title: Childhood adversity, midlife generativity, and later life well-being.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prior studies confirm that after experiencing childhood adversity, resilient adults can recover and engage in generative growth. This study explored the long-term effects of childhood adversity (assessed as harsh parenting and/or childhood poverty) on successful aging for individuals who either achieved or failed to achieve Erikson's psychosocial developmental stage of generativity in midlife.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study utilized a sample of 636 men from the Harvard Sample and Inner City Cohort of the 73-year longitudinal Study of Adult Development. Nested ordinary least squares regression models were used to test the mediating and moderating effects of midlife generativity on later life health and adjustment to aging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men who experienced childhood adversity were less likely than men with no childhood adversity to achieve generativity in midlife. Although achievement of generativity was associated with better later life health and adjustment to aging, it neither mediated nor moderated the negative relation between childhood poverty and later life health outcomes. However, for men who experienced an adversarial childhood, achievement of generativity mediated and moderated adjustment to aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that psychosocial growth in adulthood can compensate for the long-term negative effects of an adversarial childhood on adjustment to aging, but not for later life health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, University of North Florida, Jacksonville. scott.landes@unf.edu.
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Landes
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ardelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
authors.forename: George E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Vaillant
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Waldinger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006803:Human Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological
keywords: Adjustment to aging; Adversarial childhood; Generativity; Later life health; Longitudinal study.