Tracking Egocentric Social Network Change Across Three Rounds of National Survey Data

Social network intervention to improve blood pressure control after stroke: The TEAMS-BP randomized clinical trial

Social connections play an important role in predicting health outcomes after a stroke. In the context of clinical medicine, a social network theory proposes that each patient is embedded in a personal social network of interpersonal connections that provide social support, information, and behavioral cues. However, the effectiveness of activating and harnessing supportive personal social networks remains uncertain, particularly within healthcare situations where individualism prevails. As an initial step towards developing interventions for healthier social networks in clinical practice, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in stroke survivors. This trial compared a network intervention versus individual counseling for 3 months with the aim of lowering blood pressure after stroke. Over 2 years, we recruited 45 stroke survivors, with 24 assigned to the network intervention and 21 to the individual counseling group. Results indicated no significant difference in the primary outcome of absolute systolic blood pressure difference over 3 months between the two groups. However, subgroup analyses revealed that patients within small and close-knit networks, known as high constraint networks, who received the network intervention had a significantly larger reduction in blood pressure than patients within large and open, low constraint, networks. The study's findings are preliminary due to dropout rates in both arms, and variable engagement of network members in the intervention arm. Nevertheless, our results suggest the potential of leveraging social networks to enhance health outcomes in specific subgroups of stroke survivors, highlighting avenues for further research and intervention development. Clinical Trial Unique Identifier: NCT05258890.

All in the family? Understanding differences in the kin-centricity of older US adults' core discussion networks from classic age, period, and cohort table estimates

Panel data have generated several insights about changes in kin relationships, yet few studies examine these shifts across multiple dimensions of time simultaneously. In this paper, we use data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N=5,269) in classic lexis tables to examine age, period, and cohort differences in the kin-centricity of older adults' core discussion networks. We estimate population averages in discussion network size, range, kin composition, and kin co-residency across ages and periods. Results indicate that older adults' core discussion networks have become larger, more diverse, and less kin-centric over time. Comparisons of fit statistics across nested models indicate that period and age effects explain most of these changes. Our findings add nuance to concerns about a growing crisis of social isolation, suggesting that declines in core discussion network kin-centricity may be accompanied by the maintenance or addition of more alternative, non-kin close ties in later life.

Loneliness and Expanding Social Ties in Later Life: Motivation, Perceived Success, and Implications for Emotional Health

OBJECTIVES

Social networks undergo changes in later life, reflecting proactive decreases as well as increases in size, but relatively little is known about the factors that motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Loneliness might be expected to motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Paradoxically, however, studies of younger age groups have linked loneliness to a self-protective reluctance to initiate social contact. The current study investigated whether loneliness fosters or inhibits older adults' efforts to expand their social ties and whether successful efforts are related to gains in emotional health.

METHODS

Loneliness, motivation to expand social ties, and emotional health were assessed in a subset of older participants (N = 375) from the Later Life Study of Social Exchanges.

RESULTS

Greater loneliness was associated with less interest, less investment of effort, and less success in making new ties and rekindling dormant ties. Nonetheless, lonelier older adults who expanded their social ties, particularly by rekindling dormant ties, exhibited some gains in emotional health over a 1-year period.

DISCUSSION

Greater attention to the role of loneliness in older adults' motivations for making new ties or rekindling dormant ties will broaden our understanding of social network changes in later life.

Advances and innovations in methods for collecting egocentric network data

This article reviews recent methodological research that bears on the collection of egocentric network data. It begins with background on setting egocentric network boundaries and principal types of instruments that obtain information about such networks. It then discusses innovations in data collection and studies of data quality. The bulk of these address questions about "name generator" instruments that obtain information about the alters and relationships in a subject's network. Among topics receiving substantial attention in recent research are mitigation of respondent burden, interviewer effects, survey mode, and the performance of name generators in longitudinal studies. Potentially fruitful innovations supplement conventional question-and-answer surveys with visual elements that promise to better engage respondents and reduce the demands that name generator-based data collection poses. We close by highlighting both accomplishments of this body of research and some open issues.

Associations between trajectories of social participation and functional ability among older adults: Results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Introduction

Functional ability (FA) and social participation (SP) are important indicators of healthy aging, both their trajectories are heterogeneous. It is little known about how the SP trajectories affects FA trajectories.

Methods

FA was assessed by 20 items covering the ability of meeting basic needs and mobility. SP was assessed by frequency of participating in 10 social activities. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to identify the trajectories of FA and SP of the participants.

Results

Two FA trajectories were identified: low baseline-decline tendency (16.1%) and high baseline-stable tendency (83.9%) trajectories. Two SP trajectories were also identified: low baseline-stable tendency (58.5%) and high baseline-increase tendency (41.5%) trajectories. After controlling for the potential covariates, participants among the high baseline-increase tendency SP trajectory group also had significantly higher odds ratios to be belonged in high baseline-stable tendency FA trajectory group (ORs = 2.64, 95%CI = 1.98-3.05).

Conclusions

High-increasing social participation had a protective effect to maintain high baseline-stable tendency functional ability among older adults. These findings suggest social participation appears to have great benefits on promoting healthy aging in China.

Detecting Risk of Neglect in NSHAP Round 3 Using New Follow-Up Questions to Activities of Daily Living Measures

OBJECTIVES

Elder neglect is a type of elder abuse wherein an older adult's basic needs remain unmet through negligence. The risk of neglect and its harmful consequences coincides with the need for care that arises with difficulties completing activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). In this paper, we describe how new questions included in Round 3 (2015-2016) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP-R3) can help detect the risk of elder neglect.

METHODS

Based on the 2,340 respondents who indicated problems with at least one ADL or IADL, we categorized respondents as at a higher risk of neglect if they were either: (a) not getting wanted help (WANTHELP) or (b) getting help from an undependable caregiver (UNRELIABLE). We tested the external validity of these indicators by examining their association with NSHAP-R3 measures of physical and mental health, personal hygiene, home tidiness, social support, and elder mistreatment, using t tests and chi-square tests.

RESULTS

Those labeled higher neglect risk based on the WANTHELP variable showed significantly worse self-rated physical health, personal hygiene, room tidiness, mental health, partner support, family support, and elder mistreatment. The same correlates were significantly associated with higher neglect risk based on the UNRELIABLE variable, except for self-rated physical health, personal hygiene, and room tidiness.

DISCUSSION

Findings suggest that these new measures can be useful for identifying NSHAP respondents who are at risk of types of neglect that can be associated with having I/ADL limitations.