The impact of life events on later life: A latent class analysis of the English longitudinal study of ageing

Enwo, Oby, Player, Emily, Steel, Nicholas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1528-140X and Ford, John (2021) The impact of life events on later life: A latent class analysis of the English longitudinal study of ageing. Journal of Public Health, 43 (2). e180–e187. ISSN 1741-3842

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Abstract

Objectives: Inequalities in life events can lead to inequalities in older age. This research aimed to explore associations between life events reported by older people and quality of life (QoL) and functional ability. Study Design: A latent class analysis (LCA) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing wave 3. Methods: Participants were grouped according to eight life events: parental closeness, educational opportunities in childhood, financial hardship, loss of an unborn child, bereavement due to war, involvement in conflict, violence, and experiencing a natural disaster. Linear and logistic regression were used to explore associations between these groups and the main outcomes of functional ability and QoL. Results: 7,555 participants were allocated to four LCA groups: “Few life events” (n=6,250), “Emotionally cold mother” (n=724), “Violence in combat” (n=274) and “Many life events” (n=307). Reduced QoL was reported in the “many life events” (coefficient -5.33, 95%CI -6.61 to -4.05), “emotionally cold mother” (-1.89, -2.62 to 1.15) and “violence in combat” (-1.95, -3.08 to -0.82) groups, compared to the “few life events” group. The “many life events” group also reported more difficulty with activities of daily living. Conclusions: Policies aimed at reducing inequalities in older age should consider events across the life course.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Information: ELSA is funded by the National Institute on Aging, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Department for Health and Social Care; Department for Transport; and Department for Work and Pensions, which is coordinated by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Uncontrolled Keywords: ageing,life course,older people,public health, environmental and occupational health,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,sdg 16 - peace, justice and strong institutions ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2739
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Population Health
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 07 Jan 2020 04:13
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2023 02:36
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/73494
DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaa002

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