IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eujoag/v16y2019i2d10.1007_s10433-018-0486-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social networks and social activities promote cognitive functioning in both concurrent and prospective time: evidence from the SHARE survey

Author

Listed:
  • Silvana Miceli

    (University of Palermo)

  • Laura Maniscalco

    (University of Palermo)

  • Domenica Matranga

    (University of Palermo)

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the role of social activities, social networks as well as socioeconomic status (SES) in influencing some aspects of cognitive functioning (immediate and delayed verbal recall tests and semantic verbal fluency) in elderly people over time. This analysis was conducted on a sample of 31,954 healthy elderly people (58% female, mean age 65.54 ± 9.74) interviewed in both the fourth and sixth waves of the Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), in 2011 and 2015. A structural equation model with measurement component was used to assess the relationship between cognitive function, social life and SES over time. Multilevel ordinal logistic regression was applied to explain satisfaction with social network in relation to different types of social network across countries. Being equipped with good cognitive skills did not seem to be predictive of their maintenance over time (latent coefficient = 0.24, p value = 0.34). On the contrary, the subject’s social and participatory life, understood as satisfying one’s social network and engaging in diversified non-professional social activities, seemed to play a crucial role in the maintenance of cognitive functions in the elderly (latent coefficient = 3.5, p value = 0.03). This research suggests that a socially active and participatory lifestyle mitigates the effects of the physiological process of brain aging.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvana Miceli & Laura Maniscalco & Domenica Matranga, 2019. "Social networks and social activities promote cognitive functioning in both concurrent and prospective time: evidence from the SHARE survey," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 145-154, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:16:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s10433-018-0486-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-018-0486-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10433-018-0486-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10433-018-0486-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melissa K Andrew & Arnold B Mitnitski & Kenneth Rockwood, 2008. "Social Vulnerability, Frailty and Mortality in Elderly People," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(5), pages 1-8, May.
    2. Ross Andel & Merril Silverstein & Ingemar Kåreholt, 2015. "The Role of Midlife Occupational Complexity and Leisure Activity in Late-Life Cognition," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 70(2), pages 314-321.
    3. Wim Groot & Henriëtte Brink & Bernard Praag, 2007. "The Compensating Income Variation of Social Capital," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 82(2), pages 189-207, June.
    4. Berkman, Lisa F. & Glass, Thomas & Brissette, Ian & Seeman, Teresa E., 2000. "From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 843-857, September.
    5. Groot, Wim & Maassen van den Brink, Henriette & van Praag, Bernard M. S., 2006. "The Compensating Income Variation of Social Capital," IZA Discussion Papers 2529, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Allin, S. & Masseria, C. & Mossialos, E., 2009. "Measuring socioeconomic differences in use of health care services by wealth versus by income," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(10), pages 1849-1855.
    7. Marja J. Aartsen & Carolien H. M. Smits & Theo van Tilburg & Kees C. P. M. Knipscheer & Dorly J. H. Deeg, 2002. "Activity in Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 57(2), pages 153-162.
    8. Zhenmei Zhang & Danan Gu & Mark D. Hayward, 2008. "Early Life Influences on Cognitive Impairment Among Oldest Old Chinese," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 63(1), pages 25-33.
    9. William Michael Brown & Nathan S. Consedine & Carol Magai, 2005. "Altruism Relates to Health in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 60(3), pages 143-152.
    10. Katherine L. Fiori & Toni C. Antonucci & Kai S. Cortina, 2006. "Social Network Typologies and Mental Health Among Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(1), pages 25-32.
    11. Eikemo, Terje Andreas & Bambra, Clare & Judge, Ken & Ringdal, Kristen, 2008. "Welfare state regimes and differences in self-perceived health in Europe: A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(11), pages 2281-2295, June.
    12. Mariska Horst & Hilde Coffé, 2012. "How Friendship Network Characteristics Influence Subjective Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 107(3), pages 509-529, July.
    13. Maria Vozikaki & Manolis Linardakis & Katerina Micheli & Anastas Philalithis, 2017. "Activity Participation and Well-Being Among European Adults Aged 65 years and Older," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 769-795, March.
    14. Cleon Tsimbos, 2010. "An assessment of socio-economic inequalities in health among elderly in Greece, Italy and Spain," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 55(1), pages 5-15, February.
    15. Y. Chan & Rance Lee, 2006. "Network Size, Social Support and Happiness in Later Life: A Comparative Study of Beijing and Hong Kong," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 87-112, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rossella Miglio & Chiara Puglisi & Rosella Rettaroli & Giulia Roli & Francesco Scalone, 2024. "Frailty in Europe: the role of social networks and activity participation," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 78(2), pages 185-196, April-Jun.
    2. Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt & Sören Möller, 2021. "The Reciprocal Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Health and the Influence of Sex: A European SHARE-Analysis Based on Structural Equation Modeling," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-13, May.
    3. Dorota Szcześniak & Marta Lenart-Bugla & Błażej Misiak & Anna Zimny & Marek Sąsiadek & Katarzyna Połtyn-Zaradna & Katarzyna Zatońska & Tomasz Zatoński & Andrzej Szuba & Eric E. Smith & Salim Yusuf & J, 2022. "Unraveling the Protective Effects of Cognitive Reserve on Cognition and Brain: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-12, September.
    4. Yang, Yulin & Huang, Rui & Grol-Prokopczyk, Hanna & Torres, Jacqueline M., 2022. "Social network change after new-onset pain among middle-aged and older European adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    5. Domenica Matranga & Laura Maniscalco, 2022. "Inequality in Healthcare Utilization in Italy: How Important Are Barriers to Access?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-14, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Byoung-Jin Jeon & Kang-Hyun Park, 2022. "The Impact of Social Network Characteristics on Health among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Korea: Application of Social Network Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-9, March.
    2. Child, Stephanie T. & Lawton, Leora E., 2020. "Personal networks and associations with psychological distress among young and older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    3. John Stanley & Janet Stanley, 2023. "Improving Appraisal Methodology for Land Use Transport Measures to Reduce Risk of Social Exclusion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Rainer Winkelmann, 2009. "Unemployment, Social Capital, and Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 421-430, August.
    5. Liping Ye & Xinping Zhang, 2021. "The association mechanism between social network types and health‐related behaviours among the elderly in rural Hubei Province, China," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 826-846, May.
    6. Nagamani Subramanian & M. Suresh, 2022. "Social Sustainability Factors Influencing the Implementation of Sustainable HRM in Manufacturing SMEs," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 469-507, December.
    7. Qingsong Chang & Feng Sha & Chee Hon Chan & Paul S F Yip, 2018. "Validation of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale (“LSNS-6”) and its associations with suicidality among older adults in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-11, August.
    8. Ellwardt, Lea & Aartsen, Marja & Deeg, Dorly & Steverink, Nardi, 2013. "Does loneliness mediate the relation between social support and cognitive functioning in later life?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 116-124.
    9. Edward L. Glaeser & David I. Laibson & José A. Scheinkman & Christine L. Soutter, 2000. "Measuring Trust," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(3), pages 811-846.
      • Glaeser, Edward Ludwig & Laibson, David I. & Scheinkman, Jose A. & Soutter, Christine L., 2000. "Measuring Trust," Scholarly Articles 4481497, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    10. Maria C. Pereira & Filipe Coelho & Óscar Lourenço, 2017. "Who Feels Credit Constrained in Europe? The Role of Social Capital," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 380-405, July.
    11. Ellwardt, Lea & Van Tilburg, Theo G. & Aartsen, Marja J., 2015. "The mix matters: Complex personal networks relate to higher cognitive functioning in old age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 107-115.
    12. Khaksar, Seyed Mohammad Sadegh & Khosla, Rajiv & Chu, Mei Tai & Shahmehr, Fatemeh S., 2016. "Service Innovation Using Social Robot to Reduce Social Vulnerability among Older People in Residential Care Facilities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 113(PB), pages 438-453.
    13. Zhen Zhang & Jianxin Zhang, 2015. "Social Participation and Subjective Well-Being Among Retirees in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 143-160, August.
    14. Mendolia, Silvia & McNamee, Paul & Yerokhin, Oleg, 2018. "The Transmission of Mental Health within Households: Does One Partner's Mental Health Influence the Other Partner's Life Satisfaction?," IZA Discussion Papers 11431, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Carly Roman & Christopher R. Beam & Elizabeth Zelinski, 2022. "Psychosocial Outcomes of Age Integration Status: Do Age-Integrated Social Networks Benefit Older Adults?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-15, September.
    16. Li, Ting & Zhang, Yanlong, 2015. "Social network types and the health of older adults: Exploring reciprocal associations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 59-68.
    17. Shiovitz-Ezra, Sharon & Litwin, Howard, 2012. "Social network type and health-related behaviors: Evidence from an American national survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(5), pages 901-904.
    18. Goldman, Alyssa W., 2016. "All in the family: The link between kin network bridging and cardiovascular risk among older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 137-149.
    19. Holford, Angus & Pudney, Stephen, 2014. "Survey design and the determinants of subjective wellbeing: an experimental analysis," Understanding Society Working Paper Series 2014-06, Understanding Society at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    20. Cheung, Chau-kiu & Ng, Sik Hung, 2012. "Impacts of financial crisis on social engagement in Hong Kong," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 623-632.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:16:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s10433-018-0486-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.