Financial Preparation for Retirement in Brazil: a Cross-Cultural Test of the Interdisciplinary Financial Planning Model.

In this investigation, we attempt to replicate the Interdisciplinary Financial Planning Model advanced by Hershey et al. (International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 70, 1-38, 2010) using a sample of Brazilian adults. This model, which was originally tested on individuals from The Netherlands and the United States, posits that psychological, social, and economic forces are key determinants of retirement planning practices and perceptions of saving adequacy. Taken together, fifteen hypotheses were subject to evaluation. Participants were 167 Brazilian working adults, 21-69 years of age, who were married or cohabitating at the time of testing. A path analysis model showed substantial support for the theoretical framework, with all variables found to contribute directly or indirectly to the prediction of financial planning and saving adequacy. Furthermore, two new paths were found to emerge in the Brazilian model that were not observed in the original investigation. This cross-national replication of the Interdisciplinary Financial Planning Model extends research on the topic to a developing country in which relatively few empirical studies of retirement planning have been carried out. Other analyses in the article focus on direct comparisons between the Brazilian model and the models developed based on American and Dutch respondents, with an eye toward better understanding how cultural forces shape the retirement planning process. The discussion focuses on how models of financial planning, such as the Hershey et al. (2010) model, can inform the development of savings-oriented education and intervention programs.

Cross-National Differences in Goals for Retirement: the Case of India and the United States.

In the present investigation, a comparison is made between the retirement goals of working Indian adults and previously published data on the retirement goals of working adults in the United States. Participants were 158 Indian respondents between 21 and 60 years of age. Each respondent completed a questionnaire in which they reported the nature of the goals they held for retirement. For the most part, the types of the goals enumerated by workers from India were similar to those of Americans. However, Indians were found to focus more on financial stability and self-related goals, whereas Americans tended to focus on leisure and exploration activities. Moreover, Indian workers reported fewer retirement goals and their goals were less concrete than those reported by Americans. Findings are discussed in terms of the way culturally-based differences and similarities in retirement systems can impact some aspects of future goals (e.g., frequency; concreteness), but not other aspects of goal structures (e.g., goal content).

Agricultural cycle and the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder: a longitudinal community study in postwar Mozambique.

The influence of physical activity on the prevalence and remission of war-related mental disturbances has never been systematically evaluated. This study examined the influence of participation in the agricultural cycle on the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence and correlated symptoms longitudinally in post civil war Mozambique. Prevalence rates were examined in the end and the outset of the agricultural cycle in a community population (N = 240). The agricultural cycle, which is characterized by fluctuations in physical activities, social connectedness, and the sense of purpose in life influences the PTSD prevalence and correlated symptoms. By studying the influence of the agricultural cycle on PTSD prevalence, severe PTSD cases that fail to respond to the agricultural cycle can be identified, and subsequently evaluated regarding the need for specialized care.

What We Need to Know About Retirement: Pressing Issues for the Coming Decade.

The current landscape of retirement is changing dramatically as population aging becomes increasingly visible. This review of pressing retirement issues advocates research on (a) changing meanings of retirement, (b) impact of technology, (c) the role of housing in retirement, (d) human resource strategies, (e) adjustment to changing retirement policies, (f) the pension industry, and (g) the role of ethnic diversity in retirement.

First-trimester screening for trisomies 21 and 18.

BACKGROUND: Screening for aneuploid pregnancies is routinely performed after 15 weeks of gestation and has a sensitivity of approximately 65 percent, with a false positive rate of 5 percent. First-trimester markers of aneuploidy have been developed, but their use in combination has not been adequately evaluated in clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter study of screening for trisomies 21 and 18 among patients with pregnancies between 74 and 97 days of gestation, based on maternal age, maternal levels of free beta human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, and ultrasonographic measurement of fetal nuchal translucency. A screening result was considered to be positive for trisomy 21 if the calculated risk was at least 1 in 270 pregnancies and positive for trisomy 18 if the risk was at least 1 in 150. RESULTS: Screening was completed in 8514 patients with singleton pregnancies. This approach to screening identified 85.2 percent of the 61 cases of Down's syndrome (95 percent confidence interval, 73.8 to 93.0), with a false positive rate of 9.4 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 8.8 to 10.1). At a false positive rate of 5 percent, the detection rate was 78.7 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 66.3 to 88.1). Screening identified 90.9 percent of the 11 cases of trisomy 18 (95 percent confidence interval, 58.7 to 99.8), with a 2 percent false positive rate. Among women 35 years of age or older, screening identified 89.8 percent of fetuses with trisomy 21, with a false positive rate of 15.2 percent, and 100 percent of fetuses with trisomy 18. CONCLUSIONS: First-trimester screening for trisomies 21 and 18 on the basis of maternal age, maternal levels of free beta human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, and measurement of fetal nuchal translucency has good sensitivity at an acceptable false positive rate.

Late first-trimester placental disruption and subsequent gestational hypertension/preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential relationship between placental disruption in weeks 13 and 14 and the subsequent development of gestational hypertension or preeclampsia. METHODS: Using subjects recruited during a randomized trial funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which compared early amniocentesis and late transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in weeks 13 and 14, rates of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were compared between cases with varying degrees of placental disruption. RESULTS: A total of 3,698 of 3,775 randomized subjects had cytogenetically normal pregnancies and were analyzed. A significantly higher rate of hypertension/preeclampsia was observed in the late CVS group (5.4%, n = 1,878) compared with the early amniocentesis cohort (3.5%, n = 1,820; P = .005). This difference persisted after controlling for maternal age, body mass index, parity, previous preterm delivery, smoking, and fetal gender. Early amniocentesis cases were further stratified on the basis of whether the placenta had been penetrated (n = 460) or not (n = 1,360). Risk of hypertensive complications was lowest if the placenta was not traversed (3.4%), greater with placental penetration (3.9%), and highest when the placenta was directly sampled during CVS (5.4%, P = .02). CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that focal disruption of the placenta at 13-14 weeks may increase the risk of hypertension/preeclampsia. These findings provide support for the theory that disturbances in early placentation lead subsequently to maternal hypertension.

Sequential pathways of testing after first-trimester screening for trisomy 21.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance and use of second-trimester multiple-marker maternal serum screening for trisomy 21 by women who had previously undergone first-trimester combined screening (nuchal translucency, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, and free beta-hCG), with disclosure of risk estimates. METHODS: In a multicenter, first-trimester screening study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, multiple-marker maternal serum screening with alpha-fetoprotein, unconjugated estriol, and total hCG was performed in 4,145 (7 with trisomy 21) of 7,392 (9 with trisomy 21) women who were first-trimester screen-negative and 180 (7 with trisomy 21) of 813 (52 with trisomy 21) who were first-trimester screen-positive. Second-trimester risks were calculated using multiples of the median and a standardized risk algorithm with a cutoff risk of 1:270. RESULTS: Among the first-trimester screen-negative cohort, 6 of 7 (86%) trisomy 21 cases were detected by second-trimester multiple-marker maternal serum screening with a false-positive rate of 8.9%. Among the first-trimester screen-positive cohort, all 7 trisomy 21 cases were also detected in the second trimester, albeit with a 38.7% false-positive rate. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that a sequential screening program that provides patients with first-trimester results and offers the option for early invasive testing or additional serum screening in the second trimester can detect 98% of trisomy 21-affected pregnancies. However, such an approach will result in 17% of patients being considered at risk and, hence, potentially having an invasive test. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2

Impact of different types of retirement transitions on perceived satisfaction with life.

PURPOSE: This study examines how life satisfaction changes as a function of the transition into retirement, distinguishing between different types of voluntary and involuntary exits. DESIGN AND METHODS: Perceived satisfaction with life (SWL) was measured among 1,388 older Dutch workers on two occasions, separated by 6 years. During that time, more than half of participants (54%) left full-time employment and entered retirement. RESULTS: Those who made a voluntarily departure from the workforce reported higher levels of perceived SWL compared with those who remained employed, whereas the life satisfaction scores of those whose departure was involuntary (due to health reasons, organizational reasons) were found to be the lowest. Other factors that had an effect on satisfaction included positive and negative health changes experienced during the 6-year interim, as well as changes in marital status due to divorce or loss of a spouse. IMPLICATIONS: These findings have important theoretical implications for the understanding of factors that shape individuals' perceptions of how they view the quality of their lives. From an applied perspective, the findings have implications for the development of organizational initiatives aimed at helping workers transition into retirement in such a way as to maintain high levels of subjective well-being.

Age differences in expected satisfaction with life in retirement.

Research on expected quality of life in retirement has focused on the perceptions of individuals either living in retirement or nearing retirement age. In this article, data are reported that examine expectations of (future) retirement quality of life among younger and middle-aged adults. Toward this end, a new scale--the Satisfaction with Life in Retirement Scale--is introduced. As part of the study, a pair of age-specific, theoretically-driven, hierarchically-structured path models were tested in which individuals' perceptions of future retirement satisfaction were regressed on indicators of financial knowledge, future time perspective, financial risk tolerance, and parental financial values. Models from both age groups were successful in accounting for variability in perceptions of future retirement satisfaction; however, age differences in the model were observed. The results of this investigation have implications for retirement counselors and intervention specialists who seek to cultivate positive perceptions of late life among individuals of different ages.

What drives retirement income worries in Europe? A multilevel analysis.

Nations in Europe have been developing rapidly since the formation of the European Union (EU), not only socially and demographically, but economically as well. One question a number of countries will face during this period of structural transition will be how (and how well) they are able to support their citizens in old age. A related question involves whether individuals worry about their financial future in retirement, and the extent to which they take active steps to save in order to ensure an adequate standard of living. In this study, we analyze data from the third wave of the European Social Survey, which represents 21,416 working adults from 23 countries in Europe. We used multilevel modeling to focus on the explanatory factors that underlie individual and country-level effects in worry about future retirement income and saving behavior. Findings suggest that once individual-level dimensions are taken into account, country-level predictors explain appreciable variance in worry, but not saving practices. Moreover, we found that retirement income worries are more severe in countries with a strong projected increase in future population aging and a high level of income inequality. Finally, pension age reforms were not found to appreciably affect retirement income worries. Results of the study are discussed in terms of not only the individual difference dimensions that precipitate future income worry and saving, but also ways in which macro-level policy initiatives could potentially alleviate some of the worries of European citizens.

Aging and financial planning for retirement: interdisciplinary influences viewed through a cross-cultural lens.

Current theoretical models support the existence of interactions between the individual and socio-environmental forces when it comes to the formation and enactment of life plans (Friedman & Scholnick, 1997; Shanahan & Elder, 2002). In this investigation, we examine the social, economic, and psychological forces that impact financial planning for retirement. The collective force of these three broad sets of influences was examined from developmental and cross-cultural perspectives, among respondents from two countries with very different retirement financing systems. Participants were 419 American and 556 Dutch working adults, 25-64 years of age. Path analysis models were created to examine differences in planning associated with age and national origin. Compared to younger individuals, older respondents in both countries were more involved in nearly all aspects of the financial planning process. Differences across cultures were also observed in the social support mechanisms that underlie planning and the impact economic forces have on perceptions of saving adequacy. The discussion focuses on the value of developing interdisciplinary theoretical models of planning, and how such models can inform the development of savings-oriented intervention and public policy initiatives.

The epidemiology of spirit possession in the aftermath of mass political violence in Mozambique.

In this article we assess the prevalence rates of harmful spirit possession, different features of the spirits and of their hosts, the correlates of the spirit possession experience, health patterns and the sources of health care consulted by possessed individuals in a population sample of 941 adults (255 men, 686 women) in post-civil war Mozambique in 2003-2004. A combined quantitative-qualitative research design was used for data collection. A major study outcome is that the prevalence rates vary according to the severity of the possession as measured by the number of harmful spirits involved in the affliction. The prevalence rate of participants suffering from at least one spirit was 18.6 percent; among those individuals, 5.6 percent were suffering from possession by two or more spirits. A comparison between possessed and non-possessed individuals shows that certain types of spirit possession are a major cause of health impairment. We propose that knowledge of both local understandings of harmful spirit possession and the community prevalence of this kind of possession is a precondition for designing public health interventions that sensitively respond to the health needs of people afflicted by spirits.

Goal clarity and financial planning activities as determinants of retirement savings contributions.

Retirement counselors, financial service professionals, and retirement intervention specialists routinely emphasize the importance of developing clear goals for the future; however, few empirical studies have focused on the benefits of retirement goal setting. In the present study, the extent to which goal clarity and financial planning activities predict retirement savings practices was examined among 100 working adults. Path analysis techniques were used to test two competing models, both of which were designed to predict savings contributions. Findings provide support for the model in which retirement goal clarity is a significant predictor of planning practices, and planning, in turn, predicts savings tendencies. Two demographic variables-income and age-were also revealed to be important elements of the model, with income accounting for roughly half of the explained variance in savings contributions. The results of this study have implications for the development of age-based models of planning, as well as implications for retirement counselors and financial planners who advise workers on long-term saving strategies.