Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving

Using a nationally representative sample of N=3,614 U.S. adults (mean age 55.3 in 2016) from the 2008, 2012, and 2016 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), we examine longitudinally the impact of personal health status, caregiving, and presence of a chronically ill or d...

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Main Authors: Patricia Patty Stoddard Dare, Linda M. Quinn, Shirley L. Porterfield, LeaAnne DeRigne, Miyuki Tedor, Cyleste Collins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Social Work & Society 2023-04-01
Series:Social Work and Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ejournals.bib.uni-wuppertal.de/index.php/sws/article/view/808
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author Patricia Patty Stoddard Dare
Linda M. Quinn
Shirley L. Porterfield
LeaAnne DeRigne
Miyuki Tedor
Cyleste Collins
author_facet Patricia Patty Stoddard Dare
Linda M. Quinn
Shirley L. Porterfield
LeaAnne DeRigne
Miyuki Tedor
Cyleste Collins
author_sort Patricia Patty Stoddard Dare
collection DOAJ
description Using a nationally representative sample of N=3,614 U.S. adults (mean age 55.3 in 2016) from the 2008, 2012, and 2016 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), we examine longitudinally the impact of personal health status, caregiving, and presence of a chronically ill or disabled (CIOD) household member on total family net worth (TFNW) while stratifying by marital status. Statistically significant repeated measures analysis finds having a limiting health condition was related to a reduction in TFNW for unmarried ($33.7K) and married respondents ($82.8K), as was having a person with a CIOD in the household ($49.0K decrease for unmarried, $79.7K decrease for married respondents). Conversely, being an out-of-home caregiver was related to an increased mean TFNW for both unmarried ($59.2K) and married ($75.4K) respondents. Our findings suggest an adult is at a greater disadvantage with respect to financial preparedness for retirement if they have both a work-limiting health condition and have a CIOD in their household than if they have only one of these characteristics or have neither characteristic. A unique finding of this study is that families with members who are chronically ill or have disabilities have lower and similar total net worth, whether or not the NLSY79 respondent identifies as a caregiver for that person. Implications for promoting equity based on these findings are discussed.
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spelling doaj.art-7d1accb8af174b0aa505c02cfaa3b1082023-04-27T15:10:29ZengSocial Work & SocietySocial Work and Society1613-89532023-04-01202Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregivingPatricia Patty Stoddard Dare0Linda M. Quinn1Shirley L. Porterfield2LeaAnne DeRigne3Miyuki Tedor4Cyleste Collins5Cleveland State UniversityCleveland State UniversitySt. Louis UniversityFlorida Atlantic UniversityCleveland State UniversityCleveland State University Using a nationally representative sample of N=3,614 U.S. adults (mean age 55.3 in 2016) from the 2008, 2012, and 2016 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), we examine longitudinally the impact of personal health status, caregiving, and presence of a chronically ill or disabled (CIOD) household member on total family net worth (TFNW) while stratifying by marital status. Statistically significant repeated measures analysis finds having a limiting health condition was related to a reduction in TFNW for unmarried ($33.7K) and married respondents ($82.8K), as was having a person with a CIOD in the household ($49.0K decrease for unmarried, $79.7K decrease for married respondents). Conversely, being an out-of-home caregiver was related to an increased mean TFNW for both unmarried ($59.2K) and married ($75.4K) respondents. Our findings suggest an adult is at a greater disadvantage with respect to financial preparedness for retirement if they have both a work-limiting health condition and have a CIOD in their household than if they have only one of these characteristics or have neither characteristic. A unique finding of this study is that families with members who are chronically ill or have disabilities have lower and similar total net worth, whether or not the NLSY79 respondent identifies as a caregiver for that person. Implications for promoting equity based on these findings are discussed. https://ejournals.bib.uni-wuppertal.de/index.php/sws/article/view/808net worthin-home caregivingout-of-home caregivingretirementhealth statuschronic illness
spellingShingle Patricia Patty Stoddard Dare
Linda M. Quinn
Shirley L. Porterfield
LeaAnne DeRigne
Miyuki Tedor
Cyleste Collins
Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving
Social Work and Society
net worth
in-home caregiving
out-of-home caregiving
retirement
health status
chronic illness
title Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving
title_full Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving
title_fullStr Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving
title_full_unstemmed Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving
title_short Net worth of adults approaching retirement age: Personal health, presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member, and out of home caregiving
title_sort net worth of adults approaching retirement age personal health presence of a chronically ill or disabled household member and out of home caregiving
topic net worth
in-home caregiving
out-of-home caregiving
retirement
health status
chronic illness
url https://ejournals.bib.uni-wuppertal.de/index.php/sws/article/view/808
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