IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eujoag/v21y2024i1d10.1007_s10433-024-00799-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social network type contributes to purpose in life among older people, mediated by social support

Author

Listed:
  • Maryam Bakhshandeh Bavarsad

    (Massey University)

  • Christine Stephens

    (Massey University)

Abstract

A sense of Purpose in Life is an important aspect of ageing well which is related to older adult’s social relationships. Social network types and the different sources of support they provide are theorized here as a pathway to maintaining a sense of purpose as we age. The study utilized a population sample from the 2016 and 2020 NZ Health, Work, and Retirement (NZHWR) longitudinal survey waves; N = 2869 (mean age of 65.82 years (SD = 6.40). A structural equation model investigated the relationship between Social Network Type and Purpose in Life and the mediating role of Social Support. The final model had a good fit to the data and explained 33.7% of the variance in Purpose in Life. Private, Self-Contained and Family Dependent network types (2016) were negatively related to Purpose in Life 4 years later (2020). Support from sense of Attachment, Reassurance of Worth, Reliable Alliance and Social Integration played a mediating role between Social Network type and Purpose in Life. These findings highlight the importance of social networks in maintaining a sense of purpose among older adults and highlight pathways for the types of networks, and kinds of social support they offer, which contribute to a sense of purpose in life. They underscore the importance of social support for the well-being of older adults and highlight the need to consider the quality and type of social networks and support they provide, when designing interventions to enhance well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Maryam Bakhshandeh Bavarsad & Christine Stephens, 2024. "Social network type contributes to purpose in life among older people, mediated by social support," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:21:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-024-00799-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-024-00799-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10433-024-00799-w
    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/s10433-024-00799-w?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. 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.
    2. PV AshaRani & Damien Lai & JingXuan Koh & Mythily Subramaniam, 2022. "Purpose in Life in Older Adults: A Systematic Review on Conceptualization, Measures, and Determinants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-25, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Maria Pavlova & Rainer Silbereisen & Kamil Sijko, 2014. "Social Participation in Poland: Links to Emotional Well-Being and Risky Alcohol Consumption," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 117(1), pages 29-44, May.
    2. 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.
    3. Miranda L. Ritterman & S. Leonard Syme, 2009. "The importance of community development for health and well-being," Community Development Innovation Review, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue 3, pages 001-013.
    4. Monika Ardelt, 2016. "Disentangling the Relations Between Wisdom and Different Types of Well-Being in Old Age: Findings from a Short-Term Longitudinal Study," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 1963-1984, October.
    5. Vivian Welch & Elizabeth Tanjong Ghogomu & Victoria I. Barbeau & Elisabeth Boulton & Sabrina Boutin & Niobe Haitas & Dylan Kneale & Douglas M. Salzwedel & Roger Simard & Paul Herbert & Christopher Mik, 2022. "PROTOCOL: Digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults: An evidence and gap map," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(3), September.
    6. Eibich, Peter & Goldzahl, Léontine, 2021. "Does retirement affect secondary preventive care use? Evidence from breast cancer screening," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    7. Sirven, Nicolas, 2006. "Endogenous social capital and self-rated health: Cross-sectional data from rural areas of Madagascar," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(6), pages 1489-1502, September.
    8. Vonneilich, Nico & Lüdecke, Daniel & von dem Knesebeck, Olaf, 2020. "Educational inequalities in self-rated health and social relationships – analyses based on the European Social Survey 2002-2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    9. Patricia A Thomas & Debra Umberson, 2018. "Do Older Parents’ Relationships With Their Adult Children Affect Cognitive Limitations, and Does This Differ for Mothers and Fathers?," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(6), pages 1133-1142.
    10. Edmonds, Joyce K. & Hruschka, Daniel & Bernard, H. Russell & Sibley, Lynn, 2012. "Women’s social networks and birth attendant decisions: Application of the Network-Episode Model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 452-459.
    11. Nakagawa, Takeshi & Noguchi, Taiji & Komatsu, Ayane & Saito, Tami, 2022. "The role of social resources and trajectories of functional health following stroke," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    12. Tajvidi, Mina & Richard, Marie-Odile & Wang, YiChuan & Hajli, Nick, 2020. "Brand co-creation through social commerce information sharing: The role of social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 476-486.
    13. Lakon, Cynthia M. & Ennett, Susan T. & Norton, Edward C., 2006. "Mechanisms through which drug, sex partner, and friendship network characteristics relate to risky needle use among high risk youth and young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(9), pages 2489-2499, November.
    14. Chunshan Zhou & Jing Chen & Shaojian Wang, 2018. "Does Migrant Status and Household Registration Matter? Examining the Effects of City Size on Self-Rated Health," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, June.
    15. Howard Litwin & Michal Levinsky, 2022. "Does personality shape the personal social networks of older Europeans?," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 717-727, September.
    16. Shixian Luo & Jing Xie & Katsunori Furuya, 2021. "“We Need such a Space”: Residents’ Motives for Visiting Urban Green Spaces during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, June.
    17. Heffner, Kathi L. & Waring, Molly E. & Roberts, Mary B. & Eaton, Charles B. & Gramling, Robert, 2011. "Social isolation, C-reactive protein, and coronary heart disease mortality among community-dwelling adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1482-1488, May.
    18. Sarah Gibney & Mark E. McGovern & Erika Sabbath, 2013. "Social Relationships in Later Life: The Role of Childhood Circumstances," Working Papers 201319, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    19. Matthias Lühr & Maria K. Pavlova & Maike Luhmann, 2022. "Nonpolitical Versus Political Participation: Longitudinal Associations with Mental Health and Social Well-Being in Different Age Groups," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 865-884, February.
    20. Kondo, Naoki & Minai, Junko & Imai, Hisashi & Yamagata, Zentaro, 2007. "Engagement in a cohesive group and higher-level functional capacity in older adults in Japan: A case of the Mujin," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(11), pages 2311-2323, June.

    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:21:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-024-00799-w. 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.