Wiemers Emily E, Lin I-Fen, Wiersma Strauss Anna, Chin Janecca A, Hotz V Joseph, Seltzer Judith A
Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2024 Aug 1;79(8). doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbae099.
Racial-ethnic disparities in experiences of economic hardship during the pandemic are well documented in the population overall and among older adults. Existing research shows that this economic hardship was much less common at older than younger ages. Little is known about the intersection of racial-ethnic and age disparities in pandemic-related hardship in later life. This research report investigated racial-ethnic gaps in economic hardship by age group among older adults.
Data were from the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) including the 2020 coronavirus disease 2019 module. We estimated Heckman-corrected linear probability models to examine differences in experiences of pandemic-related economic hardship in the 2020 HRS by race-ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, U.S.-born Hispanic, foreign-born Hispanic) across age groups (55-64, 65-74, 75+). In the multivariable analysis, we controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, participation in social programs, pre-existing health conditions and behaviors, and economic resources from the 2018 HRS.
Experiences of economic hardship declined with age within each racial-ethnic group. Racial-ethnic gaps in hardship remained at older ages without any controls. However, when all controls were added, racial-ethnic gaps in economic hardship were eliminated for those ages 75+. Individual characteristics prior to the pandemic explained racial-ethnic differences in hardship for the oldest adults (75+) but did not explain gaps for those ages 55-74.
Results point to structural factors generating new racial-ethnic gaps in pandemic-related economic hardship among those approaching retirement (ages 55-74) that did not affect the oldest adults (ages 75+).
疫情期间经济困难经历方面的种族差异在总体人群以及老年人中都有充分记录。现有研究表明，这种经济困难在老年人中比年轻人中要少见得多。对于晚年与疫情相关的困难中种族差异和年龄差异的交叉情况，我们知之甚少。本研究报告调查了老年人中按年龄组划分的经济困难方面的种族差异。
数据来自2018年和2020年美国健康与退休研究（HRS），包括2020年冠状病毒病模块。我们估计了经过赫克曼校正的线性概率模型，以检验2020年HRS中按种族（非西班牙裔白人、非西班牙裔黑人、美国出生的西班牙裔、外国出生的西班牙裔）在各年龄组（55 - 64岁、65 - 74岁、75岁及以上）中与疫情相关的经济困难经历的差异。在多变量分析中，我们控制了社会人口学特征、参与社会项目情况、既往健康状况和行为，以及2018年HRS中的经济资源。
每个种族群体中，经济困难经历都随年龄增长而减少。在不进行任何控制的情况下，老年时的经济困难种族差异依然存在。然而，当加入所有控制因素后，75岁及以上人群的经济困难种族差异消除了。疫情前的个人特征解释了最年长者（75岁及以上）经济困难方面的种族差异，但无法解释55 - 74岁人群的差异。
研究结果指出，结构性因素在临近退休人群（55 - 74岁）中造成了与疫情相关的经济困难方面新的种族差异，而这些因素并未影响最年长者（75岁及以上）。
