The Influences of Employment Status and Daily Stressors on Physiological Functioning in a Sample of Midlife and Older Adults.

This study examines the influences of employment status and the moderating role of daily stressors on cortisol levels and responsivity in 182 workers and 253 retirees between 55 and 75 years old from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS-II). As a part of the Daily Diary Study, participants completed telephone interviews about their daily experiences across eight evenings and provided saliva samples across 4 days. Multilevel models showed that workers who experienced greater number of non-work related daily stressors significantly exhibited higher cortisol level at 30 min post awakening (b = 0.252, SE = 0.109, p < .05) and greater cortisol awakening response (b = 3.769, SE = 1.898, p < .05) the following morning as compared with retirees who experienced similar amount of daily stressors. Findings demonstrate the important consideration of daily stressors in identifying the ways in which social roles influence physiological functioning in midlife and late adulthood.