Examined whether midlife men (n=64) had personal Dream as defined by Levinson and whether they experienced success of Dream. Findings support conclusion that whether man has Dream and degree to which he experiences success in achieving it are significantly related to mental health status during midlife transition. (Author/NB)

Examines the results of a 1991 pilot study of the characteristics of the menopausal experience for women between the ages of 45 and 55. Specific items reported are physical health data and perceptions of factors affecting health status (diet, health characteristics, stress factors, and life changes). (GLR)

This study examined the relationship between three midlife transitions and depressive symptoms among 952 women 50 to 59 years of age. Using longitudinal data from women interviewed for the 1992 and 2000 Health and Retirement Study, the study described changes in marital status, change to a parental caregiving role, and changes in perceived health…

The Career Development Inventory--Adult Form was used to measure career development, and three instruments were used to measure the life cycle or personal phasic development in order to seek a relationship between the adult life cycle and the professional career development cycle for women and men. Population for the study was a random sample of…

Middle aged women who have previously been occupied with family and community activities often experience increased role stress when they begin to invest more time and energy in their work roles. To compare coping styles women use to adjust to job changes, 71 women, aged 30-62, who had changed jobs within a 3-year interval were classified into…

In an effort to assess the retirement preparedness of Midwestern populations above the age of 28, the King Pre-Retirement Checklist was administered to a sampling of 458 persons randomly selected and proportionally stratified by geographic location and community size. Factors examined were financial, social, family cohesion, mobility/health,…

Life history interview tracked the movement of five middle-class women attending classes through a continuing education center for women. The center facilitated their movement through developmental stages but hampered their movement between stages, their abandonment of old social roles, and their construction of new roles. (BJV)

Used DISCOVER II, computer-based career information system, in career counseling intervention for 188 automobile workers in career transition. Found that workers could increase their level of career decidedness and make progress in their commitment to occupational choice through use of computer-based career counseling program.…

Two surveys were conducted regarding the career and life transition needs of National Hockey League (NHL) players and their spouses. The Professional Athletes' Career Transition Inventory was distributed to player representatives and members of eight NHL teams. Results revealed that 85 percent of players believed it important that help be provided…

The study described in this paper was conducted to delineate the phenomenon of generativity in middle-aged adults in an attempt to identify its major characteristics, attributes, determinants, and situational or circumstantial variables. Three themes emerged from a literature survey of materials on middle adulthood: the theme of the entry…

A study was conducted to increase understanding of the mid-life career decision factors of vocational teachers in trade and industrial education. A sample of 179 conditionally licensed occupational teachers in Indiana who had initially been employed in industrial occupations were willing to participate in the study. Four additional criteria were…

Compared three groups of people (N=134) facing midcareer crisis using a structured interview. Suggested that Hopson and Adams' (1977) model can provide a framework for understanding emotional factors in voluntary career transitions. Janis and Mann's (1977) conflict model describes where in the decision-making process the groups chose alternative…

Interviewed middle aged and older persons (N=70) who left their former occupations and took up second careers as artists or craftspersons selling through arts and crafts fairs. Most reported personal satisfaction and pleasure in the camaraderie. Nearly all reported that successful participation depended upon collaboration with spouses. (Author/JAC)

Examines differences between 70 more- and less-generative adults through a new coding system for analyzing themes of agency and communion in significant life-story scenes. The study revealed that highly generative adults express greater levels of the communion themes of dialog and care/help and greater levels of agency/communion integration. (LSR)

Analyzed the effects of marital status, race, and gender on the timing of suicide across three adult life stages. Logistic modeling showed distinct structural effects on the occurrence of suicide in midlife compared to the life stages immediately preceding and following it. Greater attention to the crises of women in midlife appears warranted.…