@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} } @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} }