Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Older persons' perceptions of the quality of their human support systems
- Authors:
- HAWLEY P., CHAMLEY J.D.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 6(3), 1986, pp.295-312.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
A small-scale survey showing the diversity of existing relationships.
Typologies of dementia caregiver support networks: a pilot study
- Authors:
- FRIEDMAN Esther M, KENNEDY David P.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 61(8), 2021, pp.1221-1230.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: There are nearly 18 million family caregivers in the United States assisting an older adult in need of help. Identifying the caregivers in greatest need of support requires an understanding of the current social support networks available to family caregivers and whether specific groups of caregivers are at risk of having an insufficient support network. Research Design and Methods: the researchers collected personal network data from a nationally representative sample of 66 family caregivers to persons with dementia (PWDs) in the United States aged 18 and older, including information on network members’ support to the caregiver and help to the care recipient. Results: this study found four common caregiving network types: large networks with many helpers; large networks primarily supporting caregivers; small, dense networks supporting both caregivers and care recipient; and small networks providing little help to either caregiver or care recipient. Gender, income, and geographic proximity of caregiver to the care recipient were significantly associated with caregiver network type. Discussion and Implications: This study suggests that there are different types of care and support networks available to caregivers to PWDs, and that the size and structure of networks vary considerably among demographic groups. As the population ages, a better understanding of the supports available to caregivers will be crucial for ensuring that caregivers are adequately supported, and caregiving needs of families are met. (Edited publisher abstract)
Local ties in the social networks of older adults
- Authors:
- CORNWELL Erin York, GOLDMAN Alyssa W
- Journal article citation:
- Journals of Gerontology Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76(4), April 2021, pp.790-800.
- Publisher:
- The Gerontological Society of America
Objectives: Family members and friends who live nearby may be especially well-positioned to provide social support and companionship for community-residing older adults, but prior research has not examined the distribution and characteristics of local ties in older adults’ networks. The researchers hypothesize that local ties are newer, more frequently accessed, and more embedded in the network, and that social disadvantage and neighborhood conditions structure older adults’ access to local ties. Methods: This study uses egocentric network data from 15,137 alters named by 3,735 older adults in Wave 3 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). We conduct dyadic analysis to compare characteristics of local and nonlocal ties. Logistic regression models estimate how personal and neighborhood characteristics are associated with naming local kin and local non-kin ties. Results: Nearly half of the older adults named at least one local network tie, and about 60% of these local ties are non-kin. Local ties are newer, frequently accessed, and highly embedded in older adults’ networks. Local kin ties are most common among socially disadvantaged older adults. Local non-kin ties are most common among white older adults and those who live in areas with high levels of collective efficacy, although local non-kin ties are also associated with residence in high-poverty neighborhoods. Discussion: Local ties may bring unique benefits for community-residing older adults, but their availability is likely structured by residential mobility, neighborhood context, disparities in resources, and support needs. Future research should consider their implications for health and well-being. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social media and social wellbeing in later life
- Author:
- QUINN Kelly
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 41(6), 2021, pp.1349-1370.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Social wellbeing is important to health, but maintaining social relations often becomes difficult in later life due to retirement, chronic disease, and the death of spouses and friends. Social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, present accessible and low-cost communication technologies that have been demonstrated to enhance feelings of social connection and reduce loneliness in younger age groups. This exploratory study uses a four-week social media training workshop as an intervention in a randomised controlled study to examine whether similar social benefits might be realised for those at older ages, aged 65+ years. Social wellbeing measures of social capital, loneliness, social connectedness and social provisions were examined, revealing only small differences in social integration. As these findings seemingly contradict studies conducted with younger persons, the contexts of social media use in older adulthood are discussed, along with proposals for future research directions. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social networking sites and the experience of older adult users: a systematic review
- Authors:
- NEWMAN Loveday, STONER Charlotte, SPECTOR Aimee
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 41(2), 2021, pp.377-402.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study aimed to systematically review the use of social networking sites (SNSs) from an older adult perspective (all papers had an average sample age of 65+ and samples ranged in age from 50 to 98). Characteristics of older adult SNS users, incentives and disincentives for use, and the relationship between SNS use, wellbeing and cognitive function were explored. From a systematic search, 21 papers met inclusion criteria and were subjected to a quality review. Paper quality was often low or medium, as rated by a standard quality assessment framework. Results indicated that older adult SNS users were more likely to have particular characteristics, including being female and younger. The main incentive for use was to maintain contact with family and friends. Disincentives included privacy concerns and lack of perceived usefulness. The relationship between SNS use, wellbeing and cognitive function was inconclusive. SNS use is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that needs to be understood in the context of broader communication practices, individuals’ social relationships, and individual preferences and characteristics. (Edited publisher abstract)
‘Big Five’ personality characteristics are associated with loneliness but not with social network size in older adults, irrespective of depression
- Authors:
- SCHUTTER N., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Psychogeriatrics, 32(1), 2020, pp.53-63.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge Journals
Objective: Loneliness and social isolation have negative health consequences and are associated with depression. Personality characteristics are important when studying persons at risk for loneliness and social isolation. The objective of this study was to clarify the association between personality factors, loneliness and social network, taking into account diagnosis of depression, partner status and gender. Design: Cross-sectional data of an ongoing prospective cohort study, the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO), were used. Setting and participants: 474 participants were recruited from mental health care institutions and general practitioners in five different regions in the Netherlands. Measurements: NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) personality factors and loneliness and social network were measured as well as possible confounders. Multinominal logistic regression analyses were performed to analyse the associations between NEO-FFI factors and loneliness and social network. Interaction terms were investigated for depression, partner status and gender. Results: Higher neuroticism and lower extraversion in women and lower agreeableness in both men and women were associated with loneliness but not with social network size irrespective of the presence of depression. In the non-depressed group only, lower openness was associated with loneliness. Interaction terms with partner status were not significant. Conclusions: Personality factors are associated with loneliness especially in women. In men lower agreeableness contributes to higher loneliness. In non-depressed men and women, lower openness is associated with loneliness. Personality factors are not associated with social network size. (Edited publisher abstract)
‘It's most of my life – going to the pub or the group’: the social networks of involuntarily childless older men
- Author:
- HADLEY Robin A.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 41(1), 2021, pp.51-76.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The social networks of older people are a significant influence on their health and wellbeing. Adult children are an important element in their parent's network and provide the majority of informal care. The morphology of personal networks alters with age, employment, gender and relationships. Not having children automatically reduces both vertical familial structure and affects the wider formal and informal social links that children can bring. Childless men are missing from gerontological, reproduction, sociological and psychological research. These fields have all mainly focused on family and women. This paper reports on an auto/biographical qualitative study framed by biographical, feminist, gerontological and lifecourse approaches. Data were gathered from semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntarily childless men aged between 49 and 82 years old. A latent thematic analysis highlighted the complex intersections between childlessness and individual agency, relationships and socio-cultural structures. The impact of major lifecourse events and non-events had significant implications for how childless people perform and view their social and self-identity. I argue that involuntary childlessness affects the social, emotional and relational aspects of men's lived experience across the lifecourse. (Edited publisher abstract)
The social relationship context of elder mistreatment
- Authors:
- WONG Jaclyn S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 60(6), 2020, pp.1029-1039.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Elder mistreatment victims at risk of poor physical and psychological health may benefit from increased social support. This article identifies mistreatment victims among community-dwelling older Americans and maps their social networks to guide the design of social support interventions. Research Design and Methods: Using nationally representative survey data from Wave 3 (2015–2016) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N = 2,334) and descriptive, latent class, and regression analyses, the researchers estimate the prevalence of mistreatment since age 60, identify the alleged perpetrators’ relationships to the victims, and examine victims’ social networks. Results: Self-reported lifetime prevalence of elder mistreatment is as high as 21%, depending on the mistreatment behavior measured. Latent class analysis reveals two mistreatment classes: 12% of older adults experienced multiple types of mistreatment (polyvictimization), and 6% experienced primarily financial mistreatment. Although alleged perpetrators are unlikely to appear in older adults’ core social networks, the most commonly reported perpetrators are children and relatives. Regression analyses show that experiencing mistreatment since age 60 is associated with having less current social support, more social strain, and fewer kin in the core social network. Older adults reporting polyvictimization also have less-dense core networks.Discussion and Implications: increasing family support should be done cautiously because children and relatives are frequently named as mistreatment perpetrators. Increasing communication across polyvictimization victims’ network members may support their well-being. Providing outside assistance with financial management could benefit financial mistreatment victims. (Edited publisher abstract)
A systematic review of research on social networks of older adults
- Authors:
- AYALON Liat, LEVKOVICH Inbar
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 59(3), 2019, pp.e164-e176.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: There has been a substantial interest in life course/life span changes in older adults’ social networks and in the relationship between social networks and health and wellbeing. The study embarked on a systematic review to examine the existing knowledgebase on social network in the field of gerontology. Our focus was on studies in which both ego (respondents) and his or her alters (network members) are queried about their social ties. Research Design and Methods: This study searched for studies published in English before September, 2017, relied on quantitative methods to obtain data from both ego (60 years of age and older) and alters and provided a quantitative account of the social network properties. We searched the following data sets: APA Psychnet, Pubmed, Sociological abstracts, and Ageline. This was followed by a snowball search of relevant articles using Google Scholar. Titles and abstracts were reviewed and selected articles were extracted independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 5,519 records were retrieved. Of these, 3,994 records remained after the removal of duplicates. Ten records reporting on five original samples were kept for the systematic review. One study described a social network of community dwelling older adults and the remaining studies described social networks of institutional older adults. Discussion and Implications: The present study points to a lacuna in current understanding of social networks in the field of gerontology. It provides a useful review and possible tools for the design of future studies to address current shortcomings in the field. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social network type and informal care use in later life: a comparison of three Dutch birth cohorts aged 75–84
- Authors:
- SUANET Bianca, van GROENOU Marjolein Broese, van TILBURG Theo G.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 39(4), 2019, pp.749-770.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Recent societal changes have increased the salience of non-kin relationships. It can be questioned whether network types that are more strongly non-kin-based give more informal care nowadays. This study examines how informal care use differs according to network type for three birth cohorts. Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) on older adults aged 75–84 years, interviewed in 1992, 2002 and 2012, respectively (total sample size N = 2,151, analytical sample having functional limitations N = 926). The study identified four network types: restricted, family-focused with a partner, family-focused without a partner and wider community-focused diverse networks. Wider community-focused diverse networks are more common in the late birth cohort, whereas restricted networks and family-focused networks without a partner are less common. Logistic regression analyses reveal that those in a family-focused network with a partner use informal care more often than those in the other three network types, and insignificant interaction terms show that this does not differ by birth cohort. Irrespective of their network type, those in the late birth cohort use informal care less often. However, after controlling for need, predisposing and context factors, this cohort-difference is no longer significant. The study concludes that despite large-scale societal changes, wider community-focused diverse networks do not provide more informal care than before and that among the functionally impaired, the odds of receiving informal care does not decline across birth cohorts. (Edited publisher abstract)