Social isolation from extended family members and friends among African Americans: Findings from a national survey

Taylor, Robert Joseph; Taylor, Harry Owen; Chatters, Linda M.

doi:10.1080/10522158.2016.1181127

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Finally, older persons who report being subjectively socially isolated (i.e., not feeling emotional close to family and friends) will report being objectively socially isolated. This is consistent with previous research which has indicated that levels of affection with members of social networks are associated with the levels of interaction with them [ 21 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…These variables were then combined into a single four-category pattern variable reflecting the respondents who were (1) objectively isolated from both family and friends, (2) objectively isolated from family only, (3) objectively isolated from friends only, or (4) not objectively isolated from family and friends. This approach provides a more nuanced assessment of objective social isolation and permitted us to examine source-specific patterns of objective social isolation [ 21 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, family relationships are obligatory, based on notions of family responsibility and duty, and as a result, may entail issues of emotional ambivalence. Finally, given specific affinities and personal similarities found in friend relationships, friends provide different forms of support and interactions (e.g., confidant) than do family members [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Correlates of Objective Social Isolation from Family and Friends among Older Adults

et al. 2018

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This study examined the correlates of objective social isolation from extended family members and friends among older adults. The analysis is based on the older adult sub-sample of the National Survey of American Life (n = 1321). Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined race/ethnicity, demographics, functional health and family and friend network factors as correlates of objective isolation from family and friends. Only 4.47% of respondents were objectively isolated from both their extended family and friends, 10.82% were isolated from their friends, and 7.43% were isolated from their family members. Men were more likely to be objectively isolated from both family and friends and older adults who live with others were significantly more likely to be objectively isolated from their friends. When controlling for subjective social isolation, the two measures of functional health were significantly associated with objective social isolation. In particular, higher levels of self-care impairment decreased the risk of being objectively isolated from friends only, whereas higher mobility impairment was associated with an increased likelihood of being objectively isolated from friends only. Subjective evaluations of social isolation from family and friends were consistently associated with being objectively isolated from family and friends. There were no significant differences between African-Americans, Black Caribbeans and non-Hispanic Whites in objective isolation. These and other findings are discussed in detail.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Correlates of Objective Social Isolation from Family and Friends among Older Adults

et al. 2018

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“…The mechanism of this finding is not known, and necessitates additional research. Literature has connected social isolation and lack of social support to a wide range of health problems such as depression, chronic disease, and poor self-rated health [95,96,97,98,99]. This finding is important because social isolation is common among AA older adults [96,99].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obesity and Polypharmacy among African American Older Adults: Gender as the Moderator and Multimorbidity as the Mediator

Assari

Wisseh

Bazargan

2019

IJERPH

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Despite high prevalence of obesity and polypharmacy among African American (AA) older adults, little information exists on the associations between the two in this population. This study explored the association between obesity and polypharmacy among AA older adults who were residing in poor urban areas of South Los Angeles. We also investigated role of gender as the moderator and multimorbidity as the mediator of this association. In a community-based study in South Los Angeles, 308 AA older adults (age ≥ 55 years) were entered into this study. From this number, 112 (36.4%) were AA men and 196 (63.6%) were AA women. Polypharmacy (taking 5+ medications) was the dependent variable, obesity was the independent variable, gender was the moderator, and multimorbidity (number of chronic medical conditions) was the mediator. Age, educational attainment, financial difficulty (difficulty paying bills, etc.), income, marital status, self-rated health (SRH), and depression were the covariates. Logistic regressions were used for data analyses. In the absence of multimorbidity in the model, obesity was associated with higher odds of polypharmacy in the pooled sample. This association was not significant when we controlled for multimorbidity, suggesting that multimorbidity mediates the obesity-polypharmacy link. We found significant association between obesity and polypharmacy in AA women not AA men, suggesting that gender moderates such association. AA older women with obesity are at a higher risk of polypharmacy, an association which is mainly due to multimorbidity. There is a need for screening for inappropriate polypharmacy in AA older women with obesity and associated multimorbidity.

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“…This resulting variable had four categories: (a) objectively isolated from both family members and friends, (b) objectively isolated from family only, (c) objectively isolated from friends only, or (d) not objectively isolated from family and friends. This operationalization has the advantage of assessing interactions involving both family and friends and provides a more comprehensive perspective on social isolation (Taylor, Taylor, & Chatters, 2016).…”

Section: Key Independent Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Isolation, Depression, and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults

et al. 2016

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Purpose of the Study To investigate the impact of objective and subjective social isolation from extended family members and friends on depressive symptoms and psychological distress among a national sample of older adults. Design and Methods Data for older adults (55 years and above) from The National Survey of American Life (N = 1439) was used to assess level of objective social isolation and subjective social isolation and to test regression models examining their impact on depressive symptoms (CES-D scale) and psychological distress (Kessler 6 scale). Results The majority of respondents were not socially isolated from family or friends; 5% were objectively isolated from family and friends and less than 1% were subjectively isolated from family and friends. Regression analyses using both social isolation measures indicated that objective social isolation was unrelated to depressive symptoms and psychological distress. However, subjective social isolation from both family and friends and from friends only was associated with more depressive symptoms and subjective social isolation from friends only was associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Implications Assessments of social isolation among older populations should account for both subjective and objective dimensions, as well as both family and friend social networks. Social isolation from friends is an important, but understudied issue that has significant consequences for older adult mental health.

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Social isolation from extended family members and friends among African Americans: Findings from a national survey

Cited by 33 publications

References 41 publications

Correlates of Objective Social Isolation from Family and Friends among Older Adults

Correlates of Objective Social Isolation from Family and Friends among Older Adults

Obesity and Polypharmacy among African American Older Adults: Gender as the Moderator and Multimorbidity as the Mediator

Social Isolation, Depression, and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults

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