Alex Bierman
Biographic Data
| ID | 202668 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alex Bierman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alex |
| FAMILY NAME | Bierman |
| SIGNATURE | BIERMAN A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Calgary |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2573-0969 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 46 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 376 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 45 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
The paradox of informal caregiving
Objectives This research examines whether a sense of divine control modifies nonlinear associations between frequency of caregiving for individuals with a chronic health condition or a limitation and two aspects of psychological distress (depression and anxiety symptomology). Methods Data were derived from the Caregiving, Aging, and Financial Experiences Study, a national longitudinal study of Canadians aged 65–85 (x̄ = 71.8) collected in 2021 an…
Mattering and Self-Esteem as Bulwarks Against the Consequences of Financial Strain for Loneliness in Later Life
Financial strain likely constitutes a principal risk for loneliness in later-life, but a strong sense of mattering and self-esteem may mitigate these consequences by both offsetting and buffering the influence of financial strain. We test these arguments using data from a national longitudinal survey of older adults gathered between 2021 and 2022 ( N = 2384), as nations emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Application of a within-between modelling…
Private Eyes, They See Your Every Move
Despite a surge in the number of organizations using surveillance technology to monitor their workers, understanding of the health impacts of these technologies in the broader working population is limited. The current study addresses this omission using a novel measure of an individual's overall perception of workplace surveillance, which enables it to be asked of all workers, rather than only those in specific occupations or work contexts that …
A social price to the rising cost of living? The bidirectional relationship between inflation and trust
This study examines whether social trust, the general belief that most people are honest and trustworthy, shapes perceptions of personal increases in cost of living and whether perceptions of increases in cost of living affect social trust. We analyze panel data from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study ( N = 2353) that was gathered between the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, when inflation rose precipitously in Canada. Using a c…
From flexibility to unending availability
ObjectiveThis article examines whether performing location-based platform work is associated with greater work-family conflict-and if this association is stronger for those relying on labor platforms for their primary employment.BackgroundDigital labor platforms project a vision of flexibility and improved work-family balance for workers; however, empirical evidence supporting these promises remains elusive. While platform workers are normally of…
Functional Limitations and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adults in China
Based on a stress process perspective, this study examines how the hukou system and gender intersect to shape the relationship between functional limitations and psychological well-being in older adults. Using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study ( N = 17,708 at baseline), analyses are carried out with random- and fixed-effects models. Analyses show that an urban hukou benefits the psychological well-being of Chinese older adults by…
Perceptions of Increases in Cost of Living and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults
Objectives: This article examines whether older adults' perceptions of an increase in their cost of living during a time of rapid inflation are associated with multiple aspects of psychological distress, as well as whether mastery buffers these associations. Methods: Data were derived from a two-wave longitudinal survey of older adults gathered in 2021 and 2022 ( N = 4,010). Multiple regression models examined symptoms of depression, anxiety, and…
Consequences of Financial Strain for Psychological Distress among Older Adults
Guided by a sociological perspective on mental health encapsulated in a stress process perspective, the authors examine the role of mastery, self-esteem, and mattering in explaining how financial strain is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger in older adults. Analyses focus on the Caregiving, Aging, and Financial Experiences study, a national longitudinal survey of Canadian older adults conducted in the fall of 2021 and 2022…
Divine Relations as a Basis of Subjective Social Status During Later-Life
Early social theorists, including W.E.B Du Bois, recognized the importance of religion and its links to inequality, particularly in how religious vocabularies are attuned to frictions with inimical concrete social and political realities. We apply these ideas to research on the intersection of religious beliefs and economic deprivation, examining how beliefs in divine relations not only structure subjective social status (SSS), but also the assoc…
Mental Health Benefits and Detriments of Caregiving Demands
This research shows that acts of caregiving may not themselves be detrimental. Instead, the degree and way in which caregiving relates to mental health may vary by both the extent of the demands of the caregiving role and familial relationships in which caregivers are embedded
Jitters on the Eve of the Great Recession
One factor that has received surprisingly little attention in understanding the mental health consequences of the 2007-2008 financial crisis is religion. In this study, we ask: what is the relationship between two economic stressors-job insecurity and financial strain-and depression? And how do changes in religious belief, indexed by the sense of divine control, moderate those relationships? We use two waves of the U.S. Work, Stress, and Health (…
Socioeconomic stratification and trajectories of social trust during Covid-19
Financial Strain and Psychological Distress
Analyzing three waves of the Canadian Work Stress and Health Study with cross-lagged models, we asked: (1) How do two distinct directions of strain in the work-family interface—work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict—mediate the relationship between financial strain and psychological distress? and (2) Is reverse causality a possibility in these dynamics? Our results indicate that work-to-family conflict at Wave 2 mediates the relation…
Socially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nations around the world instituted strict social distancing measures. Although necessary to deter the spread of the virus, these measures may also have had adverse health repercussions by increasing social isolation. Using a national longitudinal study from Canada, in which respondents were surveyed in March 2020 at the beginning of stay-at-home orders and again two months later in May, we show that, at…
Accumulation of economic hardship and health during the Covid-19 pandemic
Work-Life Conflict During the Covid-19 Pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic upended work, family, and social life. These massive changes may have created shifts in exposure to work-life conflict. Using a national survey that followed Canadian workers from September 2019 into April and June 2020, the authors find that work-life conflict decreased among those with no children at home. In contrast, for those with children at home, the patterns depended on age of youngest child. Among in…
Über-Alienated
While the gig economy has expanded rapidly in the last decade, few have studied the psychological ramifications of working for an online labor platform. Guided by classical and modern theories of work and alienation, we investigate whether engagement in platform work is associated with an increased sense of powerlessness and isolation. We analyze data from two national surveys of workers from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study i…
Why Have Sleep Problems in Later-Midlife Grown Following the Great Recession? A Comparative Cohort Analysis
Americans are approaching their senior years increasingly burdened by economic stressors that incur sleep problems. Practitioners and aging researchers should be prepared to address deleterious health consequences created by heightened sleep impairments
Psychological Well-Being Among Informal Caregivers in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Both the caregiving stress and caregiving rewards perspectives are applicable to the caregiving experience, with the stress perspective more applicable to in-home caregivers and the rewards perspective more relevant to nonresidential caregivers. Recommendations include targeted practice focused on the location of care as well as the gender of the caregiver. Given that nonresidential caregivers actually benefit from providing care, interventions n…
Social Estrangement and Psychological Distress before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic
This article argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures intended to slow the rate of transmission of the virus resulted in greater subjective isolation and community distrust, in turn adversely impacting psychological distress. To support this argument, we examine data from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study, two national surveys of Canadian workers-one from late September 2019 (N = 2,477) and th…
Social Estrangement and Psychological Distress before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Beyond 'Heartless Conservative' and 'Bleeding Heart Liberal' Caricatures
Is political orientation associated with self-reported empathy? Popular caricatures frame political orientation in terms of the 'heartless conservative' and the 'bleeding heart liberal.' Yet, previous research has produced findings that present mixed evidence to support these caricatures. Using data from the 2004 General Social Survey, analyses show that the caricatures of the caring liberal and the cold-hearted conservative are supported by resu…
Risk or Release
A central question in the study of pornography consumption is whether consumption influences risky sexual behavior. In this research, we focus on one key aspect of risky sexual behavior, the accumulation of sexual partners. Using longitudinal latent class analysis of a nationally representative sample, we determine distinct trajectories of pornography consumption. We then use hurdle models to relate membership in these trajectories to the initiat…
Financial circumstances, mastery, and mental health
Subjective Cohesion as Stress Buffer Among Civilians Working With the Military in Iraq and Afghanistan
Recent research shows that civilians who work with the military in war zones are often exposed to life-threatening situations that can create psychological distress. In this study, we examine whether cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and psychological distress. Using a probability sample of civilians working with the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, we find that cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and both internaliz…
Über-Alienated
While the gig economy has expanded rapidly in the last decade, few have studied the psychological ramifications of working for an online labor platform. Guided by classical and modern theories of work and alienation, we investigate whether engagement in platform work is associated with an increased sense of powerlessness and isolation. We analyze data from two national surveys of workers from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study i…
Does Religion Buffer the Effects of Discrimination on Mental Health? Differing Effects by Race
Much research has shown that experiences of discrimination are negatively related to mental health. In this study, a national probability survey of whites and African Americans at midlife is used to examine whether attendance at religious services and religious comfort seeking protect people from the effects of discrimination on mental health, and if the protective power of religion varies by race. Results show that reports of discrimination are …
Work-Life Conflict During the Covid-19 Pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic upended work, family, and social life. These massive changes may have created shifts in exposure to work-life conflict. Using a national survey that followed Canadian workers from September 2019 into April and June 2020, the authors find that work-life conflict decreased among those with no children at home. In contrast, for those with children at home, the patterns depended on age of youngest child. Among in…
How Adult Children Influence Older Parents' Mental Health
In this study, we integrate insights from the life-course and stress-process perspectives to argue that adult children's negative treatment of parents, as well as negative events that children experience, detrimentally affect elderly parents' mental health over time. We argue that these strains may affect mothers more than fathers, and blacks more than whites, because of the greater importance of the parental role to these groups in late life. Us…
Religious Involvement, Beliefs About God, and the Sense of Mattering Among Older Adults
Using data from a 2001–2002 sample of adults aged 65 and older living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, we examine the associations among religious involvement (as measured by the frequency of attendance at religious services and praying), the belief in divine control, and the sense of mattering—a key component of the self-concept. We also assess the extent to which these patterns vary by gender, race, and education. Findings indicate indi…
Love Thy Self? How Belief in a Supportive God Shapes Self-Esteem
Previous research raises the question of self-esteem as a fundamental human need, but also indicates that self-esteem is an inherently social product. Is religious involvement influential-and does it depend on beliefs about God? In this research, we examine the associations between multiple dimensions of religious involvement and self-esteem, and specifically focus on the belief in a supportive higher power ("divine support") as a central influen…
A Multifaceted Approach to the Mental Health Advantage of the Married
This study takes a multifaceted approach to examining reasons for the well-noted mental health advantage of the married. The authors examine whether socioeconomic resources and psychosocial resources explain this advantage for three aspects of mental health by comparing the consistently married to different types of unmarried individuals, as well as the remarried. The authors find that even though the consistently married generally fare better th…
Jitters on the Eve of the Great Recession
One factor that has received surprisingly little attention in understanding the mental health consequences of the 2007-2008 financial crisis is religion. In this study, we ask: what is the relationship between two economic stressors-job insecurity and financial strain-and depression? And how do changes in religious belief, indexed by the sense of divine control, moderate those relationships? We use two waves of the U.S. Work, Stress, and Health (…
Accumulation of economic hardship and health during the Covid-19 pandemic
Financial circumstances, mastery, and mental health
The Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Adult Religiosity and Spirituality
Current theories can support conflicting accounts of the effects of childhood maltreatment on adult religiosity. However, in the relevant empirical research there are few examples of probability sampling or a focus on nonsexual forms of abuse. It is also uncommon to control for risk factors for abuse, which may themselves also affect adult religiosity. This study attempts to overcome some of these limitations by examining the effects of physical …
Social Estrangement and Psychological Distress before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic
This article argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures intended to slow the rate of transmission of the virus resulted in greater subjective isolation and community distrust, in turn adversely impacting psychological distress. To support this argument, we examine data from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study, two national surveys of Canadian workers-one from late September 2019 (N = 2,477) and th…
The Powerful Other
In the sociological study of mental health, the sense of personal control represents a core psychological resource, but some studies document a curvilinear association between personal control and depressive symptoms. This body of research is largely secular in orientation, even though research also demonstrates that some individuals believe in an involved and engaged Powerful Other (e.g., God). We evaluate if such beliefs moderate the relationsh…
The Threat of War and Psychological Distress Among Civilians Working in Iraq and Afghanistan
Research documents the mental health toll of combat operations on military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, but little research examines civilians who work alongside members of the military. In this research, we argue that a sense of threat is an “ambient stressor” that permeates daily life among civilians who work in these war zones, with mastery likely to both mediate and moderate the mental health effects of this stressor. Using a unique pro…
Psychological Well-Being Among Informal Caregivers in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Both the caregiving stress and caregiving rewards perspectives are applicable to the caregiving experience, with the stress perspective more applicable to in-home caregivers and the rewards perspective more relevant to nonresidential caregivers. Recommendations include targeted practice focused on the location of care as well as the gender of the caregiver. Given that nonresidential caregivers actually benefit from providing care, interventions n…
Ambivalence on the Front Lines
In the past several decades, the US military has increasingly relied on civilian contractors to provide a variety of core functions. Lagging behind this increased reliance on contractors is an understanding of how the presence of contractors influences civilian and military personnel. This research addresses this question using a unique study of US Department of Army civilians and military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We find a subs…
Does a cancer diagnosis influence religiosity? Integrating a life course perspective
Consequences of Financial Strain for Psychological Distress among Older Adults
Guided by a sociological perspective on mental health encapsulated in a stress process perspective, the authors examine the role of mastery, self-esteem, and mattering in explaining how financial strain is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger in older adults. Analyses focus on the Caregiving, Aging, and Financial Experiences study, a national longitudinal survey of Canadian older adults conducted in the fall of 2021 and 2022…
Socioeconomic stratification and trajectories of social trust during Covid-19
Socially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nations around the world instituted strict social distancing measures. Although necessary to deter the spread of the virus, these measures may also have had adverse health repercussions by increasing social isolation. Using a national longitudinal study from Canada, in which respondents were surveyed in March 2020 at the beginning of stay-at-home orders and again two months later in May, we show that, at…
Private Eyes, They See Your Every Move
Despite a surge in the number of organizations using surveillance technology to monitor their workers, understanding of the health impacts of these technologies in the broader working population is limited. The current study addresses this omission using a novel measure of an individual's overall perception of workplace surveillance, which enables it to be asked of all workers, rather than only those in specific occupations or work contexts that …
Why Have Sleep Problems in Later-Midlife Grown Following the Great Recession? A Comparative Cohort Analysis
Americans are approaching their senior years increasingly burdened by economic stressors that incur sleep problems. Practitioners and aging researchers should be prepared to address deleterious health consequences created by heightened sleep impairments
Perceptions of Increases in Cost of Living and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults
Objectives: This article examines whether older adults' perceptions of an increase in their cost of living during a time of rapid inflation are associated with multiple aspects of psychological distress, as well as whether mastery buffers these associations. Methods: Data were derived from a two-wave longitudinal survey of older adults gathered in 2021 and 2022 ( N = 4,010). Multiple regression models examined symptoms of depression, anxiety, and…
Beyond 'Heartless Conservative' and 'Bleeding Heart Liberal' Caricatures
Is political orientation associated with self-reported empathy? Popular caricatures frame political orientation in terms of the 'heartless conservative' and the 'bleeding heart liberal.' Yet, previous research has produced findings that present mixed evidence to support these caricatures. Using data from the 2004 General Social Survey, analyses show that the caricatures of the caring liberal and the cold-hearted conservative are supported by resu…
Subjective Cohesion as Stress Buffer Among Civilians Working With the Military in Iraq and Afghanistan
Recent research shows that civilians who work with the military in war zones are often exposed to life-threatening situations that can create psychological distress. In this study, we examine whether cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and psychological distress. Using a probability sample of civilians working with the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, we find that cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and both internaliz…
The Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Adult Religiosity and Spirituality
Current theories can support conflicting accounts of the effects of childhood maltreatment on adult religiosity. However, in the relevant empirical research there are few examples of probability sampling or a focus on nonsexual forms of abuse. It is also uncommon to control for risk factors for abuse, which may themselves also affect adult religiosity. This study attempts to overcome some of these limitations by examining the effects of physical …
A Multifaceted Approach to the Mental Health Advantage of the Married
This study takes a multifaceted approach to examining reasons for the well-noted mental health advantage of the married. The authors examine whether socioeconomic resources and psychosocial resources explain this advantage for three aspects of mental health by comparing the consistently married to different types of unmarried individuals, as well as the remarried. The authors find that even though the consistently married generally fare better th…
Does Religion Buffer the Effects of Discrimination on Mental Health? Differing Effects by Race
Much research has shown that experiences of discrimination are negatively related to mental health. In this study, a national probability survey of whites and African Americans at midlife is used to examine whether attendance at religious services and religious comfort seeking protect people from the effects of discrimination on mental health, and if the protective power of religion varies by race. Results show that reports of discrimination are …
How Adult Children Influence Older Parents' Mental Health
In this study, we integrate insights from the life-course and stress-process perspectives to argue that adult children's negative treatment of parents, as well as negative events that children experience, detrimentally affect elderly parents' mental health over time. We argue that these strains may affect mothers more than fathers, and blacks more than whites, because of the greater importance of the parental role to these groups in late life. Us…
Religious Involvement, Beliefs About God, and the Sense of Mattering Among Older Adults
Using data from a 2001–2002 sample of adults aged 65 and older living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, we examine the associations among religious involvement (as measured by the frequency of attendance at religious services and praying), the belief in divine control, and the sense of mattering—a key component of the self-concept. We also assess the extent to which these patterns vary by gender, race, and education. Findings indicate indi…
SES, Trajectories of Physical Limitations, and Change in Depression in Late Life
This research examines whether the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and change in depression in late life is explained by trajectories of risk of physical limitations. Using a longitudinal study of older adults, this study documents multiple trajectories of risk of mobility limitations and basic activities of daily living (ADLs). Membership in these trajectories explains a substantial portion of the association between SES and chan…
Handbook Of The Sociology Of Mental Health
Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health
Functional Limitations and Psychological Distress
This research examines how marital status modifies the relationship between functional limitations and two aspects of psychological distress—depression and anger. Analyses of a multiwave national probability survey show that marriage weakens the relationship between functional limitations and depression, but this moderation is specific to older men. Functional limitations are not significantly related to anger once time-stable confounds are compr…
Religion and Mental Health
Current Issues and Future Directions in Research into the Stress Process
Ambivalence on the Front Lines
In the past several decades, the US military has increasingly relied on civilian contractors to provide a variety of core functions. Lagging behind this increased reliance on contractors is an understanding of how the presence of contractors influences civilian and military personnel. This research addresses this question using a unique study of US Department of Army civilians and military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We find a subs…
Does a cancer diagnosis influence religiosity? Integrating a life course perspective
Reconsidering the Relationship between Age and Financial Strain among Older Adults
Previous research documents a robust relationship between financial strain and psychological distress in older adults, but does not clearly indicate whether financial strain changes with age in late life. We show that age is positively related to financial strain when age and cohort effects are separated using growth curve modeling, and this relationship is masked in conventional regression models by a negative effect of birth cohort. Age-related…
The Threat of War and Psychological Distress Among Civilians Working in Iraq and Afghanistan
Research documents the mental health toll of combat operations on military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, but little research examines civilians who work alongside members of the military. In this research, we argue that a sense of threat is an “ambient stressor” that permeates daily life among civilians who work in these war zones, with mastery likely to both mediate and moderate the mental health effects of this stressor. Using a unique pro…
Is Marital Status a Critical Contingency in the Relationship Between Physical Limitations and Subjective Well-Being Among Japanese Adults
Research demonstrates that physical limitations are related to lower levels of subjective well-being, but little research has examined whether marital status modifies this relationship, despite evidence showing that marital status is a substantial determinant of subjective well-being. Marital status is likely to be an especially important contingency in collectivistic cultures such as Japan, because cultural emphases heighten the importance of th…
A Longitudinal Assessment of Perceived Discrimination and Maladaptive Expressions of Anger Among Older Adults
The mental health consequences of perceived discrimination for older adults may be over-estimated if time-stable confounds and personality are not taken into account. Subjective social power can protect victims of discrimination from reactions that may escalate conflict, but not from internalized anger that is likely to be wearing and cause further health problems
Religious and Community Hurdles to Pornography Consumption
Research demonstrates that attending religious services is associated with lower pornography consumption in emerging adults but is less clear on associations between pornography consumption and additional religious and communal factors. This research presents an innovative approach to this question by using a “hurdle” model to separately examine prevalence and frequency of pornography consumption in a national sample of emerging adults. Analyses …
Bell Curve
The bell curve, also known as the normal distribution, provides a foundation for the majority of statistical procedures currently used in sociology. It can be thought of as a histogram of a continuous variable, but with such fine distinctions between outcomes that it is not possible to differentiate individual bars, so that the histogram appears to be a smooth line in the shape of a bell. Beneath this line are 100 percent of the possible outcomes…
Love Thy Self? How Belief in a Supportive God Shapes Self-Esteem
Previous research raises the question of self-esteem as a fundamental human need, but also indicates that self-esteem is an inherently social product. Is religious involvement influential-and does it depend on beliefs about God? In this research, we examine the associations between multiple dimensions of religious involvement and self-esteem, and specifically focus on the belief in a supportive higher power ("divine support") as a central influen…
Risk or Release
A central question in the study of pornography consumption is whether consumption influences risky sexual behavior. In this research, we focus on one key aspect of risky sexual behavior, the accumulation of sexual partners. Using longitudinal latent class analysis of a nationally representative sample, we determine distinct trajectories of pornography consumption. We then use hurdle models to relate membership in these trajectories to the initiat…
Financial circumstances, mastery, and mental health
Subjective Cohesion as Stress Buffer Among Civilians Working With the Military in Iraq and Afghanistan
Recent research shows that civilians who work with the military in war zones are often exposed to life-threatening situations that can create psychological distress. In this study, we examine whether cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and psychological distress. Using a probability sample of civilians working with the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, we find that cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and both internaliz…
The Powerful Other
In the sociological study of mental health, the sense of personal control represents a core psychological resource, but some studies document a curvilinear association between personal control and depressive symptoms. This body of research is largely secular in orientation, even though research also demonstrates that some individuals believe in an involved and engaged Powerful Other (e.g., God). We evaluate if such beliefs moderate the relationsh…
Beyond 'Heartless Conservative' and 'Bleeding Heart Liberal' Caricatures
Is political orientation associated with self-reported empathy? Popular caricatures frame political orientation in terms of the 'heartless conservative' and the 'bleeding heart liberal.' Yet, previous research has produced findings that present mixed evidence to support these caricatures. Using data from the 2004 General Social Survey, analyses show that the caricatures of the caring liberal and the cold-hearted conservative are supported by resu…
Psychology (44 works) · Social Psychology (29 works) · Medicine (22 works) · Psychiatry (20 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (19 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Clinical Psychology (17 works) · Mental health (17 works) · Developmental psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (13 works)