Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Duration and Accumulation of Disadvantages in Old Age

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The probability of experiencing simultaneous disadvantages in more than one life domain seems to be higher for the oldest old people than younger age groups. However, the experience of coexisting disadvantages among older adults is relatively underexplored. We set out to analyse whether coexisting disadvantages among older people are long-lasting or temporary, and whether there are patterns of an accumulation of disadvantages in old age or not. We used nationally representative, longitudinal data between 1991 and 2011. Respondents were born between 1916 and 1934. The following disadvantages were included: lack of social resources, lack of political resources, lack of financial resources, psychological health problems, physical health problems and mobility limitations. Results suggest differing experiences of disadvantage in old age. We found that reporting coexisting disadvantages in 1991 increased the probability of reporting coexisting disadvantages in 2011, but the correlation was moderate. This indicates that for some people, coexisting disadvantages in old age is relatively stable, while for others it is a temporary experience. Reporting one disadvantage in 1991 also increased the probability of reporting coexisting disadvantages in 2011, suggesting a pattern of accumulation of disadvantages. Again, this pattern may not be generalised to all people. To a large extent the observed accumulation of disadvantages in old age seemed to be driven by physical health deterioration and mobility limitations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allardt, E. (1993). Having, loving, being: An alternative to the swedish model of welfare research. In M. Nussbaum & A. Sen (Eds.), The quality of life (pp. 88–94). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Arber, S. (2004). Gender, marital status, and ageing: Linking material, health and social resources. Journal of Aging Studies, 18, 91–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arber, S., & Ginn, J. (2004). Ageing and Gender: Diversity and Change. Social Trends, 34, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayis, S., Paul, C., & Ebrahim, S. (2010). Psychological disorders in old age. Better identification for better treatment. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 26, 39–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, M., Blom, A., Cox, K., Lessof, C., & Walker, A. (2006). The social exclusion of older people: Evidence from the first wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).Final Report. London: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, E., & Boreham, R. (2009). Understanding the risks of social exclusion across the life course: Older age. London: Cabinet Office, Social Exclusion Task Force.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blazer, D. G. (2003). Depression in late life: Review and commentary. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 58A(3), 249–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burchardt, T., Le Grand, J., & Piachaud, D. (2002). Degrees of exclusion: Developing a dynamic, multidimensional measure. In J. Hills, J. Le Grand & D. Piachaud (Eds.), Understanding social exclusion (pp. 30–43). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, D. R. (2001). Another comment on the role of statistical methods. British Medical Journal, 322, 231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dannefer, D. (2003). Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: Cross-fertilizing age and social science theory. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 58B(6), S327–S337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen, G. (2000). Social Indicators and Welfare Monitoring. Social Policy and Development Programme. Paper Number 2. Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.

  • Esping-Andersen, G. (2002). Towards the good society, once again? In G. Esping-Andersen (Ed.), Why we need a new welfare state (pp. 1–25). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K. F., & Kelley-Moore, J. A. (2003). Cumulative disadvantage and health: Long-term consequences of obesity? American Sociological Review, 68(5), 707–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K. F., Pylypiv Shippee, T., & Schafer, M. H. (2009). Cumulative inequality theory for research on aging and the life course. In V. Bengtson, D. Gans, N. Putney & M. Silverstein (Eds.), Handbook of theories of aging (pp. 413–433). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritzell, J., & Lundberg, O. (Eds.). (2007). Health inequalities and welfare resources. Continuity and change in Sweden. Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E., & Slogett, A. (2003). Health inequalities in the older population: The role of personal capital, social resources and socio-economic circumstances. Social Science and Medicine, 56, 935–947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halleröd, B. (2009). Ill, worried or worried sick? Inter-relationships among indicators of wellbeing among older people in Sweden. Ageing & Society, 29(4), 563–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halleröd, B., & Bask, M. (2008). Accumulation of welfare problems in a longitudinal perspective. Social Indicators Research, 88, 311–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halleröd, B., & Seldén, D. (2013). The multi-dimensional characteristics of wellbeing: How different aspects of wellbeing interact and do not interact with each other. Social Indicators Research, 113, 807–825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heap, J., Lennartsson, C., & Thorslund, M. (2013). Coexisting disadvantages across the adult age span: A comparison of older and younger age groups in the Swedish welfare state. International Journal of Social Welfare, 22, 130–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hegeman, J. M., Kok, R. M., van der Mast, R. C., & Giltay, E. J. (2012). Phenomenology of depression in older compared with younger adults: Meta analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 200, 275–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, S. (1970). Om levnadsnivåundersökningen [About the level of living survey]. Stockholm: Allmänna förlaget.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelfve, S., Thorslund, M., & Lennartsson, C. (2013). Sampling and non-response bias on health-outcomes in surveys of the oldest old. European Journal of Ageing, 10(3), 237–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korpi, T., Nelson, K., & Stenberg, S. Å. (2007). The accumulation of social problems 1974–2000 (Chapter 4). International Journal of Social Welfare, 16, S91–S104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lennartsson, C., Agahi, N., Hols-Salén, L., Kelfve, S., Kåreholt, I., Lundberg, O., et al. (2014). Data resource profile: The Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD). International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(3), 731–738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2003). Education, social status and health. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mood, C. (2010). Logistic regression: Why we cannot do what we think we can do, and what we can do about it. European Sociological Review, 26(1), 67–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muffels, R., & Fouarge, D. (2004). The role of European welfare states in explaining resources deprivation. Social Indicators Research, 68, 299–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Board of Health and Welfare. (2008). Äldres psykiska ohälsa—en fördjupad lägesrapport om förekomst, verksamheter och insatser [Psychological health problems among older adults: a report on prevalences and interventions]. Stockholm: National Board of Health and Welfare.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Rand, A. (1996). The cumulative stratification of the life course. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (pp. 188–207). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Östberg, V., & Lennartsson, C. (2007). Getting by with a little help: The importance of various types of social support for health problems. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 35, 197–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scharf, T. (2009). Too tight to mention: Unequal income in older age. In P. Cann & M. Dean (Eds.), Unequal ageing. The untold story of exclusion in old age (pp. 25–52). Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schöllgen, I., Huxhold, O., & Tesch-Römer, C. (2010). Socioeconomic status and health in the second half of life: Findings from the German Ageing Study. European Journal of Ageing, 7, 17–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J. E., Sen, A., & Fitoussi, J. P. (2009). Report by the commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress. http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr/documents/rapport_anglais.pdf. Accessed January 31 2014.

  • Tham, H. (1994). Ökar marginaliseringen i Sverige? [Is marginalisation on the rise in Sweden?] In J. Fritzell & O. Lundberg (Eds.), Vardagens villkor. Levnadsförhållanden i Sverige under tre decennier [The everyady conditions of life: Living conditions in Sweden over three decades] (pp. 215–234). Stockholm: Bromberg.

  • Tsakloglou, P., & Papadopoulos, F. (2002). Aggregate level and determining factors of social exclusion in twelve European countries. Journal of European Social Policy, 12(3), 211–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderhorst, R. K., & McLaren, S. (2005). Social relationships as predictors of depression and suicidal ideation in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 9(6), 517–525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whelan, C. T., & Maître, B. (2007). Levels and Patterns of Material Deprivation in Ireland: After the’Celtic Tiger’. European Sociological Review, 23(2), 139–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whelan, C. T., & Maître, B. (2008). The life cycle perspective on social inclusion in Ireland: An Analysis of EU-SILC. Research Series number 3. Dublin: The Economic and Social Research Institute.

  • Wilson, K. C., Chen, R., Taylor, S., McCracken, C. F., & Copeland, J. R. (1999). Socio-economic deprivation and the prevalence and prediction of depression in older community residents. The MRC-ALPHA Study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 175, 549–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Castriotta, N., Lenze, E. J., Stanley, M. A., & Craske, M. G. (2010). Anxiety disorders in older adults: A comprehensive review. Depression and Anxiety, 27, 190–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yasamy, M. T., Dua, T., Harper, M., & Saxena, S. (2013). Mental health of older adults, addressing a growing concern. World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/WHO_paper_wmhd_2013.pdf. Accessed March 14 2014.

Download references

Acknowledgments

Josephine Heap gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Department of Social Work at Stockholm University, as well as from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare: Grant 2007-1947. Stefan Fors gratefully acknowledges financial support from Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare: Grant 2012-0761. We would like to thank Carin Lennartsson and Lena Dahlberg for valuable comments on earlier drafts.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Josephine Heap

  2. Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Gävlegatan 16, 113 30, Stockholm, Sweden

    Josephine Heap & Stefan Fors

Authors
  1. Josephine Heap
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefan Fors
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josephine Heap.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Heap, J., Fors, S. Duration and Accumulation of Disadvantages in Old Age. Soc Indic Res 123, 411–429 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0744-1

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0744-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation