Disentangling the Life Course Process of Disability in Later Life: The Role of Socioeconomic Status

Miles G. Taylor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Over the past few decades, disability has become one of the most salient and researched outcomes for older adults in the United States. It is predominantly conceptualized as a life course process and is increasingly measured over time using transitions or trajectories. In this paper, I extend this research by using methods previously unutilized in aging research to measure disability as both a transition and trajectory, therefore better capturing it as a life course process. Previous theory and research on SES and health suggests that education and financial resources work differently on disability over time. I revisit these arguments, finding that the independent effects of education are mainly protective for onset, whereas financial resources also impact level of disability given onset. I discuss these findings in terms of past and future research, focusing on what may be gained by conceptualizing and measuring disability in later life as a life course process.