The aim of the study is to illustrate a comprehensive approach to item bias in cross-cultural research by integrating quantitative and qualitative data in a mixed methods design. We studied responses and response processes of Dutch and Spanish participants to quality of life items from five international studies. Item bias was evaluated by…

The article focuses on findings that were replicated across several countries and considers their relevance for future older adults. Key findings are that (a) childlessness makes more of a difference in men's than in women's lives, (b) never-married women are a childless category with particularly favorable characteristics, and (c) childless…

This article focuses on the ways in which patterns of marriage and fertility shape older people's involvement in community groups and their support networks. The data are from Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Findings show that childless older adults, regardless of…