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Age Differences in Stress, Social Resources, and Well-Being in Middle and Older Age

^a German Centre for Research on Ageing, Heidelberg, Germany

Mike Martin, German Centre for Research on Ageing, Bergheimer Strasse 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany E-mail: mmartin{at}dzfa.uni-heidelberg.de.

Decision Editor: Toni C. Antonucci, PhD

The present study examines the interrelationships among the constructs of social resources, stress, and well-being in middle-aged and older adults. Two samples of 489 middle-aged adults (41–43 years) and 449 older adults (61–63 years) from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development were compared with respect to the availability of social resources, levels of stress, and well-being. The data were used to construct separate structural equation models explaining the influence of stress and social resources on well-being in the two groups. The results indicate higher levels of health-related stress and similar levels of social resources in the older group. Structural equation models and examination of total and indirect effects confirmed that a stress-suppression model has the best fit in explaining the interrelationships between stress, social resources, and well-being. There was a strong effect of stress on well-being, no direct effect of social resources on well-being, and a mediating effect of stress on well-being. The relative contributions of stress and resources to well-being were comparable between age groups.

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