Social support and well-being among older adult married couples: A dyadic perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1073-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley E. Ermer ◽  
Christine M. Proulx
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Friend Support ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
National Probability Sample

The present study takes a dyadic approach to examine how social connectedness (i.e., neighborhood support, family and friend support, and social network characteristics) is associated with husbands’ and wives’ well-being during older adulthood. Participants included married couples ( N = 832) from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a national probability sample of older adults aged 57 and older. Using a series of actor–partner interdependence models, we found that wives’ and husbands’ closeness with their own social network, family support, and neighborhood social ties were all significantly associated with emotional well-being, and closeness to one’s social network was associated with self-rated health. Friend support was associated with emotional well-being only for women, while family support was associated with self-rated health for men only. Four partner effects emerged, with husbands’ friendship support being positively associated with wives’ self-rated health, husbands’ greater talk frequency with his social network being associated with wives’ lower emotional well-being, wives’ greater talk frequency with her social network being associated with husbands’ lower self-rated health, and wives’ closeness to their social network being positively associated with husbands’ self-rated health. The present study has implications for programming and the role of social connectedness beyond marriage.

Associations Between Social Connectedness, Emotional Well-Being, and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults: Difference by Relationship Status

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 336-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley E. Ermer ◽  
Christine M. Proulx
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
Friend Support ◽  
Self Rated Health

The present study investigates the association between social connectedness (i.e., social network characteristics, family and friend support, and social ties with neighbors), emotional well-being, and self-rated health and whether these associations differ based on respondents’ relationship status among adults aged 62 and older. A series of multigroup generalized structural equation models (GSEMs) were conducted using data from the National Social, Health, and Aging Project. Social connectedness items were mostly positively associated with emotional well-being and self-rated health, and several of these associations are stronger for older adults who are unpartnered versus those who are cohabiting or married. Cohabiting and married individuals do not appear to have the same associations between social network size, friend support, and emotional well-being compared to unpartnered older adults. The present study lends support for how a variety of social supports are vital for older adults and their well-being.

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.

scholarly journals EMOTIONS AND WELL-BEING IN LATER LIFE CHILDHOOD HAPPINESS, SELF-MASTERY, AND LATER-LIFE HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S576-S576
Author(s):  
Haena Lee ◽  
Markus H Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Self Rated Health

Abstract Considerable work has documented that positive childhood memories, especially childhood happiness, predict better health among young adults. However, it is not known whether growing up happy has enduring health consequences across the life course. Using two waves of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (2010-2011 and 2015-2016; N = 1,937), we investigate the relationship between childhood happiness and changes in physical, mental, and biological functioning in later life. Childhood happiness was retrospectively assessed using a question: “When I was growing up, my family life was always happy.” Self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and frailty over a five-year period were examined to reflect changes in functional status. Childhood SES and living arrangement were examined to assess childhood sociodemographic background. Educational attainment, family support and strain, and self-mastery were considered as potential mediators. We find that, among other childhood factors, childhood happiness significantly predicts older adult health. Specifically, childhood happiness was associated with better self-rated health and lower depressive symptoms at follow-up, net of baseline health conditions. We did not find a relationship between frailty and childhood happiness. Unlike prior work, we found no significant effect of childhood SES on the measured outcomes. Associations between childhood happiness and self-rated health and depression were mediated by psychosocial resources including self-mastery and perceived social support from family members. This implies that growing up in nurturing, cherished family environment has the potential to cultivate social relationships and build resilience which could provide an important pathway to successful aging.

scholarly journals TYPES OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH MOBILITY AND DISABILITY IN LATE LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S178-S179
Author(s):  
Talha Ali ◽  
Michael Elliott ◽  
Toni C Antonucci ◽  
Belinda Needham ◽  
Jonathan Zelner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Primary Analysis ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Representative Study

Abstract Social networks are critical in maintaining late-life functional health, but, previous studies have focused on isolated dimensions of social networks. We examined whether network types, representing multiple interrelated network characteristics, are associated with mobility and disability among older adults in America. Data are from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a nationally representative study of 3,005 adults aged 57-85 years at baseline (2005-2006). In a previous analysis, five social network types were derived at baseline, based on nine observed network characteristics. Functional outcomes were examined during two follow-up waves in 2010-2011 and 2015-2016. Mobility-related function was assessed as the time (in seconds) to complete a 6-meter walk. Disability was defined as experiencing any difficulty in performing one of six activities of daily living (ADLs). We estimated the effect of network types on risk of ADL disability onset using logistic regression, and on mobility using generalized linear mixed models. Social network type was associated with mobility over time, such that older adults in the “restricted” network had significantly slower walking times than those in the “diverse” network. There was no association between network types and risk of disability onset in the primary analysis. However, sensitivity analyses showed a protective effect of the “partner-centered” network on a 5-year, but not a 10-year, risk of disability onset. Network types can elucidate older adults’ varied interpersonal and caregiving networks, and identify adults at risk of being socially isolated. However, the utility of network types in predicting late-life functional health may be limited.

Informal Caregiving and Social Capital: A Social Network Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 272-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Network Change ◽  
Bonding Capital

A large literature emphasizes the importance of social relationships during the caregiving process. Yet these issues are seldom presented in a social network framework that examines the structure of caregivers’ personal networks. In this study, I examine how older caregivers experience changes in personal network structure. Using two waves from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, I investigate whether caregivers are more or less likely to exhibit bridging or bonding capital potential compared to noncaregivers. I find that older adults transitioning into caregiving are more likely to develop the ability to bridge social ties within their personal networks than noncaregivers despite potential constraints in their personal freedom. Caregivers in the latter stages, meanwhile, do not differ from noncaregivers in terms of network change. These findings have implications for older adults’ potential to pool resources across social domains as well as negotiate stress and well-being during the caregiving process.

scholarly journals Are Positive Childhood Experiences Linked to Better Cognitive Functioning in Later Life?: Examining the Role of Life Course Pathways

2020 ◽  
pp. 089826432097254
Author(s):  
Haena Lee ◽  
Markus Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Family Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Happy Family

Objectives: We examine whether childhood family well-being is associated with cognitive functioning and to what extent the association between the family context and cognitive functioning is explained by adulthood resources. Methods: Data are drawn from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project Wave 3 (2015/2016; N = 3361). We measured cognitive functioning using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Childhood family factors included family-life happiness, family structure, and family socioeconomic status. Education, social connectedness, self-mastery, and self-rated health were assessed as adulthood resources. Results: Respondents who grew up in a happy family had significantly higher levels of cognitive functioning. The formal mediation test suggests that a happy family life during childhood has a positive association with later cognition, in part, by enhancing self-mastery in adulthood. Discussion: Our findings provide evidence that positive childhood experiences are linked to later life cognition. The sense of control people have over their life circumstances is one potential pathway explaining this association.

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