Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences

Linda K. George is Professor of Sociology at Duke University where she also serves as Associate Director of the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. She is a fellow and past president of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). She is former chair of the Aging and Life Course Section and the Sociology of Mental Health Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). She is former editor of the Journal of Gerontology, Social Sciences. She is currently associate editor of Social Psychology Quarterly and former associate editor of Demography. Professor George is the author or editor of eight books and author of more than 250 journal articles and book chapters. She co-edited the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh editions of the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. Her major research interests include social factors and illness, stress and social support, and mental health and well-being across the life course. Among the honors Professor George has received are Phi Beta Kappa, the Duke University Distinguished Teaching Award, the Mentorship Award from the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of GSA, the Dean’s Mentoring Award from the Graduate School of Duke University, the Kleemeier Award from the GSA, and the Matilda White Riley Award from the ASA. Kenneth F. Ferraro is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and founding Director of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University. He is the author of over 120 peer-reviewed articles in prominent journals in sociology, gerontology, and public health. He has written two books, including The Gerontological Imagination: An Integrative Paradigm of Aging (Oxford University Press), and edited four editions of Gerontology: Perspectives and Issues. Ferraro’s recent research focuses on health inequality over the life course, including the early origins of adult health, stress, and health disparities. With interests in how stratification processes unfold over the life course, he developed cumulative inequality theory for the study of human development, aging, and health. A fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Ferraro formerly edited Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences and chaired the Behavioral and Social Sciences section of GSA. He also is a member of the honorary Sociological Research Association and former chair of the Section on Aging and Life Course of the American Sociological Association (ASA). GSA has honored Professor Ferraro with the Distinguished Mentor Award and twice for both the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award and the Best Paper Award for Theoretical Developments in Social Gerontology. ASA honors from the Section on Aging and the Life Course include Outstanding Publication Award and Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award.

• ForewordPrefaceSection I: Theory and MethodsChapter 1 – Aging and the Social Sciences: Progress and ProspectsLinda K. George and Kenneth F. FerraroChapter 2 – Trajectory Models for Aging ResearchScott M. Lynch and Miles G. TaylorSection II: Social Structures and ProcessesChapter 3 – Biodemography: Adding Biological Insight into Social, Economic, and Psychological Models of Population and Individual Health Change with AgeEileen M. Crimmins and Sarinnapha M. VasunilashornChapter 4 – Late-Life Disability Trends and TrajectoriesDouglas WolfChapter 5 – Early Life Origins of Adult Health and AgingDiana Kuh and Yoav Ven-ShlomoChapter 6 – Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in HealthJacqueline L. Angel, Stipica Mudrazija, and Rebecca BensonChapter 7 – Immigration, Aging, and the Life CourseJudith Treas and Zoya GubernskayaChapter 8 – Gender, Time Use, and AgingLiana C. Sayer, Vicki A. Freedman, and Suzanne M. BianchiChapter 9 – Social Networks in Later LifeBenjamin Cornwell and Markus H. SchaferSection III: Social Factors and Social InstitutionsChapter 10 – Stability, Change, and Complexity in Later-Life FamiliesJ. Jill Suitor, Megan Gilligan, and Karl PillemerChapter 11 – The Influence of Military Service on AgingJanet M. Wilmoth and Andrew S. LondonChapter 12 – Religion, Health, and AgingNeal Krause and R. David HaywardChapter 13 – Evolving Patterns of Work and RetirementKevin E. Cahill, Michael D. Giandrea, and Joseph F. QuinnChapter 14 – Productive Engagement in Later LifeNancy Morrow-Howell and Emily A. GreenfieldChapter 15 – Aging, Neighborhoods, and the Built EnvironmentCarol S. Aneshensel, Frederick Harig, and Richard G. WightChapter 16 – Abusive Relationships in Late LifeKaren A. RobertoChapter 17 – The Impact of Disasters: Implications for the Well-Being of Older AdultsLisa M. Brown and Kathryn A. FrahmChapter 18 – End-of-Life Planning and Health CareDeborah Carr and Elizabeth LuthSection IV – Aging and SocietyChapter 19 – Organization and Financing of Health CareMarilyn MoonChapter 20 – Innovations in Long-Term CareJoseph E. GauglerChapter 21 – Politics and Policies of Aging in the United StatesRobert B. HudsonChapter 22 – The Future of Retirement Security in Comparative PerspectiveJohn B. Williamson and Daniel BélandChapter 23 – Health Inequalities Among Older Adults in Developed Countries: Reconciling Theories and Policy ApproachesAmélie Quesnel-Vallée, Andrea Willson, and Sandra Reiter-Campeau