Unmarried older people: Are they socially better off today?

Objectives. Previous studies have shown that unmarried older adults are generally at disadvantage in personal networks and social well-being compared to the married. It can be questioned whether their situation has improved in contemporary society, as amongst others the stigma of divorce and being never-married has declined. We hypothesize differential developments in networks and well-being according to marital status (married, widowed, divorced and never-married) across birth cohorts. Method. Data are from the 1993 and 2013 observations of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam on Dutch people aged 55-69 (N = 2,894) and 70-84 years (N = 2,317). We employ general linear modelling of network size and diversity, received emotional and instrumental support, emotional and social loneliness, and depressive symptoms. Results. The widowed are better off socially in 2013 than in 1993. Similar to the divorced they have a larger network, and similar to the never-married they receive more emotional support and are less emotional lonely. We find some gender-differences in these developments. Discussion. Societal change has not radically altered networks and well-being of unmarried older people. The widowed seem to benefit most, possibly because they are better able to retain relationships after widowhood

The mix matters:Complex personal networks relate to higher cognitive functioning in old age

Stronger engagement of older adults in social activities and greater embeddedness in networks is often argued to buffer cognitive decline and lower risks of dementia. One of the explanations is that interaction with other people trains the brain, thereby enhancing cognitive functioning. However, research on the relationship between personal networks and cognitive functioning is not yet conclusive. While previous studies have focused on the size of personal networks as a proxy of cognitive stimulation, little attention has been paid to the complexity of the personal network. Adults embedded in a broad range of network relationships (i.e., various relationship types) are likely to be exposed to a wider range of stimuli than adults embedded in a homogeneous network including similar relationship types. We expect that higher numbers of personal relationship types rather than a higher number of similar contacts relate to higher levels of cognitive functioning and slower cognitive decline. Data are from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) and include 2959 Dutch participants aged 54 to 85 at baseline in 1992 and six follow-ups covering a time span of twenty years. Cognitive functioning is assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and for network complexity we use the Social Network Index. We test our expectations using fixed-effects regression models. The results reveal that a reduction in network complexity is associated with a reduction in cognitive functioning, which is neither explained by size of the network nor by presence of specific relationship types. However, enhanced complexity has only a marginal buffering effect on decline in cognitive functioning. We conclude that network characteristics and cognitive functioning are intertwined and that their association is mostly cross-sectional in nature. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Participation narratives of Third Age adults:Their activities, motivations and expectations regarding civil society organisations

Third Age adults leaving the labour market are not only armed with broad experience and multiple competencies but also find themselves free of professional obligations while still physically sound. The general theory of Third Age of Laslett sheds a new light on characteristics of ageing adults and their role in society. They are able to engage in society in ways inaccessible to previous generations of older adults. According to Laslett, combining a myriad personal strengths and being free of professional obligations they are challenged to make Third Age a time of personal development by making choices of engagement and civic contribution. To enlighten these issues, this qualitative study focuses on how and under what conditions 23 Third Agers invest their strengths in unpaid societal and social participation. Their narratives reveal three types of involvement: holistic, inhibited and social consumerist. The holistic pattern and, to a lesser extent, the inhibition pattern meet the expectations of Laslett about the Third Age. The social consumerist pattern, on the other hand, rather refers to disengagement. These observations imply that to facilitate the societal engagement and social participation of this population, civil society organisations need to rethink their goals, activities and procedures

Age and Gender Identity in the Relationship Between Minority Stress and Loneliness:A Global Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adults

Loneliness is prevalent among sexual minority adults and is associated with minority stress. Yet there is limited understanding of how loneliness and minority stress vary across key demographic variables. This cross-sectional study explored age and gender differences in a minority stress model linking sexual orientation marginalization to social and emotional loneliness via proximal stress (internalized homonegativity, concealment, and stigma preoccupation) and via social anxiety and inhibition. The study also assessed age and gender differences in the protective influence of LGBTQ community involvement. 7,856 sexual minority adults from 85 countries completed an online survey. They were categorized as emerging adults (18−24, n = 3,056), young adults (25−34, n = 2,193), midlife adults (35−49, n = 1,243), and older adults (50−88, n = 1,364). Gender identity groups were cisgender men (n = 4,073), cisgender women (n = 3,017), and transgender individuals (n = 766). With each successive age group, there was a lower prevalence of sexual orientation marginalization, proximal stress, social anxiety, inhibition, and emotional loneliness, along with more community involvement. Sexual orientation marginalization was more pronounced among cisgender women and, especially, transgender individuals. The latter also exhibited the most social anxiety, inhibition, loneliness, and community involvement. Proximal stress was more prevalent among cisgender men than cisgender women and transgender individuals. Multiple group structural equation modeling supported the applicability of the loneliness model across age and gender groups, with only a few variations; these mainly related to how strongly community involvement was linked to marginalization, internalized homonegativity, and social loneliness.</p

Age and Gender Identity in the Relationship Between Minority Stress and Loneliness:A Global Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adults

Loneliness is prevalent among sexual minority adults and is associated with minority stress. Yet there is limited understanding of how loneliness and minority stress vary across key demographic variables. This cross-sectional study explored age and gender differences in a minority stress model linking sexual orientation marginalization to social and emotional loneliness via proximal stress (internalized homonegativity, concealment, and stigma preoccupation) and via social anxiety and inhibition. The study also assessed age and gender differences in the protective influence of LGBTQ community involvement. 7,856 sexual minority adults from 85 countries completed an online survey. They were categorized as emerging adults (18−24, n = 3,056), young adults (25−34, n = 2,193), midlife adults (35−49, n = 1,243), and older adults (50−88, n = 1,364). Gender identity groups were cisgender men (n = 4,073), cisgender women (n = 3,017), and transgender individuals (n = 766). With each successive age group, there was a lower prevalence of sexual orientation marginalization, proximal stress, social anxiety, inhibition, and emotional loneliness, along with more community involvement. Sexual orientation marginalization was more pronounced among cisgender women and, especially, transgender individuals. The latter also exhibited the most social anxiety, inhibition, loneliness, and community involvement. Proximal stress was more prevalent among cisgender men than cisgender women and transgender individuals. Multiple group structural equation modeling supported the applicability of the loneliness model across age and gender groups, with only a few variations; these mainly related to how strongly community involvement was linked to marginalization, internalized homonegativity, and social loneliness.</p

Stronger feelings of loneliness among Moroccan and Turkish older adults in the Netherlands:A search for an explanation

Eenzaamheid komt vaker voor onder ouderen van Marokkaanse en Turkse herkomst dan van Nederlandse herkomst. Twee verklaringen voor dit verschil zijn onderzocht. (1) Het concept en de meting verschillen tussen de herkomstgroepen. (2) Migranten verkeren in een kwetsbare situatie. Er is gebruik gemaakt van gegevens van de Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Interviews zijn gehouden met 176 mensen geboren in Marokko en 235 geboren in Turkije, in de leeftijd van 55–66 jaar, en wonend in stedelijke wijken. Gemiddeld migreerden zij 35 jaar geleden. Zij zijn vergeleken met een steekproef van 292 ouderen die, evenals hun ouders, geboren zijn in Nederland. De analyses laten zien dat de psychometrische eigenschappen van de eenzaamheidsschaal bevredigend zijn. Voor enkele items is er systematische vertekening. Migrantenouderen hebben meer sociale contacten, maar participeren minder, zijn minder tevreden over hun inkomen, ervaren minder regie en hebben een slechtere gezondheid waaronder een groter aantal depressieve symptomen. Als rekening wordt gehouden met deze verschillen halveert het verschil in eenzaamheid met Nederlandse ouderen. De ervaringen vanuit migratie en als minderheid in Nederland versterken waarschijnlijk hun gevoelens van eenzaamheid. Interventies moeten zich niet richten op het verbeteren van sociaal contact, maar bijvoorbeeld op het versterken van het ervaren van een sociaal gewaardeerde rol en het vermijden van negatieve interpretaties. The prevalence of loneliness among Turkish- and Moroccan-Dutch older adults is higher than among Dutch older adults of non-migrant origin. Two explanations may account for this difference. (1) The meaning of the concept may differ, or there is differential item functioning. This might result in scores that not only differ in intensity but also in meaning across groups. (2) The position of older migrants is much more vulnerable than of non-migrant older people. Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used to examine support for both explanations. Feelings of loneliness are explored among 176 people born in Morocco and 235 people born in Turkey, aged 55–66 years, and living in urban areas. They migrated on average 35 years ago to the Netherlands. They are compared with a matched sample of 292 older people of Dutch origin. The psychometric properties of the loneliness scale are satisfying, although there is some differential item functioning. Older migrants have more frequent social contacts, but are at a disadvantage in other domains. Taking into account differences in social participation, satisfaction with their income, mastery and depressive symptoms, the difference between older migrants’ and non-migrants’ loneliness is reduced to more than half. Being an older migrant and belonging to a minority might further contribute to feelings of loneliness. Interventions should not be directed at stimulating social contact, but rather, for example, at enhancing the appreciation of their social status and at avoiding negative interpretations of the situation