Close social ties and health in later life: Strengths and vulnerabilities.

Abstract

The world is aging at an unprecedented rate, with older adults representing the fastest growing segment of the population in most economically developed and developing countries. This demographic shift leaves much uncharted territory for researchers who study social relationships and health. Social relationships exert powerful influences on physical health in later adulthood, a critical consideration given age-related increases in the prevalence of chronic health conditions and physical disability. A large body of research indicates that older adults report greater satisfaction with their social networks than do younger adults, and that they often take measures to minimize their exposure to negative social encounters. These emotionally satisfying and generally positive social ties afford some health protection against a backdrop of mounting physical limitations and play an important role when juxtaposed with the potentially health-damaging frictions that sometimes emerge in older adults’ social relationships. Although most older adults report that they are satisfied with their social ties, some older adults experience frequent conflicts or ambivalent exchanges with members of their social networks, and these experiences detract from their health. Additionally, many older adults will experience the loss of one or more close relationships during the course of their lives, with ramifications for their health and, often, for the reorganization of their social lives over time. Understanding how both the strengths and vulnerabilities of close social relationships affect health and well-being in later life is an important goal, particularly in view of the accelerating rate of population aging worldwide.

Age as double‐edged sword among victims of customer mistreatment: A self‐esteem threat perspective

“…That is, older people tend to increasingly prefer to regulate themselves through internal changes rather than acting upon others or the environment (Heckhausen & Schulz, 1995). Consistent with this line of thinking, research has shown that older workers preferentially engage in problem-focused active coping (Hertel, Rauschenbach, Thielgen, & Krumm, 2015) and tend to respond to conflict with less outward responses (Diehl et al, 1996;Rook & Charles, 2017). Where younger adults may feel compelled to externalize their reactions to self-esteem threat-in ways that may be detrimental to service delivery-older adults may opt to manage reactions internally, preserving performance in the process.…”

“…As people age, they report feeling more hurt by social rejection (Cheng & Grühn, 2015) yet, nevertheless, respond less negatively to social rejection (Charles & Carstensen, 2008) and unpleasant social interactions (Luong & Charles, 2014). Generally, as people grow older, their emotion regulation performance tends to improve (Doerwald et al, 2016; see also Blanchard-Fields, 2007), and they are less likely to externalize and lash out at interpersonal conflict (Diehl, Coyle, & Labouvie-Vief, 1996;Rook & Charles, 2017). At the same time, people experience more distress as they age when their social needs are not met (Ong, Rothstein, & Uchino, 2012), and their physiological recovery from stress also becomes impaired as biological aging sets in (Wrzus, Müller, Wagner, Lindenberger, & Riediger, 2014).…”

Leveraging the power of mutual aid, coalitions, leadership, and advocacy during COVID-19.

“…Scholars have indicated, however, that systemic changes to address health disparities cannot be achieved without the collaboration of multiple partners and systems (Kazak et al, 2010), the political will to change the national discourse (Crowley, Supplee, Scott, & Brooks-Gunn, 2019), and the commitment to engage in intersectoral antipoverty, health, and economic justice initiatives (Bullock, 2019). Although previous public health, education, and justice systems literature has addressed the importance of addressing social determinants of health to improve the quality of life and well-being of diverse communities across the life span (Chen, Brody, & Miller, 2017;Pietromonaco & Collins, 2017;Rook & Charles, 2017), additional literature in the field of psychology is needed on the urgent need for systemic change to improve the psychological health outcomes of individuals living in underprivileged conditions (Solar & Irwin, 2010). In line with the World Health Organization's (2011) conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health (SDH), the authors use the terms marginalized, disadvantaged, and underprivileged to refer to individuals who due to their lower position in the U.S.'s social hierarchy, experience higher exposure and vulnerability to health-compromising conditions such as COVID-19.…”

Individual Differences in Habitual Social Goals and Daily Well–Being: The Role of Age and Relationship Closeness

“…In addition, older adults prioritize emotion‐regulation goals (Carstensen et al, ), partly because––as discussed earlier––negative emotions that are elicited through negative social interactions detract from older people's well‐being and health (Rook & Charles, ). This development might render social avoidance goals in peripheral social relationships more beneficial as people age.…”