Social relationships and survival in the older adult cohort

Abstract

Objective: to verify the influence of social relations on the survival of older adults living in southern Brazil. Method: a cohort study (2008 and 2016/17), conducted with 1,593 individuals aged 60 years old or over, in individual interviews. The outcomes of social relations and survival were verified by Multiple Correspondence Analysis, which guided the proposal of an explanatory matrix for social relations, the analysis of survival by Kaplan-Meier, and the multivariate analysis by Cox regression to verify the association between the independent variables. Results: follow-up was carried out with 82.5% (n=1,314), with 46.1% being followed up in 2016/17 (n=735) and 579 deaths (36.4%). The older adults who went out of their homes daily had a 39% reduction in mortality, and going to parties kept the protective effect of 17% for survival. The lower risk of death for women is modified when the older adults live in households with two or more people, in this case women have an 89% higher risk of death than men. Conclusion: strengthened social relationships play a mediating role in survival. The findings made it possible to verify the importance of going out of the house as a marker of protection for survival.

The Relationship Between Social Isolation and Mortality Among Adults Aged 50 and Older in a 12-year Follow-Up Analysis in Mexico

“…Regarding the structural aspects of social relationships, De Brito et al (2017) found that people with a relatively wide social network (i.e., nine or more people) had less risk of dying. Soares et al (2021) found that people with social interactions beyond the household—going outside and attending parties—were more likely to survive. In addition, Santini et al (2015) showed the importance of the size of the social network as well as its features.…”

“…In the Latin American context, small social networks (fewer than nine members [de Brito et al, 2017]) and a lack of diversity of social networks can be detrimental to the survival of older people, particularly when the network is confined to the family, although not when it is diversified (Santini et al, 2015). Conversely, social interaction beyond the household protects against mortality risk (Soares et al, 2021). The current panorama underscores the need to generate evidence in a country like Mexico, with distinctive features of strong and close ties among the elderly and their relatives, friends, and other members of the community, all of which represents a source of coexistence and support (Fuller-Iglesias & Antonucci, 2016; Guzmán et al, 2003).…”

Thwarted Belongingness Hindered Successful Aging in Chinese Older Adults: Roles of Positive Mental Health and Meaning in Life

“…Researchers have emphasized the importance of relationships for quality of life in aging by stating that social interaction can promote the exchange of feelings capable of enhancing or mitigating the offer and receipt of assistance related to health maintenance ( Soares et al, 2021 ). Conversely, negative social interaction and interpersonal conflict often have a great impact on older adults’ psychological well-being ( Hupkens et al, 2018 ; Lee et al, 2022 ).…”

Síndrome Do Ninho Vazio: Experiências De Idosos Integrantes Da Universidade Da Maturidade Do Amapá

“…No Sul do Brasil, um estudo sobre as influências das relações sociais na sobrevivência dos idosos, mostrou que as interações sociais fortalecidas são marcadores de sobrevivência, portanto, a solidão é um preditor de mortalidade para esse grupo (21) .…”