Aging in the Context of Life Events

Most contemporary approaches to the study of aging recognize that human development is a life-long process (Baltes, 1987; Lerner, Boyd, Kiely, Napolitano, & Schmid, 2010). Although Baltes’ (1987) principles of lifespan development have guided decades of research, a newer outgrowth is emerging, with a focus on applied developmental science (ADS; Lerner et al., 2010). As an outgrowth of Baltes’ principles, ADS seeks to address real-world issues that are present at both the micro- and macro-levels (Lerner, Jacobs, & Wertlieb, 2005). Thus, ADS seeks to develop effective interventions to foster optimal development and to develop policies that support optimal development and functioning across individuals, communities, and society (Lerner et al., 2005).

As part of the growing application of the principles of lifespan development and the goals of ADS, there is an expanding awareness of the persistent effects of early life events and contexts surrounding health and well-being at mid- and late-life. An early focus on “double jeopardy” has expanded to a focus on cumulative disadvantage (Ferraro & Kelley-Moore, 2003) and is now moving toward a more nuanced set of questions regarding the contributions of individual differences and other contextual factors (e.g., Kim, Shin, & Zurlo, 2015; Shippee, Rowan, Sivagnanam, & Oakes, 2015). We see two main factors responsible for this new integration of ADS and aging studies. First, we have accumulated several multiwave longitudinal data sets that include relevant measures of childhood adversity and current functioning, like the Midlife Development in the United States described by Delaney (2014) and elsewhere. Second, researchers are increasingly acquiring the analytical tools that facilitate answering these nuanced questions about how individual differences, life events, and context interact to influence well-being.

The following set of articles, individually and collectively, advance our understanding of how early and contemporaneous life events and contexts influence well-being in adulthood. Given that the skills and experiences of adolescence serve as preparatory training for the challenges and experiences of adulthood, fostering high-level social skills, emotion regulation, and health behaviors is a key goal of ADS. These two articles specifically examine some of the contexts and events that influence well-being at adolescence. Ferris, Babskie, and Metzger highlight the importance of the family context for establishing and maintaining key health habits. Moving to specific life events in childhood, Jacoby, Krackow, and Scotti examine the ways in which betrayal trauma influences communication skills and social relations among adolescents.

These two articles dovetail with the work of Lyu and Agrigoroaei and with Turiano, Silva, McDonald and Hill, both of which use data from the MIDUS study to examine how early childhood misfortune influences functioning later in life. Whereas Lyu and Agrigoroaei examine the way in which social relations mediate the effects of childhood misfortune on changes in emotional well-being, Turiano et al. examine the way that specific control beliefs moderate the effects of childhood misfortune on indices of emotional affect.

Finally, two articles focus specifically on the ways in which older adults use their existing intrapersonal resources to cope with the demands of a challenging and changing economic context. Homaie Rad, Rashidian, Arab, and Souri examine the factors leading retired older adults in Iran to return to paid employment, with a consideration of the ways in which unanticipated medical expenditures push older adults back into the workforce. Similarly, Pruchno, Heid, and Wilson Genderson explore the ways in which individual resources prior to an economic crisis facilitate adjustment to such events.

Each of these six articles individually adds to the literature. However, their combined contribution is also noteworthy. Given that ADS strives to solve real-world problems by developing effective interventions and policies, a keen understanding of how early events and current life events influence well-being is necessary. Looking across the articles, Ferris et al. examine the context of family of origin on the development of healthy eating behaviors. The importance of the family continues to be evident in Homaie Rad et al.’s examination of factors influencing a return to employment among Iranian retirees. Similarly, Jacoby et al.’s focus on how early misfortune might negatively influence social relations adds depth to Lyu and Agrigoroaei’s examination of how impaired social relations at mid- and late-life influence emotional experiences. Finally, Turiano et al.’s focus on the ways in which childhood misfortune influence emotional affect at midlife provides a broader context in which to understand Pruchno et al.’s consideration of how emotional affect prior to an economic recession influences one’s adaptation to that life event. As is a central tenet of ADS, these studies highlight the micro- and macro-level consequences of studying early life events, along with the included studies also exemplifying the significance of ADS-related research in relation to better understanding optimal development later in life.