Changes in income and wealth by race, age, and gender among U.S. older adults: does change in sense of purpose in life matter?
Background and Objectives We examined racial/ethnic, age, and gender differences in changes in total household income and wealth among U.S. older adults and further evaluated whether change in sense of purpose in life (SPIL) moderates these differences. Research Design and Methods Data were from the...
| Publicado en: | Gerontologist Vol. 66; no. 7; pp. 1 - 16 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Jul2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=195281416&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 195281416 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00169013 GET jtl: Gerontologist issn: 00169013 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 vid: 66 iid: 7 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 195281416 10.1093/geront/gnag078 ppf: 1 ppct: 15 formats: tig: atl: Changes in income and wealth by race, age, and gender among U.S. older adults: does change in sense of purpose in life matter? aug: au: Choi, Shinae L Allen, Rebecca S affil: Department of Consumer Sciences, Alabama Research Institute on Aging, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States Department of Psychology, Alabama Research Institute on Aging, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States su: United States Income Sex distribution Age distribution Race Quality of life Old age Research funding Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Data analysis Questionnaires Chi-squared test Longitudinal method Surveys Statistics One-way analysis of variance sug: subj: Income Sex distribution Age distribution Race Quality of life Old age United States Research funding Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Data analysis Questionnaires Chi-squared test Longitudinal method Surveys Statistics One-way analysis of variance keyword: aged copyrightHolder:The Gerontological Society of America copyrightYear:2026 ethnic group Financial security gender hispanics or latinos https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag078 income inLanguage:en Life course Psychological well-being publisher:Oxford University Press Race/ethnicity sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42057268/ sense of purpose Sex aged copyrightHolder:The Gerontological Society of America copyrightYear:2026 ethnic group Financial security gender hispanics or latinos https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag078 income inLanguage:en Life course Psychological well-being publisher:Oxford University Press Race/ethnicity sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42057268/ sense of purpose Sex ab: Background and Objectives We examined racial/ethnic, age, and gender differences in changes in total household income and wealth among U.S. older adults and further evaluated whether change in sense of purpose in life (SPIL) moderates these differences. Research Design and Methods Data were from the 2012–2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 7,505). We estimated multivariate ordinary least squares regression models with interaction terms to evaluate the moderation effects of changes in SPIL on the differences in changes in income and wealth, adjusting for health and sociodemographic characteristics. Results Differences in household income and wealth persist, varying across race/ethnicity, age, and gender groups. Non-Hispanic Black, Asian/other, and Hispanic older adults, as well as women, had significantly lower household income and wealth. Multiple moderation analyses demonstrated that changes in SPIL moderated racial/ethnic and gender differences in income, functioning either as a buffer or an amplifier but had no effect on wealth. Specifically, increased SPIL was protective against lower income among women and Hispanic older adults. However, its beneficial effect was significantly attenuated among non-Hispanic Asian/other older adults, suggesting the psychological benefits of SPIL may not uniformly impact financial outcomes across racial/ethnic groups in later life. Discussion and Implications Our findings highlight the need to consider cultural contexts in psychosocial influences on late-life financial well-being through a life-course perspective and to develop culturally informed strategies to reduce financial inequities in aging populations. Our findings suggest promoting SPIL may bolster financial resilience, particularly among Hispanic older adults and women. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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