Professional–managerial occupational status and subsequent psychological well-being: A longitudinal analysis of domain-differentiated patterns and implications for educational gerontology

Professional–managerial occupational status in midlife may be associated with psychological well-being later in life, although this broad occupational classification does not capture work experiences. This longitudinal study examined the association between midlife professional–managerial occupational status and later psychological well-being, considering both the composite measure and Ryff’s six domains. Data were drawn from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, using MIDUS 2 (2004–2006) and MIDUS 3 (2013–2014). Professional–managerial occupational status was associated with higher subsequent composite psychological well-being in the fully adjusted model estimated in the common complete-case analytic sample (β = 0.077, 95% CI [0.017, 0.138], p = .012), although the association was modest. In domain-specific analyses, the largest positive associations were observed for personal growth (β = 0.122,95% CI [0.040, 0.203], p = .003) and environmental mastery (β = 0.114,95% CI [0.028, 0.200], p = .010), with additional support for positive relations with others (β = 0.095,95% CI [0.013, 0.177], p = .023). Purpose in life showed a nominal positive association (β = 0.086,95% CI [0.001, 0.170], p = .046). For educational gerontology, these findings highlight the importance of assessing personal growth and environmental mastery in later-life educational programs, while considering participants’ occupational histories.