George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor
Office: NORC 249A
Phone: 773-256-6333
B.A. Michigan State University, 1969
M.A. University of Michigan, 1970
Ph.D. University of Michigan, 1976
Linda Waite is the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor of Sociology and Senior Fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include social demography, aging, the family, health, sexuality and social well-being. Her current research focuses on the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, which she directs. This study examines the links between social connectivity and health at older ages, and has at its heart a nationally-representative, longitudinal survey of older adults. She is the recipient of a MERIT Award from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Books:
Waite, Linda J. and Thomas Plewes (Editors). 2013. Perspectives on the Future of the Sociology of Aging. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Waite, Linda J. (Editor). 2005. Aging, Health, and Public Policy: Demographic and Economic Perspectives. Supplement to Population and Development Review vol. 30. New York: Population Council.
Schneider, Barbara and Linda J. Waite (Editors). 2005. Being Together, Working Apart: Dual-Career Families and the Work-Life Balance. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Waite, Linda J. and Maggie Gallagher. 2000. The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially. Doubleday.
Waite, Linda J., Christine Bachrach, Michelle Hindin, Elizabeth Thomson and Arland Thornton, (Editors). 2000. Ties that Bind: Perspectives on Marriage and Cohabitation. Aldine de Gruyter.
Goldscheider, Frances K., and Linda J. Waite. 1991. New Families, No Families? The Transformation of the American Home, University of California Press.
Articles:
Waite, Linda J. and James Iveniuk. Forthcoming. “Ch. 10: Sexuality at Older Ages.” In Deborah Carr and Ellen Idler, Eds., Handbook of Aging and the Life Course.
Kotwal, Ashwin, Sei Lee, William Dale, John Boscardin, Linda Waite, Alexander K. Smith. Forthcoming. "Integration of an objective cognitive assessment into a prognostic index for 5-year mortality prediction." Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
Wong, Jaclyn S., Hannah Breslau, Eloesa McSorley, Kristen Wroblewski, Melissa Howe, and Linda Waite. 2019. “The Social Relationship Context of Elder Mistreatment.” The Gerontologist.
Hawkley, L. C., Zheng, B., Hedberg, E. C., Huisingh-Scheetz, M., & Waite, L. 2019. Cognitive limitations in older adults receiving care reduces well-being among spousal caregivers. Psychology and Aging.
Hsieh, Ning and Linda J. Waite. 2019. "Disability, Psychological Well-Being, and Social Interaction in Later Life in China" Research on Aging. First published online January 13. DOI: 10.1177/0164027518824049
Iveniuk, James, and Linda Waite. 2018. “The Psychosocial Sources of Sexual Interest in Older Couples.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Special Issue. 35(4) 615–631. DOI: 10.1177/0265407517754148
Ho, Erin, Louise Hawkley, William Dale, Linda Waite, and Megan Huisingh-Scheetz. 2018. “Social capital predicts accelerometry-measured physical activity among older adults in the U.S.: A cross-sectional study in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.” BMC Public Health, 18(804). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-5664-6
Waite, Linda J. 2018. “Social Well-Being and Health in the Older Population: Moving Beyond Social Relationships.” National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Pp. 99-130 in Future Directions for the Demography of Aging: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. DOI: 10.17226/25064
Dale, William, Joseph W. Shega, Ashwin A. Kotwal, Priya D. Sunkara, L. Phillip Schumm, David W. Kern, Martha K. McClintock, and Linda J. Waite. 2018. “Cognitive Function and Its Risk Factors among Older US Adults Living at Home.” Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders. 32(3): 207-13. DOI:10.1097/WAD.0000000000000241.
Huisingh-Scheetz, Megan, Kristen Wroblewski, Masha Kocherginsky, Elbert Huang, William Dale, Linda Waite, and Philip Schumm. 2018. “The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Frailty Among U.S. Older Adults Based on Hourly Accelerometry Data.” Journal of Gerontology: Series A 73(5): 622-9. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glx208
Lee, Haena, and Linda J. Waite. 2018. “Cognition in Context: The Role of Objective and Subjective Measures of Neighborhood and Household in Cognitive Functioning in Later Life,” The Gerontologist, 58(1): 159-69. DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnx050
Wong, Jaclyn S., and Linda J. Waite. 2017. “Elder Mistreatment Predicts Later Physical and Psychological Health: Results from a National Longitudinal Study.” Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 29(1):15-42. DOI: 10.1080/08946566.2016.1235521 PMCID: PMC5322798
Waite, Linda J., James Iveniuk, Edward O. Laumann, and Martha McClintock. 2017. “Sexuality in Older Couples: Individual and Dyadic Characteristics.” Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(2): 605-18. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-015-0651-9 PMCID: PMC5554590
McClintock, Martha, William Dale, Edward O. Laumann and Linda J. Waite. 2016. “Empirical Redefinition of Comprehensive Health and Well-Being in the Older Adults in the US”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, E3071-E3080. PMID: 27185911. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1514968113 PMCID: PMC4896706
Kotwal, Ashwin, Juyeon Kim, Linda J. Waite, and William Dale. 2016. “Social Function and Cognitive Status: Results from a US Nationally-Representative Survey of Older Adults.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31(8):854-62. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-016-3696-0 PMCID: PMC4945567
Liu, Hui, Linda J. Waite and Shannon Shen. 2016. “Diabetes Risk and Disease Management in Later Life: A National Longitudinal Study of the Role of Marital Quality.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Science, 71(6):1070-80. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbw061 PMCID: PMC5067945
Liu, Hui, Linda Waite, Shannon Shen, Donna Wang. 2016. “Is Sex Good for Your Health? A National Study on Partnered Sexuality and Cardiovascular Risk among Older Men and Women.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 57(3):276-96. DOI: 10.1177/0022146516661597 PMCID: PMC5052677
Kotwal, Ashwin, Diane S. Lauderdale, Linda J. Waite, and William Dale. 2016. “Differences between husbands and wives in colonoscopy use: Results from a national sample of married couples.” Preventive Medicine, 88: 46-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.03.011 PMCID: PMC5554589
Chen, Jen-Hao, Linda J. Waite and Diane Lauderdale. 2016. “Social Participation and Older Adults’ Sleep.” Social Science and Medicine, 149: 164-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.045 PMCID: PMC4718773
Lauderdale, Diane, Jen-Hao Chen, Lianne Kurina, Linda J. Waite, Ronald A. Thisted. 2016. “Sleep duration and health among older adults: associations vary by how sleep is measured.” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 70(4): 361-6. Epub 2015 Nov 3. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2015-206109 PMCID: PMC4788566
Kim, Juyeon and Linda J. Waite. 2016. “Complex Households and the Distribution of Multiple Resources in Later Life: Findings from a National Survey.” Research on Aging, 38(2): 150-77. DOI: 10.1177/0164027515581421 PMCID: PMC4890975
Chen, Jen-Hao, Linda J. Waite and Diane Lauderdale. 2015. “Marriage, Relationship Quality and Sleep among U.S. Older Adults.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 56:356-377. DOI: 10.1177/0022146515594631 PMCID: PMC4677485
Waite, Linda J. and Janet Xu. 2015. “Aging Policies for Traditional and Blended Families.” Public Policy & Aging Report, 25(3): 88-93. DOI: 10.1093/ppar/prv015.
Kotwal. Ashwin A., L. Philip Schumm, David W. Kern, Martha K. McClintock, Linda J. Waite, Joseph W. Shega, Megan J. Huisingh-Scheetz, and William Dale. 2014. “Evaluation of a brief survey instrument for assessing subtle differences in cognitive function among older adults.” Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders. Published Online Oct 2014. DOI: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000068 PMCID: PMC4789770
Liu, Hui and Linda J. Waite. 2014. “Bad Marriage, Broken Heart? Age and Gender Differences in the Link between Marital Quality and Cardiovascular Risks among Older Adults.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior: 55(4):403-423. DOI: 10.1177/0022146514556893 PMCID: PMC4325990
Luo, Ye and Linda J. Waite. 2014. “Loneliness and Mortality in China.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 69 (4): 633-645. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu007 PMCID: PMC4049147
Kim, Juyeon and Linda J. Waite. 2014. “Relationship Quality and Shared Activity in Marital and Cohabiting Dyads in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, Wave 2.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(Suppl 2): S64-S74. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu038 PMCID: PMC4303087
Galinsky, Adena, Martha K. McClintock, and Linda J. Waite. 2014. “Sexuality and Physical Contact in National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project Wave 2.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(Suppl 2):S83-S98. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu072 PMCID: PMC4303093
Iveniuk, James, Edward O. Laumann, Linda, J. Waite, Martha K. McClintock and Andrew Tiedt. 2014. “Personality measures in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(Suppl 2):S117-S124. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu073 PMCID: PMC4303096
Lauderdale, Diane S., L. Philip Schumm, Lianne M. Kurina, Martha K. McClintock, Ronald A. Thisted, Jen-Hao Chen and Linda Waite. 2014. “Assessment of Sleep in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 69(Suppl 2):S125-33. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu092 PMCID: PMC4303091
Vasilopoulos, Terrie, Ashwin Kotwal, Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, Linda Waite, Martha K. McClintock and William Dale. “Comorbidity and Chronic Conditions in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), Wave 2.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(Suppl 2): S154-65. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu025. PMCID: PMC4303089
Shega, Joseph W., Priya D. Sunkara, Ashwin Kotwal, David W. Kern, Sara L. Henning, Martha K. McClintock, L. Philip Schumm, Linda J. Waite and William Dale. “Measuring Cognition: The Chicago Cognitive Function Measure (CCFM) in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), Wave 2.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(Suppl 2): S166-76. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu106 PMCID: PMC4303105
Huisingh-Scheetz, Megan, Masha Kocherginsky, L. Philip Schumm, Michal Engelman, Martha McClintock, William Dale, Elizabeth Magett, Patricia Rush and Linda Waite. 2014. “Geriatric Syndromes and Functional Status in NSHAP: Rationale, Measurement, and Preliminary Findings.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(Suppl 2): S177-S190. DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbu091 PMCID: PMC4303102
Chen, Jen-Hao, Linda Waite, Lianne M. Kurina, Ronald A. Thisted, Martha McClintock, and Diane S. Lauderdale, 2014. “Insomnia Symptoms and Actigraph-Estimated Sleep Characteristics in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Adults” Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glu144. First published online: September 8, 2014. PMCID: PMC4366601
Galinsky, Adena and Linda J. Waite. 2014. “Sexual Activity and Psychological Health As Mediators of the Relationship Between Physical Health and Marital Quality.” Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 69: 482-492. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbt165 PMCID: PMC3983915
Iveniuk, James, Linda J. Waite, Edward O. Laumann, Martha McClintock, and Andrew Tiedt. 2014. "Marital Conflict in Older Couples: Positivity, Personality, and Health." Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(1): 130-144. PMCID: PMC4891625
York Cornwell, Erin and Linda J. Waite. 2012. “Social Network Resources and Management of Hypertension.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 53:215-231. DOI: 10.1177/0022146512446832 PMCID: PMC3727627
Luo, Ye, Louise Hawkley, Linda J. Waite, and John Cacioppo. 2012. “Loneliness, Health, and Mortality in Old Age: A National Longitudinal Study.” Social Science and Medicine. 74:907-917. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.028 PMCID: PMC3303190
Luo, Ye, Tracey A. LaPierre, Mary Elizabeth Hughes, and Linda J. Waite. 2012. “Grandparents Providing Care to Grandchildren: A Population-Based Study of Continuity and Change.” Journal of Family Issues. 33(9): 1143-67. DOI: 10.1177/0192513X12438685
Luo, Ye and Linda J. Waite. 2011. “Mistreatment and Psychological Well-Being among the Elderly: Exploring the Role of Psychosocial Resources and Deficits.” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 66B(2):217-229. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbg096 PMCID: PMC3041976
Waite, Linda J. and Aniruddha Das. 2010. “Families, Social Life and Well-Being at Older Ages.” Demography, 47(Supplement): S87-S109. DOI: 10.1353/dem.2010.0009
Lee, Yun Suk and Linda J. Waite. 2010. “How Appreciated do Wives Feel for the Housework They Do?” Social Science Quarterly, 91(2): 476-492. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00703.x
Waite, Linda J. and Alisa C. Lewin. 2010. “Religious Intermarriage and Conversion in the United States: Patterns and Changes over Time.” Pp. 148-163 in Ellison, C., and R. Hummer (Co-editors). Religion, Families, and Health in the United States: New Directions in Population-Based Research. New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press.
Hughes, Mary Elizabeth and Linda J. Waite. 2009. “Marital Biography and Health at Midlife.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50(3): 344-358. PMCID: PMC19711810.
Waite, Linda J. 2009. “The Changing Family and Aging Populations.” Population and Development Review, 35(2):341-346.
Cornwell, Erin York and Linda J. Waite. 2009. “Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation, and Health among Older Adults.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 50:31-48. PMCID: PMC2756979.
Waite, Linda J., Ye Luo, and Alisa Lewin. 2009. “Marital Happiness and Marital Stability: Consequences for Psychological Well-Being.” Social Science Research. 38:201-212.
Hawkley, Louise C., Mary Elizabeth Hughes, Linda J. Waite, Christopher M. Masi, Ronald A. Thisted, John T. Cacioppo. 2008. “From Social Structural Factors to Perceptions of Relationship Quality and Loneliness: The Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 63B (6):S375-S384. PMCID: PMC2769562.
Laumann, Edward O., Linda J. Waite, and Aniruddha Das. 2008. "Sexual Dysfunction among Older Adults: Prevalence and Risk Factors from a Nationally Representative U.S. Probability Sample of Men and Women 57 to 85 Years of Age." Journal of Sexual Medicine 5(10):2300-2312. PMCID: PMC2756968.
Laumann, Edward O., Sara Leitsch, and Linda J. Waite. 2008. “Elder Mistreatment in the U.S.: Prevalence Estimates from a Nationally-Representative Study.” Journals of Gerontology:Social Sciences. 63B(4):S248-S254. PMCID: PMC2756833.
Grants
“National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project: Baby Boom Cohort Wave 2.” Funded under grant No. R01 AG048511-06, National Institute on Aging, Linda Waite, Principal Investigator. Five Years, beginning August 5, 2019.Total costs $7,759,567.
“National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project: Wave 4.” Funded under grant No. R01 AG043538-06, National Institute on Aging, Linda Waite, Principal Investigator. Five Years, beginning July 3, 2018. Total costs $20,000,000.
“National Social Life, Health and Aging Project: Analysis of Wave 1 and Wave 2.” MERIT Award, funded under Grant No. R37 AG030481, National Institute on Aging, Linda Waite, Principal Investigator. Five Years, beginning June 1, 2013. No-Cost Extention October 1, 2020. Total costs with $3,384,602.
Professional Organizations/Honors
Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences Class III, Section 6 (Sociology, Demography and Geography) Membership Panel, 2019-20.
Distinguished Career Award, Section on the Family, American Sociological Association. Presented at the Meetings of the American Sociological Association, Family Section Reception, August 10, 2019.
Elected Member, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 2018.
Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award, Presented at the Meetings of the American Sociological Association, Section on Aging and the Life Course, August 12, 2018.
MERIT Award, Renewed, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 2013-2018, for the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.
Editorial Board, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2016-present.
Advisory Board Member, Faculty of Arts & Sciences Centre for Family and Population Research, National University of Singapore. 2015-present.
Jane Menken Lecture, University of Colorado, Boulder Colorado, Feb. 7, 2016.
Editorial Board, Journal of Marriage and the Family. 2014-2016.
Editorial Board, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 2013-2016.
Eugene Litwak Lecture, School of Public Health, Columbia University, March 25, 2015.
Elder Law Lecture, School of Law. Notre Dame University. March 26, 2015
Research Associate, Population Research Center, NORC/University of Chicago, 1991-2015.
Member, National Advisory Committee on Aging, Committee to Review the Division of Demographic and Behavioral Sciences, National Institute on Aging. 2013-2014.
P. K. Whelpton Lecturer, Miami University, October 7, 2013.
Matilda White Riley Award, Office of Behavioral and Social Research, National Institutes of Health, October 22, 2012.
MERIT Award, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 2008-2013, for the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.
Majorie Pay Hinkley Endowed Chair Lectureship, Brigham Young University, February, 2010.
National Science Foundation ADVANCE Distinguished Lecturer, Case-Western Reserve University, April, 2008.
Who’s Who in Economics, 4th Edition. Edward Elgar Press. 2003.
Recipient of the 2001 Impact Award from the Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education.
Recipient of the 2000 Outstanding Book Award from the Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education for The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Healthier, Happier, and Better Off Financially, Doubleday, 2000, with Maggie Gallagher.
Council, American Sociological Association, 1996-1999
President, Population Association of America, 1995
Recipient of the 1993 Duncan Award from the American Sociological Association for New Families, No Families? The Transformation of the American Home, University of California Press, 1991, with Frances Goldscheider
Sociological Research Association (by election)
