Historical change in midlife health, well-being, and despair: Cross-cultural and socioeconomic comparisons.

ABSTRACT: Recent empirical evidence has documented that U.S. middle-aged adults today are reporting lower mental and physical health than same-aged peers several decades ago. Individuals who attained fewer years of education have been most vulnerable to these historical changes. One overarching question is whether this phenomenon is confined to the U.S. or whether it is transpiring across other high-income and upper-middle-income nations. To examine this question, we use nationally representative longitudinal panel data from 5 nations across different continents and cultural backgrounds (U.S., Australia, Germany, South Korea, and Mexico). Results revealed historical improvements in physical health for people in their 40s and early 50s across all five nations. Conversely, the direction of historical

SUBMITTER: Infurna FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9377163 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature