resilience and vulnerability to cancer through meanings people attach to gender roles. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

This article reviews recent research (1999-2009) on the effects of parenthood on well-being. We use a life course framework to consider how parenting and childlessness influence well-being throughout the adult life course. We place particular emphasis on social contexts and how the impact of parenthood on well-being depends on marital status, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We also consider how recent demographic shifts lead to new family arrangements that have implications for parenthood and well-being. These include stepparenting, parenting of grandchildren, and childlessness across the life course.

Using 2 waves of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, I examine psychological consequences of potentially stressful, non-normative, or "off-time" aspects of the parental role in late midlife and early old age, including coresidence with adult children, stepparenthood, and parental bereavement. Additionally, I analyze gender differences in psychological implications of these characteristics of parenthood. Findings from random-effects pooled time-series models indicate that having stepchildren is unrelated to older parents' mental health. Moreover, the psychological consequences of stepparenthood do not depend on parental gender or the quality of parent-child relationships. Conversely, having at least 1 coresidential adult child of post-college age decreases psychological well-being among mothers but not among fathers. Death of a child has a detrimental effect on parents' mental health; yet, fathers are affected more adversely than mothers. The findings are interpreted with respect to family stress, parental role, and gendered role perspectives. Distinct experiences of this cohort of mothers and fathers are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Using data from 4,744 full, twin, half-, adopted, and stepsiblings in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, I examine psychological consequences of motherhood and fatherhood in midlife. My analysis includes between-family models that compare individuals across families and within-family models comparing siblings from the same family to account for unobserved genetic and environmental endowments that may confound the relationship between parenthood and mental health. Further, I examine whether the psychological effect of parenthood varies among different types of sibling dyads. The findings reveal that parenthood has similar psychological implications for middle-aged mothers and fathers. Main differences arise from specific configurations of the parental role. The association between parenthood and mental health partly reflects genetic influences but not shared early-life environment.

Objectives. We examine the effects of gender, race, and socioeconomic status (SES) on perceptions of body weight among older adults and the role of status-based differences in BMI in these processes. Methods. Data are derived from face-to-face interviews with 1,164 adults aged 65 years and older in the District of Columbia and two counties in Maryland in 2000-2001. Results. With 'perceived appropriate weight' as the comparison group, multinomial logistic regression analyses indicate that white adults, women, and high-SES individuals are more likely than black adults, men, and low-SES individuals to describe themselves as overweight or obese. However, these disparities are observed only after statistically adjusting for race, gender, and SES disparities in BMI. Moreover, the positive effect of SES on the likelihood of reporting overweight or obese perceptions is strongest among black women. Among low SES individuals, white women are more likely than men and black women to describe themselves as obese (relative to the 'perceived appropriate weight' category). Discussion. Our observations underscore the importance of taking SES contingencies into account when exploring race-gender differences in perceived body weight. This study further contributes to the literature by documenting the important suppression patterns associated with race, gender, and SES differences in BMI.

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2006.00326.x Byline: SCOTT SCHIEMAN (15), TETYANA PUDROVSKA (2), LEONARD I. PEARLIN (3), CHRISTOPHER G. ELLISON (4) Abstract: This study examines race and socioeconomic status (SES) differences in levels of the sense of divine control and its association with psychological distress. Using data from adults aged 65 and older in the District of Columbia and two adjoining counties in Maryland, we document that levels of the sense of divine control are highest among African Americans and individuals of low SES. Although the association between SES and perceived divine control is more negative among whites net of statistical adjustments for other indicators of religiosity and stressors, these conditions contribute modestly to the race x SES interaction effect. In addition, the sense of divine control is associated negatively with distress among low-SES African Americans and positively with distress among low-SES white elders. These patterns remain stable net of other forms of religiosity, an array of stressors, and the personal resources of the sense of mastery and self-esteem. Our findings elaborate on social stratification differences in religiosity and their different associations with well-being. Author Affiliation: (1)Scott Schieman is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. (5)An NIA grant award AG17461 (Leonard I. Pearlin, P.I.) supports this work. Correspondence should be addressed to Scott Schieman, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, 725 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada; E-mail:scott.schieman@utoronto.ca (2)Tetyana Pudrovska is a Ph.D. student in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. E-mail:tpudrovs@ssc.wisc.edu (3)Leonard I. Pearlin is Research Scientist & Graduate Professor in Sociology at the University of Maryland-College Park. E-mail:lpearlin@socy.umd.edu (4)Christopher G. Ellison is Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas, Austin. E-mail:cellison@mail.la.utexas.edu

Objectives. Few studies have identified the distinctive aspects of singlehood that are distressing to older adults. The objectives of our study were: (a) to examine whether divorced, widowed, and never-married older adults differed in their experiences of single strain, an indicator of chronic stressors associated with being unmarried; and (b) to assess whether the marital status differences we explored varied by gender and race. Methods. Using data from a subsample of 530 unmarried older adults and ordinary least squares regression, we estimated main and interactive effects of marital status, gender, and race on single strain. Results. Divorced and widowed persons reported higher single strain than never-married persons, although the magnitude of these effects varied considerably by race and gender. Never-married White women reported higher levels of single strain than their male counterparts. White widows and widowers exhibited higher single strain than widowed Black adults. Black women uniformly fared better than White women, whereas divorced and never-married Black men were not different from their White peers in terms of single strain. Discussion. Psychological adjustment to singlehood among older adults reflects patterns of gender and race stratification and socialization over the life course.

Using data from adults aged 65 and older in the District of Columbia and two adjoining counties in Maryland, this study examines the relationship between the sense of divine control and two self-concepts: self-esteem and mastery. Perceived divine control involves the extent to which an individual perceives that God controls the direction and outcomes of life. Among Whites only, divine control is associated negatively with mastery. Adjustments for socioeconomic status, other forms of religiosity, and stressors contribute to that race-contingent association. In addition, among Blacks, divine control is associated positively with self-esteem--especially among Black women. That effect remains net of socioeconomic and other controls. Conversely, among white men, divine control is associated negatively with self-esteem, although adjustment for socioeconomic status explains most of that association. The authors discuss these findings in the context of the ongoing debate about the psychological effects of different forms of religiosity. Keywords: mastery; self-esteem; religiosity; religious beliefs; self-concept

Objective: To examine whether exposure to family member deaths throughout the life course is associated with subjective life expectancy—a person's assessment of their own mortality risk—at age 65, with attention to differences by race. Method: We analyzed 11 waves of data from a study of men and women above age 50 (Health and Retirement Study; n = 13,973). Results: Experiencing the deaths of multiple family members before the respondent is 50 years old is negatively associated with subjective life expectancy at age 65. Discussion: Understanding the life-course predictors of older adults' subjective life expectancy is particularly important because survival expectations influence long-term planning, health, and longevity. Moreover, Black Americans are exposed to more family member deaths earlier in their life compared with White Americans, with implications for long-term health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underreward is associated with depression—but is that association contingent upon job authority and other forms of status in the work role? And, do these patterns differ for women and men? Analyses of a national sample of American workers reveal that underreward is more strongly associated with depression among women with higher levels of job authority compared to similarly situated men. The authors then demonstrate that this pattern is amplified when other status elements are considered: income, skill level, autonomy, and decision latitude. These patterns are observed net of a range of sociodemographic measures, work stressors, and workplace sex composition. The findings of this study provide new insights about the gendered ways that job authority and other forms of status shape the association between underreward and depression. In doing so, the authors speak to diverse theoretical traditions related to distributive justice and engage with key ideas of reward expectation states theory. The efforts of the authors dovetail with recent interest in the gendered implications of authority and status as well as their connections to psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]