Abstract
Using SHARE data, this study was based on an earlier analysis that derived social network types among adults aged 65 and over in Europe. The current effort investigated the transitions that occurred across these network types after 4 years (N = 13,767). Four general network transition patterns were identified according to network type (close-family networks and other networks) and whether a network transition occurred. The associations between network type, network transitions and well-being (depression and life satisfaction) were examined. We regressed depressive symptoms and a life satisfaction measure on the network transition patterns, controlling for socio-demographic background, health and country. The results revealed that a majority of older Europeans experienced a range of network transition, while close-family-based networks tended to prevail over time. Moreover, respondents who remained in or transitioned to close-family networks had fewer depressive symptoms and better life satisfaction than those in other network types. The study, thus, underscores the varied effects of network types and network changes on emotional well-being in late life. It also demonstrates that beneficial changes can be made in one’s social network in old age, especially with regard to greater family closeness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aartsen MJ, Van Tilburg T, Smits CHM, Knipscheer KCPM (2004) A longitudinal study of the impact of physical and cognitive decline on the personal network in old age. J Soc Pers Relat 21:249–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407504041386
Antonucci TC (2001) Social relations: an examination of social networks, social support, and sense of control. In: BT-Handb psychol aging (5th ed), Chapter xx, pp. 427–453, p. 677, https://doi.org/10.3917/leco.049.0098
Antonucci TC, Ajrouch KJ, Birditt KS (2014) The convoy model: explaining social relations from a multidisciplinary perspective. Gerontologist 54:82–92. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnt118
Bloem BA, Van Tilburg TG, ThomÉse F (2008) Changes in older Dutch adults’ role networks after moving. Pers Relat 15:465–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2008.00210.x
Burholt V, Dobbs C (2014) A support network typology for application in older populations with a preponderance of multigenerational households. Ageing Soc 34:1142–1169. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x12001511
Carstensen LL (2006) The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science 312:1913–1915
Carstensen LL, Fung HH, Charles ST (2003) Socioemotional selectivity theory and the regulation of emotion in the second half of life. Motiv Emot 27:103–123. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024569803230
Castro-Costa E, Dewey M, Stewart R et al (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. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 17:12–29. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.236
Cheng ST, Lee CKL, Chan ACM et al (2009) Social network types and subjective well-being in Chinese older adults. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 64:713–722. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbp075
English T, Carstensen LL (2014) Selective narrowing of social networks across adulthood is associated with improved emotional experience in daily life. Int J Behav Dev 38:195–202. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025413515404
Fiori KL, Antonucci TC, Cortina KS (2006) Social network typologies and mental health among older adults. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 61:P25–P32. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/61.1.P25
Fiori KL, Smith J, Antonucci TC (2007) Social network types among older adults: a multidimensional approach. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 62:322–330
George LK (2010) Still happy after all these years: research frontiers on subjective well-being in later life. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 65B:331–339. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbq006
Glaser K, Tomassini C, Racioppi F, Stuchbury R (2006) Marital disruptions and loss of support in later life: a longitudinal study of the United Kingdom. Eur J Ageing 3:207–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-006-0036-y
Guisado-Clavero M, Roso-Llorach A, López-Jimenez T et al (2018) Multimorbidity patterns in the elderly: a prospective cohort study with cluster analysis. BMC Geriatr 18:16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-0705-7
Hogerbrugge MJA, Silverstein MD (2014) Transitions in relationships with older parents: from middle to later years. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 70:481–495. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu069
Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB (2010) Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med 7:e1000316
Howie LO, Troutman-Jordan M, Newman AM (2014) Social support and successful aging in assisted living residents. Educ Gerontol 40:61–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2013.768085
Huxhold O, Miche M, 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. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 69:366–375. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt029
Kahn RL, Antonucci TC (1980) Convoys over the life course: attachment, roles, and social support. Life-Span Dev Behav 3:253–286. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12518
Kim B, Park S, Antonucci TC (2016) Longitudinal changes in social networks, health and wellbeing among older Koreans. Ageing Soc 36:1915–1936
Krause N (1999) Assessing change in social support during late life. Res Aging 21:539–569. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027599214002
Litwin H (2001) Social network type and morale in old age. Gerontologist 41:516–524. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/41.4.516
Litwin H, Shiovitz-Ezra S (2011) Social network type and subjective well-being in a national sample of older Americans. Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnq094
Litwin H, Stoeckel KJ (2014) Confidant network types and well-being among older Europeans. Gerontologist 54:762–772. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnt056
Luo Y, Hawkley LC, Waite LJ, Cacioppo JT (2012) Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: a national longitudinal study. Soc Sci Med 74:907–914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.028
Lyons A, Romero-Ortuno R, Hartley P (2019) Functional mobility trajectories of hospitalized older adults admitted to acute geriatric wards: a retrospective observational study in an English university hospital. Geriatr Gerontol Int 19:305–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.13623
Northcott S, Hirani SP, Hilari K (2017) A typology to explain changing social networks post stroke. Gerontologist 00:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx011
Park S, Smith J, Dunkle RE (2014) Social network types and well-being among South Korean older adults. Aging Ment Health 18:72–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.801064
Park NS, Jang Y, Lee BS et al (2015) An empirical typology of social networks and its association with physical and mental health: a study with older Korean immigrants. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 70:67–76. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt065
Prince MJ, Reischies F, Beekman ATF et al (1999) Development of the EURO-D scale a European Union initiative to compare symptoms of depression in 14 European centres. Br J Psychiatry 174:330–338. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.174.4.330
Schwartz E, Litwin H (2017) Are newly added and lost confidants in later life related to subsequent mental health? Int Psychogeriatr 29:2047–2057. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217001338
Schwartz E, Litwin H (2018) Social network changes among older Europeans: the role of gender. Eur J Ageing 15:359–367
Schwarzbach M, Luppa M, Forstmeier S et al (2014) Social relations and depression in late life—a systematic review. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 29:1–21
Shaw BA, Krause N, Liang J, Bennett J (2007) Tracking changes in social relations throughout late life. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 62:S90–S99. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/62.2.S90
Stephens C, Alpass F, Towers A, Stevenson B (2011) The effects of types of social networks, perceived social support, and loneliness on the health of older people: accounting for the social context. J Aging Health 23:887–911. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264311400189
Szabo A, Stephens C, Allen J, Alpass F (2016) Construct validation of Wenger’s support network typology. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 73:gbw126. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbw126
Thøgersen-Ntoumani C, Barkoukis V, Grano C et al (2011) Health and well-being profiles of older European adults. Eur J Ageing 8:75–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-011-0186-4
Twisk J, Hoekstra T (2012) Classifying developmental trajectories over time should be done with great caution: a comparison between methods. J Clin Epidemiol 65:1078–1087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2012.04.010
van Tilburg TG (1994) Social network size. In: Deeg DJH, Westendorp-de Ser M (eds) Auton well-being aging Popul Rep from Longitud aging study Amsterdam 1992–1993, VU Uitg, Amsterdam, pp 79–88
Van Tilburg T (1998) Losing and gaining in old age: changes in personal network size and social support in a four-year longitudinal study. J Gerontol Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 53:S313–S323. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/53B.6.S313
Wenger GC (1991) A network typology: from theory to practice. J Aging Stud 5:147–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/0890-4065(91)90003-B
Yan S, Kwan YH, Tan CS et al (2018) A systematic review of the clinical application of data-driven population segmentation analysis. BMC Med Res Methodol 18:121
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by Horizon 2020, SERISS (No. 654221).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Responsible editor: Marja J. Aartsen
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Litwin, H., Levinsky, M. & Schwartz, E. Network type, transition patterns and well-being among older Europeans. Eur J Ageing 17, 241–250 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00545-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00545-7