Family Status and Health Behaviors: Social Control as a Dimension of Social Integration

Umberson, Debra

doi:10.2307/2136848

Cited by 1,045 publications

(815 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…There are socially shared expectations about proper behaviour of fathers. We therefore argue that fatherhood pressures men to set a proper example for their children (Umberson, 1987). The final mechanism concerns sources of daily stress/joy.…”

Section: Theoretical Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Life Outcomes of Childless Men and Fathers

Keizer¹,

Dykstra²,

Poortman³

2009

European Sociological Review

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Using data from the first wave of the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS) for 1,451 men aged 40-59 we examine the impact of permanent childlessness. We extend on previous work by focusing on partnership history as a possible explanation for differences between childless men and fathers. Our results show that the impact of childlessness is weaker than we had expected. Many initial differences between childless men and fathers are attributable to differences in their partnership history. Nevertheless, childless men differ from resident fathers regarding their community involvement, their level of income and their satisfaction with life. Childless men differ from nonresident fathers with respect to their income and work hours. Theoretical and societal implications of our findings are discussed.

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Section: Theoretical Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Life Outcomes of Childless Men and Fathers

Keizer¹,

Dykstra²,

Poortman³

2009

European Sociological Review

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“…Hence, particularly in old age, the spouse or intimate partner is likely to become a relatively stronger source of social support. Therefore, among the measures of social integration, having a partner becomes especially protective for older adults, as spousal influence encourages health-promoting behaviors and deters health-compromising behaviors (Umberson 1987;Rook 1990).…”

Section: Social Integration and Social Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical activity intervention in older adults: does a participating partner make a difference?

et al. 2011

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Social integration and social support are expected to facilitate the adoption and maintenance of physical activity. In the context of a physical activity intervention, we distinguished three partner status groups, serving as an indicator of social integration. It was hypothesized that individuals whose partner also participated in the intervention, as opposed to individuals whose partners did not participate, or individuals without an intimate partner, would benefit more in terms of their physical activity. In a second step, a differential prediction pattern of social support on physical activity for each of the three partner status groups was investigated. The study involved 302 men and women (aged 60-95 years) and included two measurement points in time: A baseline assessment with a leaflet intervention to foster physical activity, and a 4-week

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“…Researchers typically attribute the widowhood effect to the difference between the salubrious qualities of marriage and the detrimental consequences of widowhood (Elwert & Christakis, 2006). While married spouses benefit from emotional support, spousal promotion of healthy behavior (Umberson, 1987(Umberson, , 1992, economic stability (Lillard & Waite, 1995;Trovato, 1991), and possibly superior health care utilization (Iwashyna & Christakis, 2003;Umberson, Wortman, & Kessler, 1992), bereaved individuals typically lose these benefits. The strongest effect of widowhood are found soon after bereavement (Elwert & Christakis, 2006;Martikainen & Valkonen, 1996a), possibly because of the imposition of burdens such as coping with the stress of watching and caring for a partner who is dying (Christakis & Allison, 2006), coming to terms with the emotional burden of bereavement, adjusting to new social roles and daily routines, and developing functional substitutes for the health benefits of marriage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals

Subramanian

Elwert

Christakis

2008

Social Science & Medicine

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The effect of death of a spouse on the mortality of the survivor (the "widowhood effect") is wellestablished. We investigated how the effect of widowhood on mortality depends on the neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals in the United States. We developed a large, nationally representative, and longitudinal dataset from Medicare claims and other data sources characterizing 200,000 elderly couples, with nine years of follow-up (1993-2002), and estimated multilevel grouped discrete-time hazard models. In neighborhoods with a low concentration of widowed individuals, widowhood increased the odds of death for men by 22% and for women by 17%, compared to 17% for men, and 15% for women in neighborhoods with a high concentration of widowed individuals. Our findings suggest that neighborhood structural contexts -that provide opportunities for interacting with others and favoring new social engagements -could be potential modifiers of the widowhood effects and as such requires more systematic consideration in future research of widowhood effects on well-being and mortality.

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Family Status and Health Behaviors: Social Control as a Dimension of Social Integration

Cited by 1,045 publications

References 34 publications

Life Outcomes of Childless Men and Fathers

Life Outcomes of Childless Men and Fathers

Physical activity intervention in older adults: does a participating partner make a difference?

Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: The modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals

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