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Impaired hearing is a frequent stressful experience in later life. However, not all individuals affected by hearing problems exhibit restrictions in mental or functional health; there may be psychosocial resources that buffer the detrimental impact of impaired hearing to some extent. We investigate whether positive self-perceptions of aging (SPA, i. e. perceptions of more ongoing development and perceptions of less physical and social losses) do in fact constitute a compensatory resource and moderate between-person and within-person associations of self-reported hearing problems with trajectories of mental and functional health. Our sample comprised n = 9,705 participants in the German Ageing Survey (mean age = 62.41 years, SD = 11.58, range 40-93 years) who were assessed up to five times between 2008 and 2021. Based on longitudinal multilevel regression models, controlling for socio-demographic variables, hearing aid use, and chronic diseases, we found that individuals with overall more hearing problems reported poorer mental health. Moreover, with regard to the within-person associations, on measurement occasions when individuals reported more hearing problems, their mental and functional health was poorer. The association of more hearing problems with poorer functional health was weaker among individuals with lower perceptions of physical loss at baseline (i.e., year 2008). Among chronologically older adults, the association of more hearing problems with poorer functional health was weaker for those with higher perceptions of ongoing development at baseline. Our findings suggest that SPA related to fewer physical losses and to more ongoing development may buffer the negative impact of hearing problems on functional health.

Limited lung function represents a serious health impairment. However, studies investigating changes in limited lung function over time are rare. Thus, the current study investigates time-related changes in limited lung function and potential social inequalities. Data from the 2008 and 2017 waves of the population-based German Aging Survey were used in a repeated cross-sectional study design ( N  = 8778), including participants aged 40 years and older. Lung function was assessed by the peak flow test. Socio-economic indicators included educational attainment, income and occupational group. Additionally, smoking history, occupational exposure to fumes and gases, and physical exercise were used as potentially explanatory variables for the observed changes. We found that the prevalence of limited lung function decreased strongly over time on a descriptive level from 9.0 to 5.4%. In line with these results, a decreasing trend emerged (OR = 0.48) when controlling for age and gender differences. When additionally controlling for changes in socio-economic indicators and explanatory variables there were still significant decreases over time, but the decline was slightly reduced (OR = 0.57). Moreover, similar significant relative decreases over time occurred for middle-aged and older participants, female and male participants, and those belonging to the different socio-economic groups. Thus, limited lung function generally decreased over time. This decrease could partially be explained by beneficial developments in socio-economic indicators, smoking, occupational exposures, and physical exercise. Future studies might investigate how changes in medicinal treatment and prevention efforts have contributed to the observed beneficial trends in lung health.

Purpose To examine whether changes in vision and hearing problems are associated with changes in psychosocial outcomes (in terms of depressive symptoms, loneliness, and perceived social isolation). Methods We used longitudinal data from the nationally representative German Ageing Survey, which covers individuals aged 43 years and over (wave 6 and wave 7, with 7108 observations and mean age of 67.5 years, SD 10.2 years). The 6-item De Jong Gierveld tool was used to quantify loneliness, the Bude and Lantermann tool was used to quantify perceived social isolation, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (15-item version) was used to quantify depressive symptoms. Self-rated problems reading the newspaper due to vision problems and self-rated difficulties recognizing known people on the street due to vision problems were used to quantify vision problems. In addition, self-rated hearing problems on the telephone and self-rated hearing problems in groups of more than four people were used to quantify hearing problems. Results Adjusting for various confounders, longitudinal regressions showed that the onset of major vision problems referring to difficulties recognizing people one knows on the street was associated with increases in loneliness ( β  = 0.17, p  < .01) and depressive symptoms ( β  = 1.90, p  < 0.05). Moreover, the onset of some vision problems referring to difficulties reading the newspaper was associated with increases in perceived social isolation ( β  = 0.06, p  < 0.01). Additionally, the onset of some hearing problems in groups of more than four people was associated with increases in depressive symptoms ( β  = 0.43, p  < 0.05). Conclusion Our longitudinal study showed that vision and hearing problems can contribute differently to psychosocial factors. Delaying sensory impairment may result in favorable psychosocial factors in later life.

Background Previous research showed negative associations between physical activity and loneliness in older adults. However, information on associations among middle-aged adults is scarce. In this prognostic factor study, we investigated if starting or stopping to follow the WHO physical activity recommendations was associated with changes in perceived social exclusion and loneliness in this age bracket. Methods We used longitudinal representative data of participants aged 40 to 64 years from the German Ageing Survey waves in 2014 and 2017 (analytical sample = 4,264 observations, 54% women). Perceived social exclusion was investigated with the scale from Bude and Lantermann. Loneliness was quantified with the 6-items loneliness scale from De Jong Gierveld. Information from the International Physical Activity Survey items on the time spend in moderate and vigorous physical activity per week was dichotomized. Participants were coded as either following or not following the WHO´s physical activity recommendations of spending at least 150 min of moderate, 75 min of vigorous or an appropriated combination of physical activity per week. We investigated the within (individual) association between starting and stopping to follow WHO´s physical activity recommendations and perceived social exclusion as well as loneliness in asymmetric fixed effects regressions. Analyses were adjusted for age, marital status, employment status, social-network size, general self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, self-rated health, BMI, comorbidities, and physical functioning (SF-36). Results Stopping to follow the physical activity recommendations from the WHO was associated with perceived social exclusion (ß= 0.09 p = 0.04) but not with loneliness (ß=-0.01, p = 0.71). Starting to follow the WHO physical activity recommendations was neither associated with social exclusion (ß=-0.02, p = 0.54) nor with loneliness (ß=-0.01, p = 0.74) in adjusted asymmetric fixed effects regressions. Conclusion In middle-aged adults, longitudinal associations were found for physical activity and perceived social exclusion. Perceived social exclusion may be prevented by maintaining at least 150 min of moderate physical activities per week, which is the WHO physical activity recommendation. Future research should investigate moderators and mediators in the association between physical activity and social exclusion as well as loneliness.

As social exclusion can be linked to worse health and overall reduced quality of life, we describe social exclusion in people with diabetes and assess whether diabetes can be considered as a risk factor for social exclusion. We analyzed two waves (2014, 2017, N = 6604) from a survey of community-dwelling people aged > 40 using linear regression, group comparison and generalized estimating equations to explore the association between diabetes, social exclusion, socioeconomic, physical and psychosocial variables. In the entire cohort, diabetes was cross-sectionally associated with social exclusion after adjusting for covariates ( p  = 0.001). In people with diabetes, social exclusion was further associated with self-esteem ( p  < 0.001), loneliness ( p  =  < 0.001), income ( p  = 0.017), depression ( p  = 0.001), physical diseases ( p  = 0.04), and network size ( p  = 0.043). Longitudinal data revealed that higher levels of social exclusion were already present before the diagnosis of diabetes, and future social exclusion was predicted by self-esteem, loneliness, depression, and income, but not by diabetes ( p  = .221). We conclude that diabetes is not a driver of social exclusion. Instead, both seem to co-occur as a consequence of health-related and psychosocial variables.

Previous research was not able to identify an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on family care-givers' wellbeing due to cross-sectional data structures, care-giver-specific samples or non-probability sampling designs. In this article, by drawing on longitudinal data from a random and representative sample of the German population aged 40 and older, we overcome methodological limitations of previous research. We examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing (life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, loneliness) of different groups of family care-givers (new care-givers, continuous care-givers, past care-givers) and non-care-givers in Germany. We derived a balanced sample of n = 3,875 individuals aged 43–97 (mean = 66.5 years, standard deviation = 10.2 years) from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) to explore changes in wellbeing between 2017 (pre-pandemic) and June/July 2020 (pandemic). Using a first-difference approach, we found that the pandemic has a negative impact on both non-care-givers' and family care-givers' wellbeing, with increased levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness compared to pre-pandemic times. Changes in depressive symptoms of family care-givers did not significantly deviate from non-care-givers. However, continuous care-givers showed more pronounced increases in loneliness compared to non-care-givers. Our results suggest that family care-givers' wellbeing merits particular attention when considering the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals' wellbeing.

We analysed whether care time, burden and range of caregiving tasks were associated with informal caregivers’ subjective views of ageing (measured as attitudes towards own age (ATOA), subjective age (SA), and onset of old age (OOA)), and whether these associations differed as a function of the caregivers’ age and gender. Adjusted cluster-robust fixed effects regression analyses were conducted with gender and age as moderators using data of informal caregivers (≥ 40 years) of the population-based German Ageing Survey (2014, 2017). All three aspect of care intensity were associated with changes in subjective views of ageing and this pattern was a function of the caregiver’s age and gender. Care time was significantly associated with higher SA. Care tasks were significantly associated with more positive ATOA and earlier OOA. Age moderated the association between burden and ATOA, with older adults reporting more positive ATOA. Gender moderated the association between care time and ATOA; women reported less positive ATOA than men with increasing care time, but also felt subjectively younger than men with a broader range of care tasks. Age- and gender-stratified analysis indicated further differences. Our findings suggest to reduce care time, especially among older and female caregivers, to prevent a worsening of views of ageing, while being involved in a broad range of care tasks seems to (only) benefit female caregivers.

Background Existing literature explores the relationship between voluntary work, loneliness, and social isolation, but there is a lack of research on how the onset and cessation of voluntary work relate to loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Many in this population may discontinue volunteering due to various life circumstances, making it important to investigate the longitudinal significance of these transitions. This study aims to assess whether engaging in volunteer work during retirement age is associated with changes in loneliness and social isolation. Methods Longitudinal data were obtained from Waves 5 (Year 2014) and 6 (Year 2017) of the German Ageing Survey, focusing on middle‐aged and older adults. The sample size (n = 6628) was limited to those aged 65 and above. Two groups were analyzed: the onset group, individuals who did not volunteer in 2014 but did by 2017 (188 individuals), and the cessation group, those who volunteered in 2014 but not by 2017 (307 individuals). Loneliness was assessed using the De Jong Gierveld tool, and perceived social isolation was measured using the Bude and Lantermann instrument. Asymmetric linear fixed effects (FE) regression analysis examined the associations. Results In an asymmetric FE regression analysis that adjusted for a multitude of time‐varying covariates, an association was shown between the onset of volunteer work and decreases in loneliness (β = −0.07; p = 0.04) in older adults. In contrast, there was no significant association between the onset of voluntary work and changes in perceived social isolation. Also, there was no significant association between the cessation of volunteer work and changes in perceived social isolation or loneliness. Conclusion Our findings suggest that older adults who choose to volunteer may experience a decrease in self‐reported loneliness. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our present findings. This study examined how starting or stopping volunteering is associated with loneliness and social isolation in older adults. Using data from the German Ageing Survey, results showed that those who began volunteering felt less lonely. Findings suggest volunteering may help older adults feel more connected, though future research is needed.

Thus far, few cross-sectional studies have investigated the association between pet ownership and psychosocial factors. As longitudinal studies on this topic are mostly lacking, this study aimed to analyze the association between pet ownership and psychosocial factors (in terms of depressive symptoms, loneliness, social isolation, and life satisfaction) using a longitudinal approach. The data used were taken from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults (n = 12,438 observations). Two waves were used (year 2014 and year 2017). Validated multi-item scales were used to measure psychosocial factors. Linear fixed effects (FE) regressions were performed. In summary, only a few significant longitudinal associations were detected in regression analyses. No associations between general pet ownership and psychosocial factors were found. However, cat ownership was significantly longitudinally associated with increases in loneliness levels among the total sample and men. Cat ownership was also significantly longitudinally associated with increases in social isolation levels among men. Among women, dog ownership was significantly longitudinally associated with decreases in life satisfaction. This study reveals some associations between pet ownership and unfavorable psychosocial factors longitudinally. These associations were only significant for subgroups (cat vs. dog ownership and females vs. males).

Abstract Background and Objectives This study investigates whether the association between supplementary grandchild care and grandparents’ subjective well-being—measured as life satisfaction, perceived stress, and loneliness—is moderated by the contextual environment. We use the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as an example of contextual differences. Drawing on role theory, we argue that the costs and benefits of grandparenting may have differed between pandemic and prepandemic times. On the one hand, providing grandchild care during the pandemic may have been particularly stressful, prompting more negative effects on well-being. On the other hand, grandchild care may have been particularly relevant for enhancing well-being, as it protected grandparents from social isolation. Moreover, the association between grandparenting and well-being may have differed by gender. Research Design and Methods Using unbalanced panel data from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) 2014 (n = 3,619), 2017 (n = 2,458), and 2020 (n = 2,021), we applied maximum likelihood structural equation modeling (ML-SEM)—a method that combines dynamic panel modeling with fixed-effects analysis—to examine whether there were differences in the relationship between grandchild care and grandparents’ well-being when comparing pandemic and prepandemic times and by grandparents’ gender. Results Grandchild care was associated with lower loneliness for both grandmothers and grandfathers. For grandfathers, this association was even stronger during the pandemic. Grandmothers experienced higher life satisfaction when taking care of grandchildren during the pandemic, but there was no evidence that grandchild care increased perceived stress for either grandmothers or grandfathers. Discussion and Implications In line with role enhancement theory, this study highlights that supplementary grandchild care can be beneficial for grandparents’ well-being. Moreover, the context in which grandchild care takes place shapes the costs and rewards associated with it. Our results suggest that supportive policies and programs facilitating grandchild care can enhance grandparents’ well-being, especially in challenging contexts.