Social Networks and Well-being in Late Life: A Study of Daily Mechanisms

 描述（由申请人提供）：强大的社交网络（例如，家庭、朋友和熟人）对老年人的情感、认知和身体健康产生积极影响。社会参与理论表明，与亲密关系和社会群体互动会导致有益于健康的日常活动。然而，在理解社交网络如何通过日常生活中的互动和行为来促进幸福方面仍然存在巨大的漏洞。不同的社会伙伴可发挥互补作用。这项拟议中的研究解决了三个重要问题：1）那些报告有更多社会关系的老年人在一天中是否参与了更多样化的社会互动？2)社会合作伙伴是否服务于不同的全球（例如，社会支持） 以及日常功能（例如，（一天中的活动和活动）。3)这些社交网络和活动的模式是否与日常和整体的幸福感有关？拟议的研究包括一个初步的采访，评估老年人（N = 300）的密切关系和福祉和日常过程的全球属性。这项研究将在四天的时间里使用最先进的数据收集模式：收集社会互动的自我报告 通过手持电脑，记录的对话（通过电子激活的录音，录音），和通过活动记录仪测量的身体活动。拟议的研究将解决老年人的社会，情感，认知和身体的经验，在以下三个目标：目标1将检查社会网络和社会伙伴在日常生活中遇到的报告之间的联系。报告拥有大型社交网络的个人可能每天都与其中一些社交伙伴互动，但也报告与他们不经常接触的社交伙伴有联系。该研究考虑了几种联系方式（电话、亲自、短信）。目标2将评估日常社会互动（包括关系类型，关系亲密度，各种互动）如何与日常认知，身体和情感体验相关联。功能主义的观点认为，不同的社会伙伴有不同的功能。目标3将研究社交网络、日常经历、日常幸福感和全球幸福感之间的关联。与各种社交伙伴互动可能对日常情绪和身体症状有益。我们还问是否日常活动（例如，谈话、身体活动）在社交网络和幸福感之间起中介作用。在目标中，我们将考虑社交网络和日常活动的相关性：社会经济地位（SES），性别和年龄。创新和影响：以前的研究主要依赖于亲密合作伙伴的自我报告。这项研究将提供一个新的调查，这些报告是如何与日常生活中的日常社会交往，身体活动和认知活动。研究人员已经记录了社会关系对健康的关键作用超过三十年，但拟议的研究将是第一个研究社会伙伴如何促进情感，身体和认知体验以及日常和全球福祉。这项研究为未来对这些参与者的纵向跟踪和旨在改善老年人社会生活的重要信息奠定了基础。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Strong social networks (e.g., family, friends, and acquaintances) exert positive effects on older adults' emotional, cognitive, and physical health. Social engagement theory suggests that interacting with close ties and social groups leads to everyday activities that benefit health. Yet, gaping holes remain in understanding how social networks foster well-being via interactions and behaviors in daily life. Different social partners may serve complementary functions. The proposed study addresses three important questions: 1) Do older adults who report a greater variety of social ties engage in more diverse social interactions throughout the day? 2) Do social partners serve distinct global (e.g., social support) and daily functions (e.g., conversations and physical activity throughout the day)? 3) Are these patterns of social networks and activities associated with daily and overall well-being? The proposed study includes an initial interview assessing global properties of close ties and well-being and daily processes among older adults (N = 300). The study will use cutting edge modes of data collection throughout the day over four days: self-reports of social interactions collected via handheld computers, recorded conversations (via electronically activated recordings, EAR), and physical activity measured via actigraphs. The proposed research will address older adults' social, emotional, cognitive, and physical experiences in the following three aims: Aim 1 will examine links between reports of the social network and social partners encountered in daily life. Individuals who report large social networks may interact with some of those social partners on a daily basis, but also report ties to social partners with whom they have infrequent contact. The study considers several modalities of contact (phone, in person, text). Aim 2 will assess how daily social interactions (incorporating relationship type, intimacy of tie, variety of interactions) are associated with daily cognitive, physical, and emotional experiences. A functionalist perspective suggests different social partners serve distinct functions. Aim 3 will examine associations between social networks, daily experiences, and daily well-being and global well-being. Interacting with a variety of social partners may be beneficial for daily mood, and physical symptoms. We also ask whether daily activities (e.g., conversations, physical activity) mediate associations between social networks and well-being. Across aims, we will consider correlates of social networks and daily activities: socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and age. Innovation and impact: Prior research has relied primarily on self-reports of close partners. This study will provide a novel investigation of how such reports are associated with daily social interactions, physical activity, and cognitive activity in everyday life. Researchers have documented the critical role of social ties on health for over three decades, but the proposed study will be the first to examine how social partners contribute to emotional, physical and cognitive experiences and to daily and global well-being. This study sets a stage for future longitudinal follow up of these participants and important information aimed at improving the social lives of older adults.