scholarly journals Exploring the relationship between loneliness and social cognition in older age

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Jane Ferguson ◽  
Martina De Lillo ◽  
Andrew Martin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Social Abilities ◽  
The Relationship

Understanding others is a key component of successful social interactions, and declines in social abilities during later life can lead to social isolation and loneliness. We investigated the relationship between different sub-components of social cognition and loneliness in a large sample of older adults. We tested perspective-taking and mentalizing skills, alongside self-reported loneliness and social functioning. Results revealed a significant effect of loneliness on older adults’ ability to resist egocentric interference when taking others’ perspectives. However, this effect was eliminated when age was added to models, which suggests that egocentric tendencies increase with age, and people experience increasing levels of loneliness and feelings of social isolation with increasing age. Mentalizing and interference from others’ perspectives were not influenced by loneliness or age.

Life course approach to understanding inequalities in health in later life

2017 ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Bell ◽  
Michael Marmot
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Inequalities In Health ◽  
Biological Ageing ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
The Life Course

A long and healthy life is universally valued. The starkest inequalities in later life are how many years of life remain at an older age such as 65 years, and how many years of life that remain free from disabilities that impede physical, cognitive, and social functioning to the extent that they limit the sense of valuing one’s life. In this chapter we apply the frame of social determinants of health, using the life course approach to understand inequalities in health in later life. Healthy ageing is patterned by degrees of social advantage. Biological ageing, as revealed by physical and cognitive changes, is slower in people in better socioeconomic circumstances. These inequalities in health in later life need to be understood in terms of current social, economic, environmental conditions of living, as well as previous experiences and living conditions across the life course that affect the biological processes of ageing.

scholarly journals THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD DANGER ON OLDER ADULTS’ FUNCTIONAL STATUS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S529-S530
Author(s):  
Ilana J Engel ◽  
Tamara A Baker
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Functional Status ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Perceived Social Isolation ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Social isolation is often associated with smaller social networks, bereavement, and chronic health problems. In addition, underserved neighborhoods, without the resources and social support of other areas, may further promote social isolation among older adults. This study utilized data from the 2nd wave of the nationally representative National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) to examine if perceived neighborhood danger mediates the relationship between social isolation and functional impairment. We hypothesized that those who are less socially connected and feel less safe in their communities may experience worse health outcomes. Data for the total sample (N=1,804; 62-91 years of age) showed that partial mediation was supported, (F 2, 1801 = 22.91, p<0.01). Similar statistics were found by gender (men, F 2, 985 = 8.20, p<0.01; women, F 2, 813 = 14.79, p<0.01). This relationship, however, showed a stronger association among women (β = -.39, p<.01) than men (β = -.26, p<.05). Findings indicate that the relationship between perceived social isolation and impaired functional status may be partially explained by perceived neighborhood danger. These findings suggest that older adults who perceive their neighborhoods as dangerous, may be more socially isolated, and at risk for functional decline. These results support the Reserve Capacity Model, which posits that social resources are of increased importance for socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Additional research is needed to examine how such factors as stress, environment, and access to care contribute to our understanding of health outcomes among this population of adults.

Negative Interaction and Body Weight in Later Life

1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Krause ◽  
Estina Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Negative Interaction ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
The Relationship

This study assesses the relationship between negative interaction and body mass index values among older adults. Throughout, an emphasis is placed on probing for individual differences in response to unpleasant encounters with significant others. Individual variations in personality (introversion-extraversion) as well as social status (gender) are evaluated within this context. Tests of the complex three-way interaction between negative interaction, gender, and introversion reveal that more negative interaction is associated with higher body mass index values among elderly women who are introverted. In contrast, a significant relationship between negative interaction, introversion, and body mass failed to emerge for older men.

scholarly journals Daily Physical Activity: Relation to Everyday Memory in Adulthood

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey B. Whitbourne ◽  
Shevaun D. Neupert ◽  
Margie E. Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Daily Physical Activity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Everyday Memory ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the relationship between daily physical activity and everyday memory using an 8-day diary design with young, middle-aged, and older adults. Contrary to expectations, age differences were not reported in the frequency of memory failures and daily physical activity at the between-person level. Multilevel modeling, however, indicated that on days when adults engaged in leisure exercise (physical activity performed during leisure or free time), they reported fewer memory failures, and this was most apparent for older adults. Lagged analyses indicated that when leisure activity was reported on one day, fewer memory failures were reported the next day, and this was especially true for older adults. Thus, findings demonstrate that the benefits of physical activity for memory in later life are observable on a short-term daily basis.

scholarly journals Loneliness and Health in Older Adults: A Mini-Review and Synthesis

Gerontology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony D. Ong ◽  
Bert N. Uchino ◽  
Elaine Wethington
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
The Status ◽  
Perceived Social Isolation

Increasing evidence suggests that perceived social isolation or loneliness is a major risk factor for physical and mental illness in later life. This review assesses the status of research on loneliness and health in older adults. Key concepts and definitions of loneliness are identified, and the prevalence, correlates, and health effects of loneliness in older individuals are reviewed. Theoretical mechanisms that underlie the association between loneliness and health are also described, and illustrative studies examining these mechanisms are summarized. Intervention approaches to reduce loneliness in old age are highlighted, and priority recommendations for future research are presented.

scholarly journals Influence of social perception and social knowledge on cognitive and social functioning in early psychosis

2006 ◽  
Vol 189 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Addington ◽  
Huma Saeedi ◽  
Donald Addington
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Interpersonal Problem Solving ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

BackgroundSocial cognition has been implicated in the relationship between cognition and social functioning.AimsTo test the hypothesis that social cognition mediates the relationship between cognitive and social functioning.MethodThis was a 1-year longitudinal cohort study comparing three groups: 50 people with first-episode psychosis, 53 people with multi-episode schizophrenia and 55 people without psychiatric disorder as controls. Participants were assessed on social perception, social knowledge, interpersonal problem-solving, cognition and social functioning.ResultsThere were significant associations between social cognition, cognition and social functioning in all three groups. Deficits in social cognition were stable over time. In the first two groups, controlling for social cognition reduced the relationship between cognitive and social functioning.ConclusionsThis study provides some evidence that social cognition mediates the relationship between cognitive and social functioning.

The Benefits of Savoring Life

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Smith ◽  
Fred B. Bryant
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Positive Interventions ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lower Life Satisfaction

We investigated the protective impact of savoring capacity on the relationship between physical health and psychological well-being among older adults. A total of 266 adults over 55 years old ( Mean = 73.4 years) completed measures of savoring ability, self-reported health, and life satisfaction. Savoring ability moderated the relationship between health and life satisfaction in older adults. Among people with less savoring ability, poor health was associated with lower life satisfaction. In contrast, people with greater savoring ability maintained higher life satisfaction, regardless of their level of health. These effects were consistent across a variety of different aspects of health, including general health, pain, limitations due to physical health, energy, and social functioning. These findings have direct implications for developing positive interventions to support the psychological well-being of older adults.

Neighborhood Deterioration and Social Isolation in Later Life

1993 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Krause
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Neighborhood Characteristics ◽  
Financial Difficulties ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Socially Isolated

The purpose of this study is to test a conceptual model that attempts to show how selected neighborhood characteristics are related to social isolation in later life. This model specifies that older adults with low levels of educational attainment are more likely to experience financial problems and that elderly people who are confronted by financial difficulties are more likely to reside in dilapidated neighborhoods. The model further predicts that deteriorated neighborhoods in turn tend to promote distrust of others and older adults who are more distrustful of others tend to be more socially isolated. Based on data provided by a nationwide survey of elderly people, subsequent analyses revealed strong support for the theoretical sequence described above.

scholarly journals From environmental stress to spatial expulsion - rethinking concepts of socio-spatial exclusion in later life

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Wanka ◽  
Thibauld Moulaert ◽  
Matthias Drilling
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Environmental Sociology ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
European Research ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Research Traditions ◽  
Spatial Exclusion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Best Fit

Gerontology has a longstanding tradition of researching the relationship between older adults and their socio-spatial environments. However, environmental gerontology often shares a positivistic understanding of space as either a “prosthetic” or a stressor and consequently searches for the “best fit” between a person and their environment. In this article, we argue for a stronger theoretical corpus on social and territorial exclusion in later life by exploring concepts from urban and environmental sociology, as well as examining the usefulness of these concepts for gerontological thinking. In doing so, we discuss trans-European research traditions beyond the hegemonic body of Anglo-Saxon literature. In conclusion, we discuss how gerontology and sociology might exchange ideas in order to build a stronger theoretical background on the relations between age, space and exclusion.

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