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Refereed essays Web of Science
Objective: As social norms and relationship dynamics evolve, it is important to examine how transitions from singlehood to partnership, cohabitation, and marriage relate to well-being Method: Using data from two large panel studies in the UK and Germany (1984–2019), we identified N = 27,459 individuals who reported being single and living alone at least once. Analyses focused on a subset (N = 1103; ...
In:
Journal of Personality
94 (2026), 3, S. 446–457
| Usama EL-Awad, Robert Eves, Justin Hachenberger, Theresa M. Entringer, Robin Goodwin, Anu Realo, Sakari Lemola
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SOEP Brown Bag Seminar
Public health insurance for U.S. children has expanded dramatically through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), yet the biological mechanisms linking these policies to long-run health remain poorly understood. We test whether childhood eligibility for Medicaid/CHIP causally affects epigenetic aging measures. Using longitudinal epigenetic data from the Fragile Families and...
11.06.2026| Pietro Biroli, University of Bologna
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Seminar
Modern democracies are undergoing multiple, overlapping transformations, driven by globalization, digitalization, migration, inequality, and climate change. While some adapt with openness, others experience what Mau et al. (2023) term Veränderungserschöpfung – change fatigue: the sense that “too much is changing, too fast, and all at once.” This paper examines whether and how such fatigue...
24.06.2026| Katja Schmidt, HU Berlin
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Refereed essays Web of Science
Young people with disability face significant barriers to stable employment. Yet, little is known about how early labor market experiences shape their long-term mental health. This study examines associations between early career insecurity and subsequent mental health trajectories, focusing on disability status as a key axis of inequality. We use nationally representative longitudinal data from the ...
In:
SSM - Population Health
34 (2026), 101912, 14 S.
| Sophia Fauser, Irma Mooi-Recic, Marissa Shields, Zoe Aitken, Anne Kavanagh
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DIW Weekly Report 20/21 / 2026
In Germany, employee absences due to illness rose sharply, particularly in 2022. Various sources argue that the introduction of the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU) caused this. Official data previously did not include absences that were not reported to health insurance providers; since the introduction of the eAU, this is no longer the case. This gap does not exist in Socio-Economic ...
2026| Markus M. Grabka, Oskar Breer
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Refereed essays Web of Science
Introduction Most people want two or more children, but many do not realize their fertility desires. At the same time, recent studies suggest that up to 15% of parents regret having children. To investigate how fertility mismatch relates to well-being (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, family life satisfaction, and work satisfaction), this preregistered study used nationally representative cross-sectional ...
In:
Journal of Personality
(2026), im Ersch. [online first: 2026-04-01]
| Laura Buchinger, Michael D. Krämer, Manon A. van Scheppingen, Denis Gerstorf
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Refereed essays Web of Science
This article explains how the triadic brokering system in the European Union affects the conditions of work and pay of mobile care workers. Using original survey data gathered from Polish care workers in Germany, the authors found that workers earn less money the more hours they work. Based on qualitative interviews with care workers and representatives of labor market intermediaries, they argue that ...
In:
International Labour Review
(2026), im Ersch. [online first: 2026-03-26]
| Kamil Matuszczyk, Magdalena Nowicka, Niklas Harder, Mathis Herpell
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Refereed essays Web of Science
Objectives: This study examines unintended consequences (UIC) of public health and social measures (PHSM) in camps and camp-like settings and assesses the pathways through which these UIC arise. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and conceptual analysis of UIC from PHSM aimed at preventing SARS-CoV-2 spread in these settings. PHSM were classified using the WHO taxonomy and the CONSEQUENT framework ...
In:
Public Health Reviews
47 (2026), 1608732, 23 S.
| Maren Hintermeier, Kayvan Bozorgmehr, Nora Gottlieb, Amir Mohsenpour, Navina Sarma, Renke Biallas, Louise Biddle
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Refereed essays Web of Science
Previous research suggests that women tend to self-report higher life satisfaction and happiness, lower health status and trust, and more left-leaning political preferences than men. We revisit the gender gap in these outcome variables using random-effects meta-analysis, aggregating data across 39 countries surveyed in the European Social Survey (n ≈ 500,000). Measured in Cohen’s d units, women, on ...
In:
Scientific Reports
16 (2026), 3406, 12 S.
| Yifan Yang, Magnus Johannesson, Frank Fossen, Levent Neyse, Felix Holzmeister
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DIW Weekly Report 10 / 2026
Social media usage by children and young people is an increasingly controversial topic. The focus is on risks, opportunities, and possible regulations. Politicians from all relevant parties are now open to a social media ban up to a certain age; the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has set up a commission of experts. Based on a short survey in the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), conducted in September ...
2026| Jörg Dollmann, Christian Hunkler, Nicolas Legewie, Julian B. Axenfeld, Andreas Franken, Felix von Heusinger