Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Structure by Death: Social Network Replenishment in the Wake of Confidant Loss

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Social Networks and the Life Course

Part of the book series: Frontiers in Sociology and Social Research ((FSSR,volume 2))

Abstract

Older adults are disproportionately likely to experience the death or other loss of a close network member. An important question is how their social networks are shaped by these experiences during a period that is already characterized by major life-course transitions . We study this question using longitudinal data on egocentric networks from the National Social Life , Health , and Aging Project (NSHAP), which covers the period from 2005/6 to 2010/11. The data reveal that the vast majority of respondents added at least one confidant to their network rosters during the study period, and that this tendency did not differ between the youngest and oldest age groups. Across all age groups, the loss of a confidant due to any cause more than doubled the likelihood that one added a new confidant to one’s network. However, how the loss of a network member due to death, specifically, is associated with network recruitment depends on age. While the death of a confidant is not linked to network replenishment in the younger age groups, it is positively associated with network replenishment in the oldest age group. In this group, those who experienced the death of a confidant were 2.4 times as likely to add a new confidant as those who did not. We consider several potential explanations for this set of findings, including the possibility that the oldest adults are more adept at dealing with confidant mortality. We close by discussing some implications of these findings for theories of social-network-related behavior in later life.

The National Social Life , Health, and Aging Project is supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01AG021487, R37AG030481, R01AG033903), which also provided partial funding for this research. We wish to thank Duane Alwin, Diane Felmlee, Derek Kreager, Mario Luis Small, Erin York Cornwell, and participants at the “Together through Time: Social Networks and the Life Course” conference at The Pennsylvania State University in May 2015 for providing useful suggestions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    It is important to note, however, that adaptation can be hampered by social and material disadvantage (see Cornwell 2015; Fischer and Beresford 2015; Schafer and Vargas 2016).

  2. 2.

    Older adults are often active in cultivating new social relationships (e.g., by meeting new neighbors, volunteering), irrespective of whether they have experienced losses or difficult life-course transitions . As a result, many older adults’ networks grow instead of decline in size (Cornwell and Laumann 2015; Cornwell et al. 2014).

  3. 3.

    For now, we set aside the question of how accurate this assumption is. It is beyond the scope of this paper, and the available data, to discern whether network losses precede network additions. It is likely that in some cases people begin to develop new ties before shedding old ones. Indeed, the addition of new friends may lead to the loss of old ones.

  4. 4.

    One of our criteria for counting a Wave 1 confidant as “lost” is that the confidant does not appear in any of the network rosters (A, B, or C) at Wave 2. The likelihood of moving to a different roster (but not truly being dropped from the network) thus depends on whether respondents listed anyone in Rosters B or C at Wave 1. We therefore include two controls for whether respondents listed anyone in Roster B or Roster C at Wave 1. In addition, we include a measure of the number of non-network members whom the respondent listed in his/her household roster (Roster D). Co-residents represent potential close network members in many cases.

  5. 5.

    The NSHAP also collected information about the frequency with which respondents did the following within the past year: (1) socialize with friends or relatives; (2) do volunteer work; and (3) attend meetings of organized groups. This information was collected via a leave-behind questionnaire (LBQ), resulting in the loss of 481 cases from the baseline sample. We use the religious attendance measure, therefore, as a proxy measure, to attenuate selection bias caused by non-response on the LBQ. However, supplemental analysis that use these other measures suggest that the main findings regarding the association between forms of network loss and network recruitment do not differ when these alternative measures are used. These supplemental analyses are available upon request.

References

  • Ashida, S., & Heaney, C. (2008). Differential associations of social support and social connectedness with structural features of social networks and the health status of older adults. Journal of Aging and Health, 20, 872–893.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atchley, R. C. (1989). The continuity theory of normal aging. The Gerontologist, 29, 183–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, S., & Marsden, P. V. (1999). Interpretation and interview context: Examining the general social survey name generator using cognitive methods. Social Networks, 21, 287–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrington, C., Latkin, C., Sweat, M. D., Moreno, L., Ellen, J., & Kerrigan, D. (2009). Talking the talk, walking the walk: Social network norms, communication patterns, and condom use among the male partners of female sex workers in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Social Science & Medicine, 68, 2037–2044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bearman, P., & Parigi, P. (2004). Cloning headless frogs and other important matters: Conversation topics and network structure. Social Forces, 83, 535–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bidart, C., & Lavenu, D. (2005). Evolutions of personal networks and life events. Social Networks, 27, 359–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloem, B. A., van Tilburg, T. G., & Thomése, F. (2008). Changes in older Dutch adults’ role networks after moving. Personal Relationships, 15, 465–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charles, S. T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2010). Social and emotional aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 383–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., & Lincoln, K. D. (1999). African American religious participation: A multi-sample comparison. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 38, 132–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, N. G., & Ha, J.-H. (2011). Relationship between spouse/partner support and depressive symptoms in older adults: Gender difference. Aging & Mental Health, 15, 307–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christakis, N. A., & Fowler, J. H. (2008). The collective dynamics of smoking in a large social network. New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 2249–2258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B. (2009). Good health and the bridging of structural holes. Social Networks, 31, 92–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B. (2011). Independence through social networks: A comparison of older men’s and women’s bridging potential. Journals of Gerontology B: Psychological and Social Sciences, 66B, 782–794.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B. (2012). Spousal network overlap as a basis for spousal support. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74, 229–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B. (2015). Social disadvantage and network turnover. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 70, 132–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B., & Laumann, E. O. (2011). Network position and sexual dysfunction: Implications of partner betweenness for men. American Journal of Sociology, 117, 172–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B., & Laumann, E. O. (2015). The health benefits of network growth: New evidence from a national survey of older adults. Social Science & Medicine, 125, 94–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B., Laumann, E. O., & Schumm, L. P. (2008). The social connectedness of older adults: A national profile. American Sociological Review, 73, 185–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B., Schumm, L. P., Laumann, E. O., & Graber, J. (2009). Social networks in the nshap study: Rationale, measurement, and preliminary findings. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64(suppl 1), i47–i55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B., Schumm, L. P., Laumann, E. O., Kim, J., & Kim, Y.-J. (2014). Assessment of social network change in a national longitudinal survey. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 69, S75–S82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell, B., Marcum, C., & Silverstein, M. (2015). The social network approach in gerontological research. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 70, 87–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, D. R., & Snell, E. J. (1989). Analysis of binary data (2nd ed.). New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, D. A., Windsor, T. D., Butterworth, P., & Anstey, K. J. (2015). Adapting to retirement community life: Changes in social networks and perceived loneliness. Journal of Relationships Research, 6, e9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crosnoe, R., & Elder, G. H., Jr. (2002). Successful adaptation in the later years: A life course approach to aging. Social Psychology Quarterly, 65, 309–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, E., & Henry, W. E. (1961). Growing old: The process of disengagement. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deflem, M. (1989). From anomie to anomia and anomic depression: A sociological critique on the use of anomie in psychiatric research. Social Science & Medicine, 29, 627–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Degenne, A., & Lebeaux, M.-O. (2005). The dynamics of personal networks at the time of entry into adult life. Social Networks, 27, 337–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Depp, C., & Jeste, D. V. (2006). Definitions and predictors of successful aging: A comprehensive review of larger quantitative studies. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 6–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly, E. A., & Hinterlong, J. E. (2010). Changes in volunteer activity among recently widowed older adults. The Gerontologist, 50, 158–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Einolf, C. J. (2009). Will the boomers volunteer during retirement? Comparing the baby boom, silent, and long civic cohorts. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38, 181–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, M. E., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., & Perry, C. L. (2005). The role of social norms and friends’ influences on unhealthy weight-control behaviors among adolescent girls. Social Science & Medicine, 60, 1165–1173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., Jr. (Ed.). (1985). Life course dynamics. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eng, P. M., Rimm, E. B., Fitzmaurice, G., & Kawachi, I. (2002). Social ties and change in social ties in relation to subsequent total and cause-specific mortality and coronary heart disease incidence in men. American Journal of Epidemiology, 155, 700–709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feld, S. L., Suitor, J. J., & Hoegh, J. G. (2007). Describing changes in personal networks over time. Field Methods, 19, 218–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K. F. (1984). Widowhood and social participation in later life isolation or compensation? Research on Aging, 6, 451–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, C. S., & Beresford, L. (2015). Changes in support networks in late middle age: The extension of gender and educational differences. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 70, 123–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galatzer-Levy, I. R., & Bonanno, G. A. (2012). Beyond normality in the study of bereavement: Heterogeneity in depression outcomes following loss in older adults. Social Science & Medicine, 74, 1987–1994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, L. K. (1993). Sociological perspectives on life transitions. Annual Review of Sociology, 19, 353–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerstorf, D., Röcke, C., & Lachman, M. E. (2010). Antecedent-consequent relations of perceived control to health and social support: Longitudinal evidence for between-domain associations across adulthood. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66B, 61–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghesquiere, A. M., Shear, K., & Duan, N. (2013). Outcomes of bereavement care among widowed older adults with complicated grief and depression. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 4, 256–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, G. N., & Lindstrom, M. (2010). The impact of changes in different aspects of social capital and material conditions on self-rated health over time: A longitudinal cohort study. Social Science & Medicine, 70, 700–710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ha, J.-H., & Ingersoll-Dayton, B. (2011). Moderators in the relationship between social contact and psychological distress among widowed adults. Aging & Mental Health, 15, 354–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haas, S. A., Schaefer, D. R., & Kornienko, O. (2010). Health and the structure of adolescent social networks. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51, 424–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haines, V. A., Hurlbert, J., & Beggs, J. J. (1996). Exploring the determinants of support provision: Provider characteristics, personal networks, community contexts, and support following life events. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 252–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hao, Y. (2008). Productive activities and psychological well-being among older adults. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 63, S64–S72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatch, L. R., & Bulcroft, K. (1992). Contact with friends in later life: Disentangling the effects of gender and marital status. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 222–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinz, W. R., & Marshall, V. W. (Eds.). (2003). Social dynamics of the life course: Transitions, institutions, and interrelations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtzman, R. E., Rebok, G. W., Saczynski, J. S., Kouzis, A. C., Doyle, K. W., & Eaton, W. W. (2004). Social network characteristics and cognition in middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences, 59, P278–P284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jang, Y., & Chiriboga, D. A. (2011). Social activity and depressive symptoms in Korean American older adults: The conditioning role of acculturation. Journal of Aging and Health, 23, 767–781.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K. J., & Mutchler, J. E. (2014). The emergence of a positive gerontology: From disengagement to social involvement. The Gerontologist, 54, 93–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahana, E., Kelley-Moore, J., & Kahana, B. (2012). Proactive aging: A longitudinal study of stress, resources, agency, and well-being in late life. Aging & Mental Health, 16, 438–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, R. L., & Antonucci, T. C. (1980). Convoys over the life course: Attachment, roles, and social support. Life-Span Development and Behavior, 3, 253–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalmijn, M. (2003). Shared friendship networks and the life course: An analysis of survey data on married and cohabiting couples. Social Networks, 25, 231–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli, M., Hank, K., & Künemund, H. (2009). The social connectedness of older Europeans: Patterns, dynamics and contexts. Journal of European Social Policy, 19, 327–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komp, K., van Tilburg, T., & van Groenou, M. B. (2012). Age, retirement, and health as factors in volunteering in later life. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41, 280–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kouvonen, A., Stafford, M., De Vogli, R., Shipley, M. J., Marmot, M. G., Cox, T., Vahtera, J., Väänänen, A., Heponiemi, T., Singh-Manoux, A., & Kivimäki, M. (2011). Negative aspects of close relationships as a predictor of increased body mass index and waist circumference: The Whitehall II study. American Journal of Public Health, 101, 1474–1480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kroenke, C. H., Kubzansky, L. D., Adler, N., & Kawachi, I. (2008). Prospective change in health-related quality of life and subsequent mortality among middle-aged and older women. American Journal of Public Health, 98, 2085–2091.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamme, S., Dykstra, P. A., & van Groenou, M. I. B. (1996). Rebuilding the network: New relationships in widowhood. Personal Relationships, 3, 337–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levin, D. Z., Walter, J., & Murnighan, J. K. (2011). Dormant ties: The value of reconnecting. Organization Science, 22, 923–939.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y. (2007). Recovering from spousal bereavement in later life: Does volunteer participation play a role? Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62, S257–S266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martire, L. M., Stephens, M. A. P., Druley, J. A., & Wojno, W. C. (2002). Negative reactions to received spousal care: Predictors and consequences of miscarried support. Health Psychology, 21, 167–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, D., Adams, J., Vagenas, D., & Dobson, A. (2011). Factors which enhance or inhibit social support: A mixed-methods analysis of social networks in older women. Ageing and Society, 31, 18–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. M., & Kemp, B. J. (2000). Quality of life in assisted living homes: A multidimensional analysis. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences, 55B, P117–P127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moen, P., Dempster-McClain, D., & Williams, R. M., Jr. (1992). Successful aging: A life-course perspective on women’s multiple roles and health. American Journal of Sociology, 97, 1612–1638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, S. L., & Todd, J. J. (2008). A diagnostic routine for the detection of consequential heterogeneity of causal effects. Sociological Methodology, 38, 231–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mutchler, J. E., Burr, J. A., & Caro, F. G. (2003). From paid worker to volunteer: Leaving the paid workforce and volunteering in later life. Social Forces, 81, 1267–1293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, N. S. (2009). The relationship of social engagement to psychological well-being of older adults in assisted living facilities. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 28, 461–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, B. L., & Pescosolido, B. A. (2010). Functional specificity in discussion networks: The influence of general and problem-specific networks on health outcomes. Social Networks, 32, 345–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, B. L., & Pescosolido, B. A. (2012). Social network dynamics and biographical disruption: The case of “first-timers” with mental illness. American Journal of Sociology, 118, 134–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, B. L., & Pescosolido, B. A. (2015). Social network activation: The role of health discussion partners in recovery from mental illness. Social Science & Medicine, 125, 116–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pillemer, K., Moen, P., Wethington, E., & Glasgow, N. (Eds.). (2000). Social integration in the second half of life. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotolo, T., & Wilson, J. (2004). What happened to the “long civic generation”? Explaining cohort differences in volunteerism. Social Forces, 82, 1091–1121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruan, D. (1998). The content of the general social survey discussion networks: An exploration of the general social survey discussion name generator in a Chinese context. Social Networks, 20, 247–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sasovova, Z., Mehra, A., Borgatti, S. P., & Schippers, M. C. (2010). Network churn: The effects of self-monitoring personality on brokerage dynamics. Administrative Science Quarterly, 55, 639–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, D. R., Kornienko, O., & Fox, A. M. (2011). Misery does not love company: Network selection mechanisms and depression homophily. American Sociological Review, 76, 764–785.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, M. H. (2011). Health and network centrality in a continuing care retirement community. Journals of Gerontology B: Psychological and Social Sciences, 66B, 795–803.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, M. H. (2013). Structural advantages of good health in old age: Investigating the health-begets-position hypothesis with a full social network. Research on Aging, 35, 348–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, M. H., & Vargas, N. (2016). The dynamics of social support inequality: Maintenance gaps by socioeconomic status and race? Social Forces, 94, 1795–1822.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwingel, A., Niti, M. M., Tang, C., & Ng, T. P. (2009). Continued work employment and volunteerism and mental well-being of older adults: Singapore longitudinal ageing studies. Age and Ageing, 38, 531–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, T. E., Miller-Martinez, D. M., Merkin, S. S., Lachman, M. E., Tun, P. A., & Karlamangla, A. S. (2011). Histories of social engagement and adult cognition: Midlife in the U.S. study. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 66B, i141–i152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Settersten, R. A., Jr., & Mayer, K. U. (1997). The measurement of age, age structuring, and the life course. Annual Review of Sociology, 23, 233–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, B. A., Krause, N., Liang, J., & Bennett, J. (2007). Tracking changes in social relations throughout late life. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62, S90–S99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, M., Chen, X., & Heller, K. (1996). Too much of a good thing? Intergenerational social support and the psychological well-being of older parents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 970–982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Small, M. L. (2013). Weak ties and the core discussion network: Why people regularly discuss important matters with unimportant alters. Social Networks, 35, 470–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Small, M. L., Pamphile, V. D., & McMahan, P. (2015). How stable is the core discussion network? Social Networks, 40, 90–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S., Jaszczak, A., Graber, J., Lundeen, K., Leitsch, S., Wargo, E., & O’Muircheartaigh, C. (2009). Instrument development, study design implementation, and survey conduct for the national social life, health, and aging project. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64B, i20–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straits, B. C. (2000). Ego’s important discussants or significant people: An experiment in varying the wording of personal network name generators. Social Networks, 22, 123–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1992). Identity structures and psychological well-being: Gender and marital status comparisons. Social Psychology Quarterly, 55, 236–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, P. A. (2011). Gender, social engagement, and limitations in late life. Social Science & Medicine, 73, 1428–1435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, P. A. (2012). Trajectories of social engagement and mortality in late life. Journal of Aging and Health, 24, 547–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Crosnoe, R., & Reczek, C. (2010). Social relationships and health behavior across life course. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 139–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Utz, R. L., Carr, D., Nesse, R., & Wortman, C. B. (2002). The effect of widowhood on older adults’ social participation: An evaluation of activity, disengagement, and continuity theories. The Gerontologist, 42, 522–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vable, A. M., Subramanian, S. V., Rist, P. M., & Glymour, M. M. (2015). Does the “widowhood effect” precede spousal bereavement? Results from a nationally representative sample of older adults. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23, 283–292.

    Article  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 Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences, 53B, S313–S323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warner, L., Ziegelmann, J., Schüz, B., Wurm, S., Tesch-Römer, C., & Schwarzer, R. (2011). Maintaining autonomy despite multimorbidity: Self-efficacy and the two faces of social support. European Journal of Ageing, 8, 3–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrzus, C., Hänel, M., Wagner, J., & Neyer, F. J. (2013). Social network changes and life events across the life span: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 53–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • York Cornwell, E., & Waite, L. J. (2009). Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and health among older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50, 31–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zettel, L. A., & Rook, K. S. (2004). Substitution and compensation in the social networks of older widowed women. Psychology & Aging, 19, 433–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Benjamin Cornwell

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Edward O. Laumann

Authors
  1. Benjamin Cornwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Edward O. Laumann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin Cornwell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Duane F. Alwin

  2. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Diane H. Felmlee

  3. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Derek A. Kreager

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Cornwell, B., Laumann, E.O. (2018). Structure by Death: Social Network Replenishment in the Wake of Confidant Loss. In: Alwin, D., Felmlee, D., Kreager, D. (eds) Social Networks and the Life Course. Frontiers in Sociology and Social Research, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71544-5_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71544-5_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71543-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71544-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation