Less is (Often) More: Number of Children and Health Among Older Adults in 24 Countries

Antczak, R; Quashie, N T; Mair, Christine A.; Arpino, B

Less is (Often) More: Number of Children and Health Among Older Adults in 24 Countries

dc.contributor.author	Antczak, R
dc.contributor.author	Quashie, N T
dc.contributor.author	Mair, Christine A.
dc.contributor.author	Arpino, B
dc.date.accessioned	2023-09-08T23:19:10Z
dc.date.available	2023-09-08T23:19:10Z
dc.date.issued	2023-08-25
dc.description.abstract	Objectives Previous evidence about the impact of parenthood on health for older adults is mixed, perhaps due to variation in number of children and context. Higher numbers of children could lead to support or strain, depending on individual and country contexts. Yet, no studies currently exist that examine associations between number of children and several health indicators among older adults across multiple global regions. Methods We analyze cross-sectional data (1992-2017) of 166,739 adults aged 50+ across 24 countries from the Health and Retirement Study family of surveys to document associations between number of children, treated as a categorical variable, and five health outcomes (self-rated health, ADL limitations, IADL limitations, chronic conditions, depression). We perform multivariable analyses by estimating logistic regression models for each country and each outcome. Results Multiple comparisons between categories of number of children revealed at least one significant difference in each country, and a majority of significant differences indicated those with more children had poorer health. The risk of poorer health for parents of multiple children was observed in 15 countries, but in some countries fewer children predict poorer health. The greatest number of differences were identified for depression and chronic conditions, and very few for functional limitations. Discussion We observe a greater probability that more children is associated with poorer health in later life, especially for chronic conditions and depression. However, a universal global or regional pattern could not be identified. These findings raise new questions about how country contexts shape fertility and health.	en_US
dc.description.uri	https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbad123/7250511	en_US
dc.format.extent	45 pages	en_US
dc.genre	journal articles	en_US
dc.genre	postprints	en_US
dc.identifier	doi:10.13016/m2jdqf-pdu9
dc.identifier.citation	R Antczak and others, Less is (Often) More: Number of Children and Health Among Older Adults in 24 Countries, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2023;, gbad123, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad123	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad123
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11603/29637
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	Oxford University Press	en_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAt	The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartof	UMBC Sociology and Anthropology Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartof	UMBC Faculty Collection
dc.relation.ispartof	UMBC Center for Health, Equity, & Aging (CHEA)
dc.rights	This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.	en_US
dc.rights	Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)	*
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	*
dc.title	Less is (Often) More: Number of Children and Health Among Older Adults in 24 Countries	en_US
dc.type	Text	en_US
dcterms.creator	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8813-6532	en_US