Health and Retirement Study

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The Health and Retirement Study
a cooperative agreement between the National
Institute on Aging and the Survey Research
Center of the Institute for Social Research at
the University of Michigan (U01AG009740)
http//hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/
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The HRS is

• A study of aging in the US (population over age
  50)
• Multi-disciplinary in content
• A longitudinal study with replenishment
• A public-use dataset collects data for
  distribution to other researchers, does not
  control analysis
• A foundation for smaller, more focused studies
• A leader in administrative linkages
• An example and support for similar studies in
  other countries

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HRS Longitudinal Sample Design
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How big is the HRS?

• From 1992 through 2006
• Over 30,000 people were interviewed at least once
• 138,000 interviews were completed
• 6,400 workers retired
• 8,500 people have died
• 7800 interviews with their survivors

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Aging

• Loss of physical abilities
• Loss of cognitive abilities
• Better emotional regulation

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Hand grip strength in kg, by age and sex (HRS
2006)
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Lung function peak expiratory volume, by age and
sex (HRS 2006)
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HRS and cognition

• Basic measures of cognition (memory, mental
  status) back to 1992

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Episodic Memory Number of words recalled, by age
and sex (HRS 2006)
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McArdle, Fisher, and Kadlec, Psychology and Aging
22(3)525-45
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HRS and cognition ADAMS

• A stratified sub-study of N856 got very detailed
  neuropsychological assessment and diagnosis of
  dementia, CIND, or normal (team led by Brenda
  Plassman at Duke)
• All ADAMS data also available to public
• Papers published describing study, estimating
  prevalence of dementia and CIND

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Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia,
by Age (ADAMS)
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Psychosocial measures in HRS

• Other than cognition and depression, little
  psychological measurement in HRS
• Beginning in 2006, half the sample gets a
  detailed in-person interview with biomarkers
• AND a psychosocial questionnaire

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HRS Psychosocial Battery 2006
Social Network and Relationships Size of kin
and friend network Closeness of
relationships Quality of spousal
relationship Quality of child relationships Qual
ity of kin relationships Quality of friend
relationships Social Participation Perceived
social status Social Integration Neighborhood
Social Capital Everyday / Lifetime
Discrimination Religiosity Critical lifetime /
recent events Work Stress Domain-specific
stresses Work-family balance
Personality Traits Extraversion Neuroticism Ope
nness Agreeableness Conscientiousness Control
Beliefs (Internal-External) Domain
control Loneliness Anxiety Hostility Anger Optimis
m/Pessimism Hopelessness Subjective
Well-being Life Satisfaction Positive
Affect Negative Affect Psychological
Well-being Purpose in life Personal
Growth Self Acceptance
HRS Meeting June 5, 2007
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Different Age Patterns in Control by Domain
Bars 95 confidence interval
Smith HRS Workshop June 21, 2007
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Locus of Control Shifts from Internal to External
What happens to me in the future mostly depends
on me. I can do the things that I want to do.
I often feel helpless in dealing with the
problems of life I have little control over the
things that happen to me.
Constraints
Mastery
Bars 95 confidence interval
Smith , GSA November 16-20, 2007
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HRS 2006 Age Patterns in PersonalityTraits
No Age Cohort Differences in Agreeableness
Smith , GSA November 16-20, 2007
Bars 95 confidence interval
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Anger is Less Intense at Older Ages
Bars 95 confidence interval
Example items (Anger-in) When I am feeling angry
or mad, I keep things in I withdraw from
people
Example items (Anger-out) When I am feeling
angry or mad, I lose my temper I argue with
others
HRS Psychosocial Project
Spielberger Anger Expression Scale (STAX), 1988
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Loneliness Higher in Midlife and Very Old Age
Bars 95 confidence interval
Three item survey scale (Hughes, Waite, Hawkley
Cacioppo 2004) How often do you feel you lack
companionship? How often do you feel left
out? How often do you feel isolated from others?
HRS Psychosocial Project
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Loneliness is closely linked to marriage and
friendships