Relocation Later in Life and Contact Frequency With Friends: Do Contact Modes Matter?

Abstract

We examined changes in the frequencies of in-person, telephone, and written or email contact with friends in older adults who move short or longer distances. 3820 adults aged 50 years or older were included from a nationally representative sample from the Health and Retirement Study. Using ordinal logistic regression, we found differential effects of geographical distances on the in-person, telephone, and write or email contact with friends. Specifically, in-person contact frequency was most sensitive to distance. Telephone contact frequency was only impacted by long-distance moves; however, email contact frequency was not influenced by distance. Findings suggest that the impact of relocation on contact frequency exists even though communication technology gives older adults flexibility in maintaining frequent contact with their friends. We discuss our findings through the lens of socioemotional selective theory and social convoy model. Future studies could examine factors linked to changes in the amount and modes of contact.

Social networks and the mental health among Chinese older adults: the mediating role of loneliness and moderating role of Internet use

“…At the same time, older people’s friendships are stable, and they are more concerned with the quality than the quantity of their friendships, preferring face-to-face interactions ( 78 , 79 ). They will only choose communication technology to stay in touch with close companions unless a long-distance relocation event occurs in later life ( 80 ). Additionally, Internet use did not moderate the relationship between loneliness and mental health, which may be directly related to loneliness and older people’s mental health.…”

Communication Modalities, Personality Traits, and Change in Perceived Control Over Social Life Following Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Americans

“…Change in Social Contact Communication Modalities. Social contact communication, assessed in both 2016 and 2020, included four modes of social contact: (a) in-person meetings, (b) telephone calls, (c) written letters or e-mails, and (d) social media communication (Cho & Smith, 2022;Smith et al, 2017). Each communication modality was operationalized as the average frequency of contact for three social relationship types: children, other family members, and friends.…”

“…As older adults are typically less familiar with technology than their younger adult counterparts (Hunsaker & Hargittai, 2018), they may find it more difficult to engage in digital communication when face-to-face interactions are restricted. A recent study focused on U.S. older adults documented that social contact communication modes were impacted by relocation distances even though asynchronous contact gives older adults flexibility (Cho & Smith, 2022). Additional research is needed to understand the impact of communication modalities on perceived control among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”