Previous studies have yielded mixed results regarding the development of generativity during adulthood. Longitudinal data were utilized to investigate the average development of generativity between the ages of 42 and 61 as well as individual differences in terms of its development. The study used data from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS) (initial N = 369). The data consisted of 291 individuals whose generativity scores, measured using the Generativity Scale, were available at age 42, 50, or 61. Rasch analysis was utilized to form a generativity measure. The development of generativity between the measurements was investigated in women and men using Bland–Altman plots and the latent change score model. The results showed that, on average, generativity decreased from age 42 to 61 in women and men; however, there were individual differences in the extent and direction of the change with age. The level of generativity at age 42 predicted the change occurring between ages 42 and 50 and ages 50 and 61. Furthermore, the change between ages 42 and 50 predicted the change occurring between ages 50 and 61. The more positive the baseline value or the earlier occurring change, the more negative the subsequent change. To conclude, despite the mean-level generativity decreases during middle and late adulthood, there was variance across individuals of the same age, who were followed for nearly two decades. The study emphasizes the importance of investigating individual differences in the development of generativity in adulthood.

以前的研究对成年期生殖能力的发展产生了不同的结果。纵向数据被用来调查 42 至 61 岁之间生殖力的平均发展以及其发展方面的个体差异。该研究使用的数据来自于韦斯屈莱人格与社会发展纵向研究 (JYLS)（首字母N = 369）。数据由 291 个人组成，他们的生成分数（使用生成量表测量）可在 42、50 或 61 岁时获得。Rasch 分析用于形成生成度量。使用 Bland-Altman 图和潜在变化评分模型在女性和男性中研究了测量之间生成性的发展。结果表明，平均而言，女性和男性的生育能力从 42 岁下降到 61 岁；然而，随年龄变化的程度和方向存在个体差异。42 岁时的生育能力水平预测了 42 至 50 岁和 50 至 61 岁之间发生的变化。此外，42 至 50 岁之间的变化预测了 50 至 61 岁之间发生的变化。基线值越正或越早发生变化，随后的变化越消极。总而言之，尽管平均生育能力在成年中期和晚期有所下降，但同龄个体之间存在差异，这些个体被追踪了近二十年。该研究强调了调查个体差异在成年期生育能力发展中的重要性。