scholarly journals DOES MOVING LATER IN LIFE INFLUENCE IN-PERSON CONTACT WITH CHILDREN, FAMILY, AND FRIENDS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S177-S177
Author(s):  
Joonyoung Cho ◽  
Jacqui Smith
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Geographic Mobility ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Linear Regressions ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Relocation is common in later life and older adults differ the distance they move. One possible consequence of relocation is that in-person contact frequency with social network members changes. To date, relatively little is known about how older adults’ in-person contact frequency with their children, family members, and friends is influenced by the distance they move and if this differs by age group (50-64, 65-74, 75+). To examine this, we used information from the Health and Retirement Study about geographic mobility and social network contact frequency. The sample was restricted to respondents over age 50 in the 2006 wave with data on contact frequency with children, family members, and friends in 2006 and 2014 (N=5159). Distance moved from 2006 to 2014 was categorized as: stayer, <5 miles, 5–49.9 miles, and ≥50 miles. Linear regressions with covariates controlled revealed that moving ≥50 miles was significantly associated with less frequent in-person contact with family members (β=-0.31, 95%CI [- 0.46, -0.16], p≤0.001) and friends (β =-0.32, 95%CI [-0.46, -0.18], p≤0.001). Interestingly, the 50-64 group who moved ≥50 miles was less likely to meet up with their children (β=-.0.36, 95%CI [-0.56, -0.15], p≤0.001), family members (β=-0.31, 95%CI [-0.52, -0.11], p≤0.01) and friends (β=-0.21, 95%CI [-0.39, -0.03], p ≤ 0.05). In contrast, the 75+ group who moved ≥50 miles were significantly less likely to have in-person frequency only with their friends (β=-0.58, 95%CI [-1.04, -0.14], p≤0.05). These findings are discussed in relation to theories about social support and emotional well-being in old age.

scholarly journals EXPANDING SOCIAL TIES AS A GOAL IN LATER LIFE: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S175-S175
Author(s):  
Danielle Oleskiewicz ◽  
Karen Rook
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Provision ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Network Composition

Abstract Older adults often winnow their social ties to focus on emotionally rewarding ties (Charles & Carstensen, 2010). Some older adults, however, have small social networks that preclude much winnowing or aversive social ties from which disengagement is difficult. These individuals might be motivated to expand, rather than contract, their social ties. The current study sought to extend knowledge regarding potential links between social network characteristics and older adults’ interest, effort, and success in creating new social ties. We expected that small social networks and negative social ties might motivate interest and effort directed toward forming new social ties but that positive social ties might foster success in efforts to form new ties. In-person interviews were conducted with participants (N = 351, Mean age = 74.16) in a larger study of older adults’ social networks and well-being. The interviews assessed participants’ social networks, as well as their interest, effort, and success in making new social ties. Participants’ social network composition, rather than size, was associated with greater motivation to establish new social ties. Negative social ties were associated with greater interest and effort directed toward forming new social ties. Positive social ties were related to greater success (due, in part, to their support provision) and, unexpectedly, were also related to greater interest and effort directed toward forming new ties. Older adults sometimes seek to expand, rather than contract, their social ties, and characteristics of their social networks appear to play a role in fueling and influencing the success of such efforts.

Daily social media use, social ties, and emotional well-being in later life

2022 ◽  
pp. 026540752110672
Author(s):  
Yijung K Kim ◽  
Karen L Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Social Network Structure ◽  
Social Encounters

Older American adults are increasingly utilizing communication technologies, but research has seldom explored older adults’ daily social media use and its interface with other “offline” social ties. To explore a complementary and/or compensatory function of social media in later life, this study employed data from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study (2016–2017) to examine associations between daily social media use, daily social encounters, social network structure, and daily mood. Community-dwelling older adults ( N = 310; Mage = 73.96) reported on their overall social network structure (diversity in types of social ties and size of network), their daily social encounters in-person and by phone, social media use, and emotional well-being for 5 to 6 days. Multilevel models revealed that daily social media use was associated with daily mood in the context of daily social encounters and the size of the social network. Individuals reported less negative mood on days with more social media use and more in-person encounters. More daily social media use was associated with more positive mood for individuals with a relatively small social network but not for their counterparts with larger social networks. Findings suggest that social media is a distinct form of social resource in later life that may complement the emotional benefits of daily social encounters and compensate for the age-related reduction in social network size. Future research should consider how socially isolated older adults might use computer-mediated communication such as social media to foster a sense of social connection.

scholarly journals Daily Social Media Use, Social Ties, and Emotional Well-Being in Later Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 301-302
Author(s):  
Karen Fingerman ◽  
Yijung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Media Use

Abstract Research has seldom explored older adults’ daily social media use and its interface with ‘offline’ social ties. Using data from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study (N = 310; Mage = 73.96), we investigated whether more daily social media use was associated with the same-day negative or positive mood in later life, and how these associations varied with older adults’ daily social encounters and social network structure. More daily social media use was associated with less same-day negative mood. Additionally, more daily social media use was associated with less negative mood on days with more in-person encounters, compared to the days with fewer in-person encounters. More daily social media use was also associated with more positive mood for individuals with a relatively small social network, but not for their counterparts. Post-hoc analyses supported a compensatory function of social media for those older adults lacking social connections in their daily lives.

scholarly journals EMPOWERING VULNERABLE GROUPS IN LATER LIFE: FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF ACTIVITIES, SOCIAL NETWORK, AND ROUND-THE-CLOCK CARE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S577-S577
Author(s):  
An-Sofie Smetcoren ◽  
G A Rixt Zijlstra
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Ageing In Place ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
Aging Populations

Abstract Europe has been challenged with an intense rise of aging populations facing for example multiple chronic health problems, functional limitations and social and psychological challenges. With increasing age people may become vulnerable, nevertheless, they can still report high levels of well-being despite their deficits. Older adults’ strengths and resources can balance negative experiences and increase positive well-being outcomes. These resources can be personal (e.g. have sufficient income) or stemming from the social environment of the older person (e.g. an involved social network). Hence, this symposium focusses on these strengths and resources and how they might (positively) affect the well-being of vulnerable groups ageing in place. The main objective of the symposium is to give insights into different aspects and strategies that can protect older adults against negative outcomes. Four different studies from Belgium will be presented: Sarah Dury starts with explaining the potential buffering predictor of leisure and civic activities, by uncovering the mechanisms underlying the relationship between multidimensional frailty and well-being. Lise Switsers examines if the absence of social and emotional loneliness can act as a buffer to maintain a good well-being for older adults at risk of frailty. An-Sofie Smetcoren examines how ‘living in solidarity’ in a co-housing project can contribute to ageing in place. Finally, Sylvia Hoens explores the experiences of the older care users and their informal caregivers with live-in migrant care workers and examines how this care can increase their well-being.

scholarly journals ACTIVITY SELECTION AND ENGAGEMENT IN OLD AGE: MOTIVATIONAL AND GOAL-BASED INFLUENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S811-S812
Author(s):  
Thomas M Hess ◽  
Christopher Hertzog
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Subjective Perceptions ◽  
Aging Attitudes ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Research from a variety of perspectives has emphasized the central role played by activity in supporting a variety of positive outcomes in later life. For example, participation in activities that place demands on personal resources has been shown to be beneficial in promoting brain, cognitive, and physical health. From another perspective, older adults may also engage in certain activities to promote specific outcomes (e.g., emotional) in service of psychological well-being. Such findings highlight the adaptive significance of activity selection and engagement processes. Using a variety of approaches, the presentations in this symposium focus specifically on goal-based and motivational factors that may facilitate or impede such processes. Moored and colleagues examine adaptive characteristics—including motivational ones—of individuals whose activity patterns are protective against dementia. Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, Lothary and colleagues explore the degree to which intrinsic motivation to engage cognitive resources mediates the effect of personal resources (e.g., physical and emotional health) on participation in challenging everyday activities. Growney and colleagues present research demonstrating that subjective perceptions of difficulty affect decisions to engage in challenging activities, but that such perceptions may reflect biases associated with negative aging attitudes as opposed to actual effort expenditure. Finally, Lind and Isaacowitz examine selection associated with affective aspects of the activities, finding that both middle-aged and older adults exhibited similar biases toward positive activities in congruence with emotion-regulation goals, though age differences were observed in non-affective aspects of the activities. The discussion by Hertzog will highlight common themes.

scholarly journals Volunteering and Friendship in Later Life: Does Gender Moderate the Relationship?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 416-416
Author(s):  
Emily Lim ◽  
Changmin Peng ◽  
Jeffrey Burr
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Friendship Quality ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Contact Frequency

Abstract Friendship, which is an essential part of social life and beneficial to individuals’ well-being, plays a crucial role in maintaining social connectedness in late life. Volunteering is an avenue for older adults to stay socially engaged, and also provides older adults the opportunity to meet and make new friends. A limited literature suggests that volunteering may be associated with friendship, but many studies are limited by reliance on small, non-probability samples and overly simplistic analytic approaches. The literature is also unclear with respect to how volunteering behaviors relate to specific characteristics of friendships and whether there are gender differences underlying these relationships. Using the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,306), this study investigates the association between volunteering characteristics (i.e., volunteer status and hours) and friendship characteristics (i.e., the number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency) among community-dwelling older adults. We also examine whether gender moderated these relationships. Results from linear regression analyses indicate that volunteer status and the number of volunteer hours were positively associated with each dimension of friendship. Also, the positive association between volunteering at 1–99 hours, 100–199 hours, and 200 hours or more and number of close friends, friendship quality, and contact frequency were stronger for older women than for older men. Findings demonstrated that volunteering is integral in shaping late-life friendships. The differential benefits of volunteering between older men and women also suggest that volunteering might be more critical for older women’s friendships.

Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽  
Tihana Brkljačić ◽  
Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽  
Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽  
Renata Franc
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

scholarly journals Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-481
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p<0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p<0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p<0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p<0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.

scholarly journals Reframing Aging: Penn’s Village Members Thrive While Aging in Place

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 199-200
Author(s):  
Lois Evans ◽  
Jane Eleey ◽  
Avalie Saperstein
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Age In Place ◽  
Social Events ◽  
Affinity Groups ◽  
It Support ◽  
Center City ◽  
Survey Responses

Abstract Villages help older neighbors age-in-place as they manage their environments, take advantage of opportunities for social and civic engagement, and improve or maintain health and well-being. National surveys repeatedly indicate that older adults prefer community living as long as possible. But communities change, and post-retirement living may require rebuilding social connections with old and new neighbors. Fortunately, today’s retirees bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to later life which they are happy to share. Drawing on the talents and career experiences of older adults in Center City, Philadelphia, Penn’s Village (PV) was created in 2007 to address the needs and wishes of neighbors wanting to stay in their own homes as they aged. A member of the Village-to-Village Network, PV (a 501c3) has itself matured through board development, strategic planning, and member engagement. In reframing aging in Center City, PV currently offers its over 300 members and volunteers an array of educational and recreational programs (e.g., talks, affinity groups, social events and outings); services (including transportation, home repairs, IT support, companionship, accompaniment to medical appointments), and opportunities to use their personal knowledge and skills to help their neighbors-- as drivers, companions, volunteer staff and co-chairs/members of committees (e.g., Board of Directors, Program, Welcoming, Marketing & Communications, Finance, Fundraising). In FY2019, volunteers provided nearly 1200 services to PV members. Our most recent survey responses indicate that 82% of volunteers found their work highly meaningful and 79% of those who received services believed their quality of life was greatly improved.

scholarly journals Agency and communion attributes in adults’ spontaneous self-representations

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Diehl ◽  
Stephanie K. Owen ◽  
Lise M. Youngblade
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Defence Mechanisms ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Agency And Communion ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
Group Self ◽  
Age And Sex

This study investigated agency and communion attributes in adults’ spontaneous self-representations. The study sample consisted of 158 adults (80 men, 78 women) ranging in age from 20 to 88 years. Consistent with theorising, significant age and sex differences were found in terms of the number of agency and communion attributes. Young and middle-aged adults included significantly more agency attributes in their self-representations than older adults; men listed significantly more agency attributes than women. In contrast, older adults included significantly more communion attributes in their self-representations than young adults, and women listed significantly more communion attributes than men. Significant Age Group × Self-Portrait Display and Sex × Self-Portrait Display interactions were found for communion attributes, indicating that the importance of communion attributes differed across age groups and by sex. Correlational analyses showed significant associations of agency and communion attributes with personality traits and defence mechanisms. Communion attributes also showed significant correlations with four dimensions of psychological well-being.

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