@article {13602, title = {Race, gender, and cohort differences in the educational experiences of Black and White Americans}, journal = {Population Research and Policy Review}, volume = {42}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Federal legislation and judicial intervention led to significant transformation in the U.S. education system during the early to mid-twentieth century. These changes may differentiate older adults in their experiences of aging, particularly at the intersection of race, gender, and cohort, but are not well documented among current cohorts of older adults. Our study addresses this gap by providing rich, descriptive information on the educational experiences of U.S. adults who attended primary or secondary school between 1915 and 1977. We used data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative, prospective study of U.S. adults over age 50 years. The HRS collected information on respondents{\textquoteright} schooling history and experiences through a Life History Mail Survey (LHMS). We restricted our sample to age-eligible HRS-LHMS respondents who self-identified as non-Hispanic White or non-Hispanic Black and completed at least 75\% of their primary or secondary schooling in the U.S. (n = 10,632). Educational experiences, defined as pre-k to post-secondary education, varied across cohort, regardless of race or gender. Greater course offerings, improvements in learning support, and increasing exposure to integrated schools occurred across successive cohorts. We found the highest rates of enrollment in college preparatory curriculum and foreign-language courses as well as diagnosed learning differences in cohorts born after 1948. Among White adults, many of the gender differences in educational experiences documented in the oldest cohort were still found among the most recent cohort. Few gender differences, however, were found for Black adults regardless of cohort. Conversely, most race inequities in educational experiences persisted. Such inequities may be an important source of continued differences in experiences of aging observed across demographic groups. {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.}, keywords = {Educational experiences, life course, life history, Schools}, doi = {10.1007/s11113-023-09831-w}, author = {Walsemann, Katrina M. and Fisk, Calley E. and Farina, Mateo P. and Abbruzzi, Emily and Jennifer A Ailshire} } @article {11791, title = {Associations of mental health and chronic physical illness during childhood with major depression in later life.}, journal = {Aging \& Mental Health}, volume = {26}, year = {2022}, pages = {1813-1820}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether childhood chronic physical illness burden was associated with major depression in later life (>50 years) and whether this relationship was mediated by childhood mental health status.

METHOD: Data came from the 2016 United States Health and Retirement Study ( = 18,483). Logistic regression tested associations of childhood chronic physical illness burden with childhood mental health status and major depression in later life. Path analysis quantified mediation of the association between chronic physical illness burden and major depression by childhood mental health status.

RESULTS: One standard deviation increase in childhood chronic physical illness burden was associated with 1.34 (95\% = 1.25, 1.43) times higher odds of major depression in later life. Childhood mental health status explained 53.4\% (95\% : 37.3\%, 69.6\%) of this association. In follow-up analyses of categorical diagnoses, having difficulty seeing, ear problems or infections, a respiratory disorder, asthma, an allergic condition, epilepsy or seizures, migraines or severe headaches, heart trouble, stomach problems, or a disability lasting >=6 months was associated with major depression in later life with mediation by childhood mental health status.

CONCLUSION: Findings of this study indicate that children with a higher chronic physical illness burden are more likely to have major depression in later life and poor mental health during childhood mediates this relationship. Further research is needed to determine whether increased screening and treatment of psychiatric symptoms in pediatrics can decrease the burden of major depression across the life course.

}, keywords = {Chronic disease, Comorbidity, life history, major depressive disorder}, issn = {1364-6915}, doi = {10.1080/13607863.2021.1958143}, author = {Rachel S. Bergmans and Jacqui Smith} } @article {12749, title = {LHMS User Guide 2015-2017}, year = {2022}, institution = {Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan }, address = {Ann Arbor, MI}, keywords = {life history, mail survey, User guide}, author = {Jacqui Smith and Ofstedal, Mary Beth and Larkina, Marina and Helppie-McFall, Brooke and Amanda Sonnega and David R Weir} }