Markus Schafer
Biographic Data
| ID | 3928648 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Markus Schafer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Markus |
| FAMILY NAME | Schafer |
| SIGNATURE | SCHAFER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | (Social Sciences Section) |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0088-7022 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 87 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 118 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 65 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
When Family Caregiving Happens
The association between caregiving and health outcomes varies depending on when and under what circumstances caregiving occurs. This study highlights the importance of caregiving timing by demonstrating the long arm of early caregiving on later health outcomes. The finding underscores the need for targeted interventions aimed at young caregivers. Future research should investigate the life-course mechanisms through which early caregiving shapes h…
Diverging trajectories of depressive symptoms after retirement
Findings highlight the emotional toll of retirement and the protective role of social engagement in buffering against sustained psychological decline. Promoting opportunities for informal social connection may be critical to supporting emotional well-being during the retirement transition, particularly among those at risk of social isolation
Who’s On Your Team? Classifying Dementia Caregiving Networks and Associations With the Well-being of Caregivers and Care Recipients With Dementia
Objectives While caregivers are typically enmeshed in broad networks of family and friends assisting with care, this network has been neglected in favor of examining a “primary” caregiver. This study examines types of family and unpaid friend networks for individuals with dementia and how one’s network type relates to the well-being of care recipients with dementia and their caregivers. Methods Data are drawn from the nationally representative 20…
Causal Effects of Schooling on Memory at Older Ages in Six Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Objectives Higher schooling attainment is associated with better cognitive function at older ages, but it remains unclear whether the relationship is causal. We estimated causal effects of schooling on performances on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) word-recall (memory) test at older ages in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. Methods We used harmonized data (n = 30,896) on older adults (≥…
Social relationships and epigenetic markers of aging in middle-aged and older adults
Objectives Social relationships play an important role in maintaining physical and psychological health. Epigenetic age is a potential mechanism underlying health-related aspects of social relationships. We aimed to assess the cross-sectional and prospective associations of social relationships and epigenetic age in middle-aged and older adults. Methods Blood DNA methylation data were collected from 6,208 participants in the Melbourne Collaborati…
Longitudinal Associations Between Neighborhood Environments and Functional Disabilities Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in China
Objectives This study aims to investigate the longitudinal associations between neighborhood environments and functional disabilities over time among older adults in China. Urban–rural disparities in these associations were examined in this study. Methods Data from 4 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2018) were analyzed, including a sample of 5,379 older adults aged 60 and over. Multilevel linear probability modeli…
Black and White Older Adults’ End-of-Life Experiences
Objectives Racial disparities in end-of-life care are well documented, but less is known about how these inequalities shape assessments of death quality. This study examines Black–White differences in two core dimensions of proxy-reported end-of-life experience: perceived death quality and perceived care concordance. We also assess whether hospice care moderates racial differences in death quality outcomes. Methods Data are from the Health and Re…
Kinlessness and end-of-life care quality
Objectives Close family members provide the majority of end-of-life (EoL) caregiving. However, the number of kinless older adults (defined as lacking children and a partner) is increasing. Moreover, non-White older adults are more likely to rely on close families to provide care at the EoL than their White counterparts. Therefore, we examined the association between kinlessness and the quality of EoL care among older adults and the intersectional…
Adult Education and Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Objectives Depression is a significant public health concern among middle-aged and older adults in China. While formal education’s protective role against depression is well-established, the association of adult education with depression remains understudied. Adult education refers to organized learning activities for adults who have completed or left formal schooling. This nationwide longitudinal cohort study examined the association between adu…
Digital technology use and dementia among older adults
Our findings highlight digital technology engagement as a scalable strategy to mitigate dementia risk among older adults. Policy efforts should prioritize inclusive digital programs to promote accessibility and digital literacy. Stronger associations observed among older adults with activity limitations suggest digital engagement as a promising strategy to mitigate the dual burden of disability and dementia
Kinlessness,” Social Connectedness, and Subjective Well-Being in Europe
Objectives This study examines the association between family structure and subjective well-being by focusing on the moderating effects of social connectedness across genders and country contexts. We compare the well-being of older adults across 4 family types: those with both a partner and children, those with a partner but not children, those with children but no partner, and those without a partner and children (“kinless”). Methods We use data…
Grandparent caregiving and epigenetic aging among midlife and older adults in the United States
These results have implications for targeted interventions to benefit the healthy aging of grandparent caregivers
Life after loss
These results highlight the heterogeneity in the association between marital transitions and cognitive function, which varies by gender, life stage, and type of marital dissolution
The long-term impact of childhood grandparent co-residence on self-perception of aging and depressive symptoms in older adulthood
Objectives Grounded in life course theory, this study examines the long-term impact of childhood grandparent co-residence on self-perception of aging (SPA) and depressive symptoms in older adulthood, comparing young-old adults (65–74 years) and old-old adults (75+ years) in the United States. Methods Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study across 3 time points (T1: 2008/2010, T2: 2012/2014, and T3: 2016/2018), with a sample of 9,070 …
Does physical and social neighborhood environment matter for two-year changes in functional abilities and cognitive function in the oldest old
Objectives While favorable physical neighborhood environments have been shown to benefit functional abilities (FA) and cognitive function (CF) in older adults, evidence on social aspects remains inconclusive. This study aimed to examine the role of both physical (quality, infrastructure, walkability) and social (place attachment, social cohesion) neighborhood characteristics for levels/changes in FA and CF among the oldest old, who were often und…
Frequent Neighborhood Participation Reduces the Probability of Loneliness Among Older Adults
Objectives Loneliness at older ages is a significant public health concern, and promoting participation in neighborhood events and activities may be a possible avenue for alleviating loneliness among older adults. However, there remains a scarcity of empirical research in this field. Addressing this knowledge gap, our study examined the association between frequency of neighborhood participation by older adults and their subsequent feelings of lo…
The Differential Impact of Retirement on Contact Frequency With Family, Friends, Neighbors, and Coworkers
Objectives Most studies on retirement and social network dynamics focus on the closer social network, leaving the role of more peripheral contacts largely overlooked. This article studies how retirement affects contact frequency with a wider range of social ties. We formulate and test differential hypotheses for each category of ties, and additionally examine gender and partner status differences. Methods We analyze 3 waves of panel data of the N…
Convenience behavior in German university students is associated with sociodemographic, study- and health-related factors
Background The transition from school to university is often accompanied by a change in students’ lifestyles. So far little is known whether convenience behavior is an essential factor affecting students’ health and social interaction. In a heterogeneous population regard to sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) showed a better relationship between convenience-related behavior with overwe…
The association between health behaviours and academic performance moderated by trait mindfulness amongst university students
Objectives To target health communication at less health-conscious groups, evidence on health behaviours’ effects on non-health-related outcomes – such as academic performance – is necessary. Recent research has highlighted the associations of various health behaviours on academic performance of university students. However, there is a lack of research investigating the most predominant health behaviours simultaneously and their association with …
An Emerging 21st-Century Midlife Sleep Crisis? Cohort Differences in Sleeping Patterns Among Americans in Midlife and Older Adulthood
We observe a pronounced decline in healthy sleeping patterns among American cohorts in midlife, with consistent and striking results across data sets, methods, and measures. These findings have important implications for the well-being and longevity of Americans who have entered midlife in the 21st century
Sharing in Caring
The predominance of caregiving task-sharing patterns involving multiple caregivers calls for expansion of research, policies, and programs beyond primary caregivers. Greater attention should be given to how families and live-in hired workers share caregiving tasks for older adults, and how this varies across cultural settings, especially in familial Asian societies. The findings further highlight the vulnerabilities of solo caregivers, whose empl…
Who’s Worried? Memory, Worries About Dementia, and Marital Strain in Midlife Same- and Different-Sex Marriages
Concerns about cognitive decline and dementia are common in older populations, and for married couples, spouses have concerns about their own memory as well as that of their partner. Researchers finding identified the significance of concerns about a spouse's memory on marital dynamics among aging couples
Educational Attainment and Later-Life Cognitive Function in High- and Middle-Income Countries
The relationship between education and later-life cognitive function across social and geographic contexts underscores the crucial role of education to promote cognitive health and reduce dementia risk. Continual improvement of educational attainment in low- and middle-income settings may yield a significant pay-off in later-life cognitive health
Enhancing Older Household Consumption
These findings highlight the crucial role of LTCI in improving the financial security and well-being of older households. They also have considerable policy implications for dealing with the challenges of an aging population
Looking Back on Career, Looking Forward to Retirement
Our results demonstrate the importance of life course events on older workers' evaluations of their careers and the long-term impact of subjective career evaluations. Further research is needed to evaluate the predictive utility of these evaluations for other outcomes in older adulthood
Local Ties in the Social Networks of Older Adults
Local ties may bring unique benefits for community-residing older adults, but their availability is likely structured by residential mobility, neighborhood context, disparities in resources, and support needs. Future research should consider their implications for health and well-being
Homeostasis Revisited
There is an overwhelming tendency toward either maintaining or rebalancing previous structures and levels of both personal network connectedness and community involvement. This results in overall homeostasis. We close by discussing the need for a unifying theoretical framework that can explain these patterns
Cohort Differences in Physical Health and Disability in the United States and Europe
In all regions, we found evidence for worsening health across cohorts, particularly for those born since 1945. While more chronic disease in younger cohorts need not necessarily translate to worse quality of life or higher rates of functional limitation, there is some suggestion that worsening chronic disease morbidity may be spilling over into worsening disability
Educational Attainment and Later-Life Cognitive Function in High- and Middle-Income Countries
The relationship between education and later-life cognitive function across social and geographic contexts underscores the crucial role of education to promote cognitive health and reduce dementia risk. Continual improvement of educational attainment in low- and middle-income settings may yield a significant pay-off in later-life cognitive health
Confidants and Caregivers
Network multiplexity is prevalent and positively associated with the subjective well-being of older adults who have at least 1 confidant and 1 caregiver, above and beyond having any confidants or caregivers separately. The baseline patterns established in this study lay the groundwork for future research to further explore support dynamics in older adults' networks
Social Disconnectedness and Loneliness
The results suggest that older adults with negative SPA are at risk of loneliness which then leads to social disconnectedness. Asking about SPA during individual assessment with older adults may help to discern issues with loneliness
Cohort Difference in Age-Related Trajectories in Network Size in Old Age
The peak level in the network size in the late birth cohort hints at stronger preference and more opportunities to gain and maintain social relationships around retirement age in the current societal structure and culture. The subsequent drop-off in network size suggests that these ties are mostly used to adapt to the retirement transition
Educational Influences on Late-Life Health
Both genetic propensity to education and attained education are (partly) independently associated with health in late life. These results lend further support for a causal education-health relationship but also raise the importance of genetic contributions and GE interplay
Digital Gender Gap in the Second Half of Life Is Declining
Overall time trends support the complementary hypothesis. By contrast, the finding that women have been catching up in some male-typed online activities during the COVID-19 pandemic supports the compensatory hypothesis
The Inequitable Burden of the Covid-19 Pandemic Among Marginalized Older Workers in the United States
The impact of COVID-19 on employment conditions is inequitably patterned and is associated with financial hardship, food insecurity, and adverse health in older adults. Policies to improve employment quality and expand social insurance programs among this group are needed to reduce growing inequities in well-being later in life
Social Networks and Cognitive Reserve
Among participants who engaged in diverse and loosely connected social networks, the expected adverse cognitive effects of brain volume in regions implicated in socioemotional processing were attenuated. These findings suggest that cognitive stimulation achieved through social interaction with a diverse array of social relationships across multiple contexts may help promote cognitive reserve
The Differential Impact of Retirement on Contact Frequency With Family, Friends, Neighbors, and Coworkers
Objectives Most studies on retirement and social network dynamics focus on the closer social network, leaving the role of more peripheral contacts largely overlooked. This article studies how retirement affects contact frequency with a wider range of social ties. We formulate and test differential hypotheses for each category of ties, and additionally examine gender and partner status differences. Methods We analyze 3 waves of panel data of the N…
Migration and Cognitive Health Disparities
Migration history and birthplace may be important factors explaining cognitive disparities among the diverse group of Arab migrants and Arab Americans. Future research examining mechanisms underlying these associations and the impact of migration on cognitive health is needed to address cognitive disparities in migrants
Personal Network Bridging Potential Across Geographic Context
These findings suggest that the communities in which older adults live condition opportunities for accessing unique network resources. Additional research adopting a network perspective is needed to provide insight into geographic disparities occurring among the older population
Cumulative Inequality at the End of Life
The results confirm that CI in health outcomes is observable in late life among individual life spans, suggesting the years surrounding death may be a particularly vulnerable period for health inequality. Future research should examine how advantaged statuses translate to increased access to health-related resources that aid in maintaining greater functional independence until the last stage of life
Kinlessness,” Social Connectedness, and Subjective Well-Being in Europe
Objectives This study examines the association between family structure and subjective well-being by focusing on the moderating effects of social connectedness across genders and country contexts. We compare the well-being of older adults across 4 family types: those with both a partner and children, those with a partner but not children, those with children but no partner, and those without a partner and children (“kinless”). Methods We use data…
Frequent Neighborhood Participation Reduces the Probability of Loneliness Among Older Adults
Objectives Loneliness at older ages is a significant public health concern, and promoting participation in neighborhood events and activities may be a possible avenue for alleviating loneliness among older adults. However, there remains a scarcity of empirical research in this field. Addressing this knowledge gap, our study examined the association between frequency of neighborhood participation by older adults and their subsequent feelings of lo…
Does Age Matter? Tweets About Gerontocracy in the United States
Attitudes toward older politicians are commonly tied to negative stereotypes surrounding old age. As the population ages, it is paramount that society focuses on potentially more important considerations in the evaluation of the actual caliber of a politician
A Life of Leisure? Investigating the Differential Impact of Retirement on Leisure Activity
Our study demonstrates that while time in leisure activity largely increases in response to retirement the nature and magnitude of the impact of retirement on leisure activity is not uniform. From a policy perspective, findings that certain groups, namely men and lower--educated individuals, may be at greater risk of lower activity levels may help guide interventions promoting active aging and retirement
Relationship Quality Change Among Partnered Older Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Resilience describes many partnered older adults' experiences during the first year of the pandemic, suggesting that they were able to protect their partnerships during this public health crisis
Who Gets Help? A National Longitudinal Study of Personal Networks and Pandemic Support Among Older Adults
Older adults' prepandemic confidant network structure and composition can provide underlying conditions for receiving pandemic social support. Findings speak to policies and programs that aim to foster social support or identify vulnerable groups that suffer the greatest unmet need for support during a global crisis
Is Transition in Living Arrangements Associated With Older Adults’ Life Satisfaction When Preference Is Considered
While preference-matched living arrangement is critical for life satisfaction, especially for the young-old, the role of coresidence becomes more prominent at very old ages when various needs are likely to arise. It is too early to dismiss the role of coresidence with children in the Chinese context
Friendship and Cognitive Functioning Among Married and Widowed Chinese Older Adults
The results implied that friendship is important for maintaining cognitive functioning in later life and widowed older Chinese adults may benefit more from friendship in its relationship to cognitive functioning than married older Chinese adults. Further, one potential pathway linking friendship to cognitive functioning may be through depression; however, more research is needed to support this finding. Intervention programs aimed at building fri…
Are Positive Childhood Experiences Linked to Better Cognitive Functioning in Later Life
Objectives: We examine whether childhood family well-being is associated with cognitive functioning and to what extent the association between the family context and cognitive functioning is explained by adulthood resources. Methods: Data are drawn from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project Wave 3 (2015/2016; N = 3361). We measured cognitive functioning using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Childhood family factors included famil…
Network Connections and Salivary Testosterone Among Older U.S. Women
Rather than being a static and exogenous biological factor, older women's testosterone levels seem partly an outcome of their social context. Implications for sexual health and hormone therapy are discussed. However, this androgen also influences dimensions of their intimate networks critical to successful aging. Findings suggest the need for social scientists to engage with the neuroendocrine literature, which offers suggestions on linkages of h…
Lebensqualität aus Nutzersicht
Das Konzept Lebensqualität bietet einen Betrachtungsrahmen zur Analyse der Lebenslagen von Menschen mit Behinderung und zur Weiterentwicklung des Rehabilitationssystems. Ausgehend von sozialwissenschaftlichen Ansätzen der Lebensqualitätsforschung erarbeitet Markus Schäfers die Grundlagen für eine Lebensqualitätserhebung bei Menschen mit Behinderung zur nutzerorientierten Evaluation von Wohn- und Unterstützungsangeboten. Dabei werden insbesondere …
Lebensqualität Aus Nutzersicht
Persönliches Budget Im Wohnheim
Soctoc
Gesundheitskommunikation im gesellschaftlichen Wandel
Network Connections and Salivary Testosterone Among Older U.S. Women
Rather than being a static and exogenous biological factor, older women's testosterone levels seem partly an outcome of their social context. Implications for sexual health and hormone therapy are discussed. However, this androgen also influences dimensions of their intimate networks critical to successful aging. Findings suggest the need for social scientists to engage with the neuroendocrine literature, which offers suggestions on linkages of h…
Cohort Difference in Age-Related Trajectories in Network Size in Old Age
The peak level in the network size in the late birth cohort hints at stronger preference and more opportunities to gain and maintain social relationships around retirement age in the current societal structure and culture. The subsequent drop-off in network size suggests that these ties are mostly used to adapt to the retirement transition
Cumulative Inequality at the End of Life
The results confirm that CI in health outcomes is observable in late life among individual life spans, suggesting the years surrounding death may be a particularly vulnerable period for health inequality. Future research should examine how advantaged statuses translate to increased access to health-related resources that aid in maintaining greater functional independence until the last stage of life
A Systematic Umbrella Review on the Epidemiology of Modifiable Health Influencing Factors and on Health Promoting Interventions Among University Students
Background: Universities represent an important setting for health promotion. The unique collective of university students is of particular relevance since they are the leaders, decision-makers, and parents of tomorrow. In this context, modifiable health influencing factors as well as interventions to prevent these, play a crucial role. Therefore, the present umbrella review aims to i) provide an overview of review articles addressing epidemiolog…
Why Are Scientific Experts Perceived as Trustworthy? Emotional Assessment within TV and YouTube Videos
Due to the rise of the Internet, the effects of different science communication formats in which experts appear cannot be neglected in communication research. Through their emotional and more comprehensible communication ‘sciencetubers’—who frequently differ from the stereotypical image of scientists as white, old men—may have a considerable effect on the public’s perceived trustworthiness of scientists as well as their trust in science. Thus, th…
Are Positive Childhood Experiences Linked to Better Cognitive Functioning in Later Life
Objectives: We examine whether childhood family well-being is associated with cognitive functioning and to what extent the association between the family context and cognitive functioning is explained by adulthood resources. Methods: Data are drawn from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project Wave 3 (2015/2016; N = 3361). We measured cognitive functioning using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Childhood family factors included famil…
Social Isolation and Cognitive Functioning
Our findings potentially suggest that the association between social relationship and cognitive functioning reported in previous studies was biased, due to endogeneity. Although we did not observe causal impacts, this does not necessarily mean that social isolation does not have a negative impact on health, as both positive and negative consequences of social relationships may exist. Further research is needed to reveal the causal relationship, a…
Is Loneliness Adaptive? A Dynamic Panel Model Study of Older U.S. Adults
Loneliness seems to induce domain- and gender-specific sociality responses. Findings suggest implications for evolutionary models of sociality as well as for psychosocial and physical health. Pending replication in independent samples, inferences remain tentative
Local Ties in the Social Networks of Older Adults
Local ties may bring unique benefits for community-residing older adults, but their availability is likely structured by residential mobility, neighborhood context, disparities in resources, and support needs. Future research should consider their implications for health and well-being
Homeostasis Revisited
There is an overwhelming tendency toward either maintaining or rebalancing previous structures and levels of both personal network connectedness and community involvement. This results in overall homeostasis. We close by discussing the need for a unifying theoretical framework that can explain these patterns
Health Information Seeking Among University Students Before and During the Corona Crisis—Findings From Germany
Health information-seeking behavior is the process of gathering information about health and disease and can be influential for health-related perception and behavior. University students are an important target group for prevention and health promotion and largely belong to an age group that is considered to play a leading role in propagating the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Germany. The paper deals with students' health information-seeking behavior b…
Challenge Accepted! a Critical Reflection on How to Perform a Health Survey Among University Students—An Example of the Healthy Campus Mainz Project
Background: Universities represent an important setting of everyday life for health promotion. The Healthy Campus Mainz project aims to develop an evidence-based and comprehensive student health management program covering physical, mental, and social health promotion. Hence, an initial health survey was performed in order to identify the students' health concerns and resources. Up until now, it remains unclear which topics to choose in a health …
Content Analysis as a Research Method
Content analysis is a popular method in communication and media research. However, to what extent and in which contexts it is used in sport communication research has hardly been investigated. In order to provide empirically grounded insight, the authors conducted a quantitative content analysis of scholarly journal articles using content analysis as a research method, focusing on three major international sport communication journals during the …
War das noch Amok, oder ist das schon Terror?“ Mechanismen und Hindernisse der journalistischen Berichterstattung über (terroristische) Gewaltereignisse
Deutschland ist in den letzten Jahren mehrfach Ziel terroristischer Akte geworden. Gerade bei Gewaltereignissen mit vielen Opfern und Todesfällen, wie etwa dem Anschlag am Berliner Breitscheidplatz, ist das Medieninteresse hoch-worauf die Handlungen von Terroristen wiederum explizit abzielen. Die genauen Hintergründe und Einflussfaktoren der Medienberichterstattung über (terroristische) Gewaltereignisse sind in Deutschland bislang kaum beleuchtet…
Personal Network Bridging Potential Across Geographic Context
These findings suggest that the communities in which older adults live condition opportunities for accessing unique network resources. Additional research adopting a network perspective is needed to provide insight into geographic disparities occurring among the older population
Friendship and Cognitive Functioning Among Married and Widowed Chinese Older Adults
The results implied that friendship is important for maintaining cognitive functioning in later life and widowed older Chinese adults may benefit more from friendship in its relationship to cognitive functioning than married older Chinese adults. Further, one potential pathway linking friendship to cognitive functioning may be through depression; however, more research is needed to support this finding. Intervention programs aimed at building fri…
Extending the Analysis of Functional Ability Trajectories to Unexplored National Contexts
This nationally focused study reinforces the feasibility and usefulness of an in-depth analysis of functional ability trajectories in old age. The study findings can be crucial to define different prevention strategies according to the functional ability path that an individual might follow, especially in countries like Chile that currently navigate the challenges of population aging
Social Networks and Cognitive Reserve
Among participants who engaged in diverse and loosely connected social networks, the expected adverse cognitive effects of brain volume in regions implicated in socioemotional processing were attenuated. These findings suggest that cognitive stimulation achieved through social interaction with a diverse array of social relationships across multiple contexts may help promote cognitive reserve
Social Networks in an Assisted Living Community
This research contributes to the literature of older adults' nonkin social relationships by providing detailed descriptions of the acquaintance and companionship networks within an AL community, quantifying correlates of residents' social ties, and distinguishing between acquaintances and companions
Teilhabeforschung – Konturen eines neuen Forschungsfeldes
Dieses Open-Access-Buch untersucht mit der Teilhabeforschung die Lebenslagen von Menschen mit Beeinträchtigungen und Behinderungen
Psychology (59 works) · Medicine (53 works) · Gerontology (40 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (35 works) · Demography (22 works) · Developmental psychology (20 works) · Sociology (20 works) · Political science (19 works) · Psychiatry (19 works) · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving (18 works)