The 112th ASA Annual meeting took place, August 12-15 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Aging Studies Institute faculty and students presented on the following topics.
Adults ADHD and Health: A Conceptual Model and Analysis – Scott Landes, Andrew London
Unlike studies of childhood ADHD, scant attention has been devoted to understanding adult ADHD, including adult health outcomes. Recognizing ADHD as a life course disorder and informed by research on the effect of social determinants on health across the life course, we provide a conceptual model for understanding ADHD health, and initial empirical analysis of adult ADHD health outcomes. Using 2007 National Health Interview Survey data, we find that controlling for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, psychiatric comorbidities, and health behavior reduces the disparities in health outcomes between adults with and without ADHD. However, even when controlling for these exogenous measures, ADHD continues to exert a large and statistically significant influence on adult health. Results affirm the necessity of expanding ADHD health research beyond a solely biomedical model to include consideration of the effect of socioeconomic status and stigmatization across the life course on health outcomes for adults with ADHD.
The Influence of Religion on Intergenerational Solidarity in Eastern and Western Germany – Anja Steinbach and Merril Silverstein
This paper investigated the relationship between religiosity and intergenerational solidarity in Germany, with a focus on differences between eastern and western regions that have maintained unique religious profiles that trace back to before unification. Based on data from Wave 6 (2013/14) of the German Family Panel (pairfam), 8,637 reports from 4,622 adult children about their relationships with mothers and fathers were analyzed. Using an index comprising four dimensions of the intergenerational solidarity model (distance, contact, closeness, and support), hierarchical linear regression demonstrated general support for the hypothesis that religion has a positive impact on the strength of intergenerational relations in Germany. However, in the highly secularized eastern part of Germany the influence of religion on solidarity is not as strong as in the more religious western part. These results reiterate the importance of taking social context and political history into account when studying core institutions of religion and families.
Mismatch and Academic Performance at Americas’s Selective Colleges and Universitities – Amy Lutz, Pamela Bennett, Rebecca Wang
In an effort to promote greater diversity among selective American colleges and universities, institutions use affirmative action policies. This creates a situation where blacks and Latinos have somewhat lower SAT scores than their Asian and white peers. Critics of affirmative action argue that lower average SAT scores result in lower grades and greater dropout among underrepresented minority groups. Using the Educational Longitudinal Study, nationally representative longitudinal data, this article examines the effect of SAT mismatch on graduation and grade point average for students at selective institutions. We find that SAT mismatch does not significantly affect graduation from a selective institution. Mismatch is associated with significantly lower grades at selective institutions, but the effect does not vary by race. However, high school GPA plays a larger role in college GPA than does mismatch. While critics argue that lower grade point averages harm minority students, proponents of affirmative action argue that graduation from a selective college is more important than grade point average.
Section on Aging and the Life Course. Matilda White Riley Session and Business Meeting – Madonna Harrington Meyer (Panelist)
Madonna Harrington Meyer discussed her work on how disability shapes carework performed by working grandmothers.
To learn more about the ASA Annual meeting, click here.