Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T18:59:13.878Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Always alone? Network transitions among detached older Europeans and their effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2020

Howard Litwin  and
Michal Levinsky Open the ORCID record for Michal Levinsky [Opens in a new window]
Howard Litwin
Affiliation:
Israel Gerontological Data Center, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Michal Levinsky*
Affiliation:
Israel Gerontological Data Center, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The present study investigated the changes that occurred within the interpersonal environments of a sample of socially isolated older Europeans after four years. Based upon data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the inquiry looked at 834 older people who were socially detached at baseline, at follow-up or at both time-points. The analysis traced changes in relation to the social network types that they acquired or left. The findings indicate that respondents more frequently moved from no-network status at baseline to close family-based social network types at follow-up than to other network types. In comparison, the loss of a network at follow-up was seen to originate from close networks and from other network types alike. Multivariate analysis revealed that those who moved from socially detached status to close-family networks had fewer depressive symptoms compared to those who moved to other network types. However, the move from a close-family network to the no-network status was about as depressing as was being chronically isolated. The effects of network transitions were more varied in relation to the life satisfaction outcome. In sum, the findings suggest that a transition out of social isolation in late life is possible and it may be beneficial as well.

Keywords

social isolationsocial networksSurvey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)longitudinal changes
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Issue 10 , October 2021 , pp. 2299 - 2313
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Antonucci, TC, Ajrouch, KJ and Birditt, KS (2014) The convoy model: explaining social relations from a multidisciplinary perspective. The Gerontologist 54, 82–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berkman, LF, Glass, T, Brissette, I and Seeman, TE (2000) From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium. Social Science & Medicine 51, 843–857.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blazer, DG (2003) Depression in late life: review and commentary. Journals of Gerontology: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 58A, 249–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bloem, BA, Van Tilburg, TG and Thomése, F (2008) Changes in older Dutch adults’ role networks after moving. Personal Relationships 15, 465–478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Börsch-Supan, A, Hank, K and Jürges, H (2005) A new comprehensive and international view on ageing: introducing the ‘Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe’. European Journal of Ageing 2, 245–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carstensen, LL (2006) The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science 312, 1913–1915.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carstensen, LL, Fung, HH and Charles, ST (2003) Socioemotional selectivity theory and the regulation of emotion in the second half of life. Motivation and Emotion 27, 103–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castro-Costa, E, Dewey, M, Stewart, R, Banerjee, S, Huppert, F, Mendonca-Lima, C, Bula, C, Reisches, F, Wancata, J, Ritchie, K, Tsolaki, M, Mateos, R and Prince, M (2008) Ascertaining late-life depressive symptoms in Europe: an evaluation of the survey version of the EURO-D scale in 10 nations. The SHARE project. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 17, 12–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheng, ST, Lee, CKL, Chan, ACM, Leung, EMF and Lee, JJ (2009) Social network types and subjective well-being in Chinese older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 64B, 713–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheon, E-Y (2010) Correlation of social network types on health status of Korean elders. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 40, 88–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cornwell, EY and Waite, LJ (2009) Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and health among older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 50, 31–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coyle, CE and Dugan, E (2012) Social isolation, loneliness and health among older adults. Journal of Aging and Health 24, 1346–1363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Jong Gierveld, J, van Tilburg, T and Dykstra, PA (2006) Loneliness and social isolation. In Vangelisti, A and Perlman, D (eds), The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp. 485–500 .CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dhara, D (2013) Depression and psychological well-being in old age. Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy 3, 117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doubova, SV, Pérez-Cuevas, R, Espinosa-Alarcón, P and Flores-Hernández, S (2010) Social network types and functional dependency in older adults in Mexico. BMC Public Health 10, 104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
European Commission (2017) Population Structure and Ageing – Statistics Explained. Available at http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Population_structure_and_ageing.Google Scholar
Fingerman, KL, Hay, EL and Birditt, KS (2004) The best of ties, the worst of ties: close, problematic, and ambivalent social relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family 66, 792–808.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiori, KL, Antonucci, TC and Cortina, KS (2006) Social network typologies and mental health among older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 61B, 25–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiori, KL, Antonucci, TC and Akiyama, H (2008) Profiles of social relations among older adults: a cross-cultural approach. Ageing & Society 28, 203–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischer CS (2009) The 2004 GSS finding of shrunken social networks: an artifact? American Sociological Review 74, 657–669.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
George, LK (2010) Still happy after all these years: research frontiers on subjective well-being in later life. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 65B, 331–339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glaser, K, Tomassini, C, Racioppi, F and Stuchbury, R (2006) Marital disruptions and loss of support in later life: a longitudinal study of the United Kingdom. European Journal of Ageing 3, 207–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Golden, J, Conroy, RM, Bruce, I, Denihan, A, Greene, E, Kirby, M and Lawlor, BA (2009) Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 24, 694–700.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gray, A (2009) The social capital of older people. Ageing & Society 29, 5–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkley, LC and Cacioppo, JT (2007) Aging and loneliness. Current Directions in Psychological Science 16, 187–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogerbrugge, MJA and Silverstein, MD (2014) Transitions in relationships with older parents: from middle to later years. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 70B, 481–495.Google Scholar
Huxhold, O, Miche, M and Schüz, B (2014) Benefits of having friends in older ages: differential effects of informal social activities on well-being in middle-aged and older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 69B, 366–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahn, RL and Antonucci, TC (1980) Convoys over the life course: attachment, roles, and social support. In Baltes, PB and Brim, OB (eds), Lifespan Development and Behavior, Vol. 3. New York, NY: Academic Press, pp. 253–286.Google Scholar
Kim, B, Park, S and Antonucci, TC (2016) Longitudinal changes in social networks, health and wellbeing among older Koreans. Ageing & Society 36, 1915–1936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litwin, H (2001) Social network type and morale in old age. The Gerontologist 41, 516–524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Litwin, H and Shiovitz-Ezra, S (2011) Social network type and subjective well-being in a national sample of older Americans. The Gerontologist 51, 379–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litwin, H and Stoeckel, KJ (2013) Social networks and subjective wellbeing among older Europeans: does age make a difference? Ageing & Society 33, 1263–1281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litwin, H and Stoeckel, KJ (2014) Confidant network types and well-being among older Europeans. The Gerontologist 54, 762–772.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Litwin, H, Stoeckel, K, Roll, A, Shiovitz-Ezra, S and Kotte, M (2013) Social network measurement in SHARE wave four. In Malter, F and Börsch-Supan, A (eds), SHARE Wave 4: Innovations & Methodology. Munich: MEA, Max-Planck-Institute for Social Law and Social Policy, pp. 18–37.Google Scholar
Litwin, H, Levinsky, M and Schwartz, E (2019) Network type, transition patterns and well-being among older Europeans. European Journal of Ageing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00545-7.Google ScholarPubMed
Mardsen, PV (2005) Recent developments in network measurement. In Carrington, PJ, Scott, J and Wasserman, S (eds), Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 8–30.Google Scholar
Northcott, S, Hirani, SP and Hilari, K (2017) A typology to explain changing social networks post stroke. The Gerontologist 58, 500–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Park, NS, Jang, Y, Lee, BS, Ko, JE, Haley, WE and Chiriboga, DA (2015) An empirical typology of social networks and its association with physical and mental health: a study with older Korean immigrants. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 70B, 67–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pavot, W and Diener, E (2008) The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. Journal of Positive Psychology 3, 137–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peplau, LA and Perlman, D (1982) Perspectives on loneliness. In Peplau, LA and Perlman, D (eds), Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy. New York, NY: Wiley, pp. 1–18.Google Scholar
Prince, MJ, Reischies, F, Beekman, ATF, Fuhrer, R, Jonker, C, Kivela, SL, Lawlor, BA, Lobo, A, Magnusson, H, Fichter, M, Van Oyen, H, Roelands, M, Skoog, I, Turrina, C and Copeland, JRM (1999) Development of the EURO-D scale – a European Union initiative to compare symptoms of depression in 14 European centres. British Journal of Psychiatry 174, 330–338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwartz, E and Litwin, H (2018) Social network changes among older Europeans: the role of gender. European Journal of Ageing 15, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwarzbach, M, Luppa, M, Forstmeier, S, König, HH and Riedel-Heller, SG (2014) Social relations and depression in late life – a systematic review. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 29, 1–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, BA, Krause, N, Liang, J and Bennett, J (2007) Tracking changes in social relations throughout late life. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 62B, 90–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shiovitz-Ezra, S and Ayalon, L (2010) Situational versus chronic loneliness as risk factors for all-cause mortality. International Psychogeriatrics 22, 455–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Szabo, A, Stephens, C, Allen, J and Alpass, F (2016) Construct validation of Wenger's support network typology. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 73B, 1244–1249.Google Scholar
Van Tilburg, T (1998) Losing and gaining in old age: changes in personal network size and social support in a four-year longitudinal study. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 53B, 313–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Victor, CR (2015) Loneliness and later life: Concepts, prevalence, and consequences. In A. Sha'ked & A. Rokach (Eds.), Addressing loneliness: Coping, Prevention and Clinical Interventions. New York: Psychology Press, pp. 185–204.Google Scholar
Victor, CR and Bowling, A (2012) A longitudinal analysis of loneliness among older people in Great Britain. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied 146, 313–331.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Victor, CR and Yang, K (2012) The prevalence of loneliness among adults: a case study of the United Kingdom. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied 146, 85–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, P (2018) May appoints minister to tackle loneliness issues raised by Jo Cox. The Guardian, January 16. Available at www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/16/may-appoints-minister-tackle-loneliness-issues-raised-jo-cox.Google Scholar
Wenger, GC (1991) A network typology: from theory to practice. Journal of Aging Studies 5, 147–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenger, GC and Burholt, V (2005) Changes in levels of social isolation and loneliness among older people in a rural area: a twenty-year longitudinal study. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement 23, 115–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windsor, TD, Rioseco, P, Fiori, KL, Curtis, RG and Booth, H (2016) Structural and functional social network attributes moderate the association of self-rated health with mental health in midlife and older adults. International Psychogeriatrics 28, 49–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wrzus, C, Hänel, M, Wagner, J and Neyer, FJ (2013) Social network changes and life events across the life span: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 139, 53–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhong, BL, Chen, SL and Conwell, Y (2016) Effects of transient versus chronic loneliness on cognitive function in older adults: findings from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 24, 389–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed