Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T20:25:43.146Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Physical Mobility and Social Integration: Their Relationship to the Well-Being of Older Canadians*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Mary T. Fox  and
Barbara A. Gooding
Mary T. Fox
Affiliation:
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Barbara A. Gooding
Affiliation:
Washington DC, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between physical mobility, social integration and well-being in a subsample of 754 unmarried older community dwellers selected from Statistics Canada's 1985 General Social Survey. Also examined was the relationship of mobility; social integration with children, siblings, other relatives, and close friends; and social satisfaction with friend and family relations in predicting well-being. A cross-sectional design was used. Age, gender, marital status and living arrangements were included in the multiple regression analysis. Although no significant interactions were found between mobility and social integration, the results lend support to the importance of mobility and the quality, as opposed to the quantity, of social relationships to well-being. Mobility, satisfaction with friendships, being older and satisfaction with family relations were identified as the variables most strongly related to well-being. Research and practice implications are discussed.

Résumé

Cette étude a exploré le rapport entre la mobilité, l'intégrations sociaux et le bien-être utilisant un sous-ensemble de 754 personnes âgés et non-marriés, demeurant dans la communauté, a été choisi d'une base de donnés d'Enquête Sociale Générale 1985 de Statistique Canada. Aussi, cette étude a regardé les relations de la mobilité l'intégration sociale avec leurs enfants, leurs frères et soeurs, autres membres de famille, et amis proches; et la satisfaction sociale des rapports avec la famille et amis au bien-être. Un design correlational «cross-sectional» a été choisi. L'âge, le sexe, l'état civil et le domicile sont inclus dans une analyse de régression. Aucune interaction significative a été identifée entre l'intégration sociale et la mobilité mais les résultats appuient l'importance de la mobilité et la qualité, par opposition à la quantité des rapports sociaux au bien-être de la personne âgée. Mobilité, satisfaction envers l'amitié, être plus âgée et satisfaction avec les relations de famille étaient identifiés comme les meilleurs variables. Les implications de recherches et pour la pratique sont discutées.

Keywords

HealthWell-BeingMobilitySocialElderlyCanadianSantébien-êtremobilitésocial(e)aîné(e)s Canadien(ne)
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , Hiver/Winter 1998 , pp. 372 - 383
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1998

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, T.C., Fuhrer, R., & Jackson, J.S. (1990). Social support and reciprocity: A cross ethnic and cross-national perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7(4), 519–530.Google Scholar
Black, M. (1985). Health and social support of older adults in the community. Canadian Journal on Aging, 4(4), 213–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blieszner, R. (1989). Developmental processes of friendship. In Adams, R.G. & Blieszner, R. (Eds.), Older adult friendship. Structure and process (pp. 108–126). London: Sage.Google Scholar
Bowling, A., Farquhar, M., Grundy, E., & Formby, J. (1993). Changes in life satisfaction over a two and a half year period among very elderly people living in London. Social Sciences and Medicine, 36(5), 641–655.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crohan, S.E., & Antonucci, T.C. (1989). Friends as a source of social support in old age. In Adams, R.G. & Blieszner, R. (Eds.), Older adult friendship. Structure and process, (pp. 129–146). London: Sage.Google Scholar
Deiner, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ebersole, P., & Hess, P. (1994). Toward healthy aging, Human needs and nursing response, (4th ed.). Toronto: Mosby.Google Scholar
Ferraro, K.F. (1980). Self-rating of health among the old and the old-old. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21(Dec), 377–383.Google Scholar
Fitzpatrick, R., Newman, S., Archer, R., & Shipley, M. (1991). Social support, disability and depression: A longitudinal study of rheumatoid arthritis. Social Science and Medicine, 33(5), 605–611.Google Scholar
Fugate, Woods N., Laffrey, S., Duffy, M., Lentz, M.J., Sullivan, Mitchel E., Taylor, D., & Cowan, K.A. (1988). Being healthy: Women's images. Advances in Nursing Sciences, 11(1), 36–46.Google Scholar
Gooding, B.A., Sloan, M., & Amsel, R. (1988). The well-being of older Canadians. The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 20(2), 5–18.Google ScholarPubMed
Hoeffer, B. (1987). Predictors of life outlook of older single women. Research in Nursing and Health, 10, 111–117.Google Scholar
House, J.S., Umberson, D., & Landis, K.R. (1988). Structures and processes of social support. Annual Review of Sociology, 14, 293–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingersoll-Dayton, B. – Antonucci, T.C. (1988). Reciprocal and nonreciprocal social support: Contrasting sides of intimate relationships. Journals of Gerontology, 43(3), s65–s73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ishii-Kuntz, M. (1990). Social interaction and psychological well-being: Comparisons across stages of adulthood. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 30(1), 15–30.Google Scholar
Kleinbaum, D.G., Kupper, L.I., & Muller, K.E. (1988). Applied regression analysis and other multivariable methods (2nd ed.). Boston: PWS-Kent publishing company:Google Scholar
Morgan, P.L., Schuster, T.L., & Butler, E.W. (1991). Role reversals in the exchange of social support. Journals of Gerontology, 46(5), s278–s287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rook, K.S. (1984). The negative side of social interaction: Impact on psychological well-being. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 46(5), 1097–1108.Google Scholar
Rook, K.S. (1989). Strains in older adults' friendships. In Adams, R.G. & Blieszner, R. (Eds.), Older adult friendship. Structure and process, (pp. 166– 194). London: Sage.Google Scholar
Shanas, E., Townsend, P., Wedderburn, D., Friis, P., Milhoj, P., & Stehouwer, J. (1968). Older people in three industrial societies. New York: Atherton Press.Google Scholar
Stewart, A.L., Greenfield, S., Hays, R.D., Wells, K., Rogers, W.H., Berry, S.D., McGlynn, E.A., & Ware, J.E. (1989). Functional status and well-being of patients with chronic conditions. Journal of the American Medical Association, 262(1), 907–913.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stolar, E.G., MacEntee, M.I., & Hill, P. (1993). The elderly: Their perceived supports and reciprocal behaviors. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 19(3), 15–33.Google Scholar
Thome, S., Griffin, C, & Adlersberg, M. (1986). How's your health? Gerontion, 1(5), 14–18.Google Scholar
Tilden, V.P., & Weinert, C. (1987). Social support and the chronically ill individual. Nursing Clinics of North America, 22(3), 613–619.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wellman, B., & Berkowitz, S.D. (1988). Social structures: A network approach. New York: Cambridge U. Press.Google Scholar