@article{MolinaAlonsoPerezKreyenfeld, author = {Molina, Stefania and Alonso-Perez, Enrique and Kreyenfeld, Michaela}, title = {Divorce and Mental Health: Is Late Divorce Particularly Harmful for Women with Low Earnings?}, series = {Social Indicators Research}, journal = {Social Indicators Research}, publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, doi = {10.1007/s11205-025-03721-8}, abstract = {This paper examines the relationship between divorce and mental health, with a focus on how this association is stratified by sex, age, and individual income. In particular, we test the hypothesis that divorce at advanced ages (50-59) is particularly harmful for women with insufficient personal earnings. Data is drawn from German register data, which includes marital histories of divorcees and diagnosed health outcomes. The analytical sample includes persons aged 30-59 in 2015 (n = 23,426,639). The outcome is the annual incidence of mental disease diagnosis which is examined from an intersectional approach by drawing on MAIHDA (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy). Our findings indicate that women are at a higher risk of receiving a mental health diagnosis than men. Divorce significantly amplifies this risk. Additionally, low income poses a heightened risk for both women and men, particularly when divorce occurs at advanced ages.}, language = {en} } @techreport{AlonsoPerezMcEvoyRamosetal., type = {Working Paper}, author = {Alonso-Perez, Enrique and McEvoy, Olan and Ramos, Vincent and O'Sullivan, Julie Lorraine and Liebig, Stefan and Kreyenfeld, Michaela and Lersch, Philipp and Bazzani, Giacomo and Guetto, Raffaele and Vignoli, Daniele and Heisig, Jan and Solga, Heike and Gellert, Paul}, title = {Cognitive Pretest of a Factorial Survey Experiment on Future Narratives and Family Care}, doi = {10.48462/opus4-4174}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-41744}, pages = {16}, abstract = {Within the Preparation Module for the Einstein Center for Population Diversity (ECPD), diverse research institutions came together to provide new survey instruments for the innovation sample in the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP-IS). With the goal of collecting insightful information about future narratives and family care, central topics of the ECPD research endeavor, factorial survey was chosen as a suitable method. A preliminary set of vignettes was designed conjointly, and before proceeding with the large-scale survey, a series of cognitive pretests were conducted to examine comprehensibility and context effects. In this study we describe the design and analysis of these cognitive pretests, with a special focus on the process of designing the final survey informed by the pretests' feedback.}, language = {en} } @article{AlonsoPerezGellertKreyenfeldetal., author = {Alonso-Perez, Enrique and Gellert, Paul and Kreyenfeld, Michaela and O'Sullivan, Julie Lorraine}, title = {Family Structure and Family Climate in Relation to Health and Socioeconomic Status for Older Adults: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Analysis}, series = {International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}, volume = {19}, journal = {International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}, number = {18}, doi = {10.3390/ijerph191811840}, abstract = {Family characteristics are associated with individuals' health and wellbeing. However, the link between family structure (e.g., operationalized via marital status) and health outcomes is ambiguous, and whether family climate mediates the relationship is unclear. This study uses the Biobehavioral Family Model (BBFM) to investigate the association of older adults' family structure with later health, the mediating role of family climate and mental health and how these links vary by socioeconomic status (SES). Using data from n = 29,457 respondents aged over 50 in Waves 4, 5 and 6 (2011, 2013 and 2015) of the Survey of Health, Retirement and Ageing in Europe (SHARE), the BBFM was applied in a longitudinal mediation analysis of family structure and health, including both indicators of mental and physical health. Structural equation modeling was applied, and a multigroup analysis was performed to test the role of SES in a moderated mediation. Family climate and mental health mediated the relationship between family structure and subsequent physical health. Good levels of family climate were found to be consistently associated with improved mental and physical health. These relationships were significantly moderated by SES, showing that the association of family climate and health was weaker for those in low SES positions. Family climate and mental health should be considered as potential mechanisms linking family structure to later physical health outcomes across time; however, these associations are diminished for those with low SES.}, language = {en} } @article{AlonsoPerezHeisigKreyenfeldetal., author = {Alonso-Perez, Enrique and Heisig, Jan Paul and Kreyenfeld, Michaela and Gellert, Paul and O'Sullivan, Julie Lorraine}, title = {Intersectional inequalities in the transition to grandparenthood and cognitive functioning: A longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA)}, series = {The Journals of Gerontology: Series B}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology: Series B}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbae088}, abstract = {Objectives In aging societies, more people become vulnerable to experiencing cognitive decline. Simultaneously, the role of grandparenthood is central for older adults and their families. Our study investigates inequalities in the level and trajectories of cognitive functioning among older adults, focusing on possible intersectional effects of social determinants and grandparenthood as a life course transition that may contribute to delaying cognitive decline. Methods Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we analyzed a sample of 19,953 individuals aged 50-85 without grandchildren at baseline. We applied Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy to investigate variation in cognitive functioning across 48 intersectional strata, defined by sex/gender, migration, education, and occupation. We allowed the impact of becoming a grandparent on cognitive functioning trajectories to vary across strata by including random slopes. Results Intersectional strata accounted for 17.43\% of the overall variance in cognitive functioning, with most of the stratum-level variation explained by additive effects of the stratum-defining characteristics. Transition to grandparenthood was associated with higher cognitive functioning, showing a stronger effect for women. Stratum-level variation in the grandparenthood effect was modest, especially after accounting for interactions between grandparenthood and the stratum-defining variables. Discussion This study highlights the importance of social determinants for understanding heterogeneities in older adults' level of cognitive functioning and its association with the transition to grandparenthood. Cumulative disadvantages negatively affect cognitive functioning, hence adopting an intersectional lens is useful to decompose inequalities and derive tailored interventions to promote equal healthy aging.}, language = {en} } @article{O’SullivanAlonsoPerezFaerberetal., author = {O'Sullivan, Julie Lorraine and Alonso-Perez, Enrique and F{\"a}rber, Francesca and Fuellen, Georg and Rudolf, Henrik and Heisig, Jan Paul and Kreyenfeld, Michaela and Gellert, Paul}, title = {Onset of Type 2 diabetes in adults aged 50 and older in Europe: an intersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy}, series = {Diabetology \& Metabolic Syndrome}, volume = {16}, journal = {Diabetology \& Metabolic Syndrome}, publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, issn = {1758-5996}, doi = {10.1186/s13098-024-01533-3}, abstract = {Background Disparities in the development of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) are associated with various social determinants, including sex/gender, migration background, living arrangement, education, and household income. This study applied an intersectional perspective to map social disparities and investigate intersectional effects regarding the onset of T2D among older adults across Europe. Methods We used data from the Survey of Health and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to conduct an Intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (I-MAIHDA) of T2D onset. Individuals aged 50 years or older without known T2D at Wave 4 (2011, baseline) were included and followed through Waves 5 (2013), 6 (2015), 7 (2016), and 8 (2019-2020). Intersectional models were used to estimate additive main effects of sex/gender, migration background, living arrangement, education level, and household income and intersectional interactions. Results A total of 39,108 individuals were included (age at baseline M = 65.18 years (SD = 9.62), 57.4\% women). T2D onset was reported for 9.2\% of the sample over the 9-year observation period. In the fully adjusted model, all social determinants showed significant additive associations with T2D onset, while the discriminatory accuracy of the social strata was found to be low (Variance Partition Coefficient = 0.3\%). Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive mapping of intersectional disparities in onset of T2D among older adults in Europe. The results highlight the risk heterogeneity within the population and show social disadvantages faced by certain groups. However, while the T2D risks were higher in some strata than in others, the intersectional effects were small overall and mostly attributable to the additive main effects. The results suggest that public health strategies to prevent T2D should be universal but tailored to meet the specific situation of the different intersectional strata.}, language = {en} } @article{RamosKreyenfeldAlonsoPerezetal., author = {Ramos, Vincent Jerald and Kreyenfeld, Michaela and Alonso-Perez, Enrique and Gellert, Paul and Heisig, Jan Paul and O'Sullivan, Julie Lorraine}, title = {Future Caregiving Responsibilities, Employment Uncertainties, and Expected Childbearing Behavior: Survey Experimental Evidence from Germany}, series = {Population Research and Policy Review}, volume = {44}, journal = {Population Research and Policy Review}, publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, doi = {10.1007/s11113-025-09969-9}, abstract = {In societies experiencing declining birth rates, understanding factors that influence childbearing decisions is of interest. We used a factorial survey experiment to investigate how scenarios of future caregiving responsibilities toward aging parents and employment uncertainties shape the expected childbearing behavior of a fictitious couple. Respondents from the nationally representative German Socio-Economic Panel Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS) (n = 1,750) were randomly assigned to five vignettes, each describing a hypothetical couple with varying levels of caregiving responsibilities towards an aging parent and employment uncertainties. Respondents subsequently rated their expectations about the hypothetical couple's childbearing behavior within the next three years using an 11-point scale. Results show that high caregiving responsibilities and dual employment uncertainties reduce expected childbearing behavior by 2.8 and 1.9 units respectively, compared to when these are absent. The negative effect of high caregiving responsibilities is more pronounced among women, while respondents' own caregiving and employment experiences do not moderate these effects. These results demonstrate how both future-oriented caregiving responsibilities and employment uncertainties alter expectations about family formation and highlight the scenarios that are regarded as more or less favorable for childbearing.}, language = {en} } @article{WagnerMolinaAlonsoPerezetal., author = {Wagner, Lena and Molina, Stefania and Alonso-Perez, Enrique and Kreyenfeld, Michaela}, title = {What difference does it make? Parental relationship quality and child wellbeing in step- and nuclear families}, series = {Genus}, volume = {81}, journal = {Genus}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, doi = {10.1186/s41118-025-00269-w}, abstract = {This study adopts a dyadic perspective to explore how parental partnership quality relates to the wellbeing of children living with both biological parents versus those with a biological parent and a stepparent. We apply multivariable linear regression and a mediation analysis on dyadic data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) to understand the relationship between family structure, step- and biological parents' partnership quality, and children's self-reported wellbeing, operationalised over the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-scores). We differentiate two separate dimensions of parental partnership quality, namely the frequency of conflict and esteem between the (step-) parents. The results show that children living with a stepparent exhibit higher total difficulties scores as compared to children living with both their biological parents. However, parental conflict occurs less and esteem more frequently in stepfamilies than in nuclear families. Mediation analysis indicates that frequency of esteem between parents partially mediates the impact of family structure on SDQ-scores. Our analysis suggests that the negative effect of living with stepparents on children's social and behavioural problems is slightly mitigated by increased parental esteem in these unions.}, language = {en} }