scholarly journals THE IMPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL SOCIAL INTERACTIONS FOR OLDER ADULTS’ EXPERIENCES OF WELL-BEING IN DAILY LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S15-S15
Author(s):  
Shannon T Mejia ◽  
Shelbie Turner ◽  
Karen Hooker
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Random Coefficient Models ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Personal Understanding

Abstract Digital communication technologies expand opportunities for social interactions and as a result have the potential to either amplify or dampen the coupling of social interactions with well-being in daily life. We use data from the 100-day Personal Understanding of Life and Social Experiences project (n = 99, age = 50 – 88) to examine variation in the sensitivity of older adults’ daily reports of well-being to the quality of social interactions with their five closest social partners across digital (email/social media) and analogue (in person/by phone) interactions. Digital interactions were more common among less-close social partners. Multilevel random coefficient models showed days with more digital interactions than normal to be characterized by a) lower well-being and b) less sensitivity in well-being to the quality of social interactions with close social partners on that day. The implications of our findings are discussed within a life-span perspective of social relationships and well-being.

Daily social interactions and well-being in older adults: The role of interaction modality

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birthe Macdonald ◽  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Gizem Hülür
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Face To Face

Associations between social relationships and well-being are widely documented across the lifespan, including in older age. Older adults increasingly use digital communication technologies. In the present study, we examine the role of social interactions for older adults’ daily well-being with a focus on three interaction modalities (face-to-face, telephone, and digital). Specifically, we examine (a) whether people who are more socially active than others report higher levels of well-being and (b) how day-to-day fluctuations in the number of social interactions are associated with day-to-day fluctuations of well-being, separately by interaction modality. We use data from 115 participants (age: M = 72 years, SD = 5, range = 65–94; 40% women), who documented their social interactions over 21 days and reported their well-being each evening (including positive affect, negative affect, and loneliness). Taken together, our findings show that frequency of face-to-face interactions is more consistently related to well-being than telephone or digital interactions. At the between-person level, those who report more face-to-face social interactions than others across 21 days report higher levels of positive affect than others. At the within-person level, on days where participants report more face-to-face social interactions than their own average, they report higher positive affect, lower negative affect, and lower loneliness than usual. In addition, a higher number of digital interactions is associated with lower negative affect at the between-person level. In summary, our findings suggest that face-to-face social interactions are uniquely relevant to older adults’ daily well-being. We discuss implications of these findings for future research.

scholarly journals Is Well-Being Associated with the Quantity and Quality of Social Interactions?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Sun ◽  
Kelci Harris ◽  
Simine Vazire
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Method Evidence ◽  
The Moment

Social relationships are often touted as critical for well-being. However, the vast majority of studies on social relationships have relied on self-report measures of both social interactions and well-being, which makes it difficult to disentangle true associations from shared method variance. To address this gap, we assessed the quantity and quality of social interactions using both self-report and observer-based measures in everyday life. Participants (N = 256, 3,206 observations) wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), an unobtrusive audio recorder, and completed experience sampling method (ESM) self-reports of their momentary social interactions, happiness, and feelings of social connectedness, four times each day for one week. Observers rated the quantity and quality of participants’ social interactions based on the EAR recordings from the same time points. Quantity of social interactions was robustly associated with greater well-being in the moment and on average, whether they were measured with self-reports or observer reports. Conversational (conversational depth and self-disclosure) and relational (knowing and liking one’s interaction partners) aspects of social interaction quality were also generally associated with greater well-being, but the effects were larger and more consistent for self-reported (vs. observer-reported) quality variables, within-person (vs. between-person) associations, and for predicting social connectedness (vs. happiness). Finally, although most associations were similar for introverts and extraverts, our exploratory results suggest that introverts may experience greater boosts in social connectedness, relative to extraverts, when engaging in deeper conversations. This study provides compelling multi-method evidence supporting the link between more frequent and deeper social interactions and well-being.

scholarly journals Daily Social Interactions and Well-Being in Older Adults: The Role of Interaction Modality

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 581-581
Author(s):  
Birthe Macdonald ◽  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Gizem Hueluer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Face To Face

Abstract Older adults increasingly use digital communication technologies to stay connected to others. In the present study, we examine the role of social interactions for older adults’ daily well-being focusing on three interaction modalities (face-to-face, telephone, and digital). We use data from 116 participants (age: M = 72 years, SD = 5, range = 65 to 94; 41% women), who reported on their social interactions and well-being over 21 days. Our findings show that frequency of face-to-face interactions is more consistently related to well-being than telephone or digital interactions. On days where participants report more face-to-face social interactions than their own average, they report higher positive affect and lower loneliness than usual. Similar effects are not found for telephone or digital interactions. In summary, our findings suggest that face-to-face social interactions are uniquely relevant to older adults’ daily well-being. We discuss implications of these findings for future research.

scholarly journals Daily Cognitive Difficulties and Social Experiences Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 697-697
Author(s):  
Ruixue Zhaoyang ◽  
Jacqueline Mogle ◽  
Karra Harrington ◽  
Martin Sliwinski
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cognitive Difficulties

Abstract Self-reported cognitive difficulties are common in older adults and may be an early indicator of future cognitive decline or dementia. In past retrospective reports, cognitive difficulties have been linked with differences in social engagement or social relationships among older adults. However, little is known about how self-reported cognitive difficulties in daily life, such as memory lapses, relate to older adults’ daily social experiences. This study examined how self-reported cognitive difficulties were related to older adults’ daily social interactions and loneliness. Data were drawn from 312 community-dwelling older adults (aged 70 to 90 years) who reported their social interactions and loneliness throughout the day (five times) as well as cognitive difficulties (e.g., memory lapses, problems with attention) at the end of each day for 14 days. Multilevel models revealed that participants reported fewer memory lapses on days when they reported more frequent interactions with family members (p=.041). Higher levels of disruptions to daily activities caused by cognitive difficulties, in turn, predicted higher levels of loneliness the next day (p=.006), but not changes in social interactions the next day. At the between-person level, more memory lapses in daily life were associated with less frequent social interactions with friends, but more frequent unpleasant social interactions and higher levels of loneliness on average. These results suggest that older adults’ self-reported cognitive difficulties were dynamically associated with their social interactions and loneliness at the daily level and played an important role in older adults’ social life and well-being.

scholarly journals Relationship Status, Social Interactions, and Conversations in Late Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 414-414
Author(s):  
Yee To Ng ◽  
Meng Huo ◽  
Shiyang Zhang ◽  
Karen Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
Never Married ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Social Encounters ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Abstract Studies suggest spending more time interacting with and talking to others is associated with better well-being. Older adults with partners (e.g., married, cohabitated) may spend more time with their romantic partners and rely on them for support, whereas older adults without partners (e.g., widowed, divorced, never married) may have a greater reliance on other family members (e.g., grown children, siblings) and non-kin (e.g., friends). Yet, we know little about how older adults’ relationship status affects their time spending alone or with other social partners, and the frequency of conversation throughout the day. Adults aged 65+ (N = 313) completed an interview about their relationship status and social partners. They then reported social encounters in ecological momentary assessments every 3 hours for 5 to 6 days. Participants also wore Electronically Activated Recorders which captured snippets of their conversation throughout the day. Older adults with partners reported 85% of time was with their romantic partners. Multilevel models revealed that compared to older adults with partners, older adults without partners were more likely to spend time alone and have encounters with friends throughout the day. Older adults without partners also engaged in fewer conversations throughout the day. Further, older adults without partners talked significantly more when they encountered friends than did older adults with partners. Findings suggest that friends are important in older adults’ social networks particularly for those who do not have romantic partners. Daily contact with social partners facilitates conversations and that could have implications for emotional or cognitive health.

scholarly journals Spiritual well-being and quality of life of older adults in hemodialysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calíope Pilger ◽  
Renata Ohana Pereira dos Santos ◽  
Maicon Henrique Lentsck ◽  
Sueli Marques ◽  
Luciana Kusumota
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the relationship between spiritual well-being, sociodemographic, economic, religious, and health variables and the quality of life of older adults undergoing hemodialysis. Method: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study conducted with 169 older adults undergoing hemodialysis. The researchers conducted interviews to collect sociodemographic, economic, religious, and health data and applied the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the WHO quality of life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD). Results: Most of the older adults attained a moderate level of total spiritual well-being (SWB). In terms of QOL, the psychological domain (66.8; sd=13.9) and social relationships domain (66.8; sd=15.1) presented the highest mean scores. The WHOQOL-BREF domains were positively correlated with the SWB scale, with statistical significance among all domains and subscales except the environmental domain. Conclusion: The QOL of older adults was associated with the construct of SWB, either positively or negatively.

scholarly journals Three Strategies for Describing Social Interactions of Adolescents in a Multicultural Environment—Indicators for the Quality of Life Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8166
Author(s):  
Alicja Szerląg ◽  
Arkadiusz Urbanek ◽  
Kamila Gandecka
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Multicultural Environment ◽  
Multicultural Community ◽  
The Social

Background: The analysis has involved social interactions in a multicultural environment. The social context has been defined by the Vilnius region (Lithuania), where national, religious, and cultural differences exist across generations (multicultural community). The space of “social relationships”, as one of the modules of the WHO quality of life assessment, has been studied. An innovation of the research has been related to the analysis of the phenomenon of community of nationalities and cultures as a predictor of quality of life (QoL). The social motive of the research has been the historical continuity (for centuries) of the construction of the Vilnius cultural borderland. Here, the local community evolves from a group of many cultures to an intercultural community. Interpreting the data, therefore, requires a long perspective (a few generations) to understand the quality of relationships. We see social interactions and strategies for building them as a potential for social QoL in multicultural environments. Methods: The research has been conducted on a sample of 374 respondents, including Poles (172), Lithuanians (133), and Russians (69). A diagnostic poll has been used. The respondents were adolescents (15–16 years). The research answers the question: What variables form the interaction strategies of adolescents in a multicultural environment? The findings relate to interpreting the social interactions of adolescents within the boundaries of their living environment. The description of the social relations of adolescents provides an opportunity to implement the findings for further research on QoL. Results: An innovative outcome of the research is the analysis of 3 interaction strategies (attachment to national identification, intercultural dialogue, and multicultural community building) as a background for interpreting QoL in a multicultural environment. Their understanding is a useful knowledge for QoL researchers. The data analysis has taken into account cultural and generational (historical) sensitivities. Therefore, the team studying the data has consisted of researchers and residents of the Vilnius region. We used the interaction strategies of adolescents to describe the category of “social relationships” in nationally and culturally diverse settings.

scholarly journals The effect of exercise on quality of life and activities of daily life in frail older adults: A systematic review of randomised control trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 111287
Author(s):  
Evan Campbell ◽  
Fanny Petermann-Rocha ◽  
Paul Welsh ◽  
Carlos Celis-Morales ◽  
Jill P. Pell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Frail Older Adults ◽  
Activities Of Daily Life ◽  
Randomised Control Trials

scholarly journals Supporting Caregivers of Older Adults Through Education in Mindful Gratitude Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 16-16
Author(s):  
Sungsim Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Won Buddhism ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This presentation describes a supportive mindfulness practice for caregivers of older adults based on the principles of Won Buddhism (an integrative, a modernized Buddhism). As the aging population grows, there is a significant increase in recognition of the negative impact of caregiver stress on older adults’ quality of life. The ability for caregivers to deal compassionately with stress is essential, as caring for older adults can awaken feelings about one’s own vulnerability and mortality. The ‘Mindful Gratitude Practice’ offers a way to cope with stress, cultivate self-care, and improve the care of others. Relevant research will be summarized, which shows mindfulness and gratitude practice respectively benefit positive influence in both physical and emotional well-being. Mindful Gratitude Practice as a spiritual approach that fosters caregivers' emotional stability, reduces their stress and improves the relationship between older adults and their caregivers. In this presentation, three processes of Mindful Gratitude Practice will be described: 1. Understanding a mindfulness practice by establishing intention, attention, and attitude, 2. Learning the principles of a gratitude practice and implementation, and 3. Incorporating mindfulness into a gratitude practice. Research results have demonstrated that through this learning process, caregivers have acquired the concept of interconnectedness, experience grateful moments, and a deep feeling of appreciation in their caregiving relationships. The presenter will guide participants in a short experience of Mindfulness Gratitude Practice. Further readings and resources will be provided for those who are interested.

scholarly journals Identification of Research Trends in Aging in Place Using Text Mining Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 50-50
Author(s):  
Ha Neul Kim ◽  
Seok In Nam
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Aging In Place ◽  
Research Trends ◽  
Life Activity ◽  
Daily Life Activity

Abstract Since 1980s professionals and social service providers have focused on aging at the place where people lived. This is the initial concept of the Aging in Place (AIP). Over 40 years, the topics have developed and extended to other disciplines welcoming different perspectives in the study of AIP. Therefore, this study aims to understand the overall research trends in Aging in Place (AIP) studies using text mining analysis to track the evolvement of AIP subtopics not only in Gerontology but also in various fields. To identify the topic trends, we collected the titles, abstracts, and keywords from 1,372 international articles that were published from 1981 to 2019. Then, keywords were extracted and cleaned based on precedent literature and discussions. We analyzed the keywords based on the degree of centrality and visualized the keyword-networks using VOSviewer and Pajek. Top-most popular keywords are “independent living”, “housing”, “older adults”, “home care”, “daily life activity” and “quality of life.” The change in topic trends shows that in the 1980s to early-2000s, research focused on organization and management level of intervention, home(housing) for the older adults, long term care. In the mid-2010s, health-related topics such as daily life activity, health service, health care delivery and quality of life have emerged. Recently, the topics have extended further to technology, caregiver, well-being, and environment design, environmental planning that support independent living of oneself. The research result shows that the interdisciplinary approach regarding AIP is not only inevitable but also encouraged for an in-depth discussion of the field.

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