Social network type and subsequent cognitive health among older Europeans

Abstract

Objectives: One’s personal social network constitutes a contextual framing factor for late-life cognitive function. This study examined the association between network type at baseline and changes in three cognitive measures: immediate recall, delayed recall, and fluency, two years hence, among Europeans aged 50 and older. Participants: Data were taken from Waves four and five of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe of adults aged 50 and above (N = 50,071). Measurements: The latent class analysis was applied to a set of criterion variables. The procedure yielded five distinct network types: multi-tie (6%), family-rich (23%), close-family (49%), family-poor (12%), and friend-enhanced (10%). The network types were then regressed on the cognition measures at follow-up, controlling for the respective baseline cognition scores, as well as for age, gender, education, self-rated health, mobility difficulty, and country. Results: Respondents in family-poor network types had poorer cognition scores at follow-up, compared to those in the modal close-family network, while those in multi-tie networks had consistently better scores. The family-rich network and the friend-enhanced network also had a somewhat better cognitive function. Conclusions: Having varied sources of network ties, e.g. friendship ties and/or several types of family relationships, is beneficial to the cognitive health of older adults over time. Networks based mainly on ties with relatives other than spouse and children, on the other hand, have poorer cognitive outcomes. Older people in this latter group face an increased risk for cognitive decline and should receive assistance in enhancing their interpersonal environments.

Physical distancing is related to fewer electronic and in-person contacts and to increased loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic among older Europeans

“…When examining social contacts, it is necessary to distinguish between contact with children and non-kin, both of which constitute central types of social ties of adults [ 23 , 24 ]. Contact with children is beneficial for well-being [ 24 ] and is related to lower loneliness among older adults [ 25 ].…”

The importance of social ties in later life

“…To support older people with "family poor" networks, the authors recommend mental health professionals to try to increase social involvement (Cohn-Schwartz et al, 2020). While we fully concur with this recommendation, we also suggest a realistic approach: for many of older persons with these networks, moving toward another network type will be extremely difficult.…”

“…This term points to the growing interesting in communal housing and co-housing projects, including intergenerational living arrangements. It is interesting to note that, in the Northern European context of the Netherlands, intergenerational living is seen as an "alternative household form", whereas in Southern Europe, this is a common way of living together (Cohn-Schwartz et al, 2020). We very much support the authors in their proposal to take on board household composition in future research on social networks and cognitive functioning.…”

“…Drawing on two waves of the Ageing, Health and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) survey, Cohn-Schwartz et al (2020) offer a systematic analysis of this relationship based on five network types retrieved by means of latent class analysis. The SHARE survey offers two compelling advantages.…”

“…In sum, although friend-oriented networks are related to better cognitive health, there is a need for future research to further explore and more systematically analyze how the benefits of social networks composed partly or mainly of friends can be maintained when the care needs grow stronger, especially in situations where cognitive decline occurs. In this respect, the authors rightly mention there can also be a reverse relationship between cognitive functioning and the functioning of social networks (Cohn-Schwartz et al, 2020). This area for future research would thus take up the challenge to understand informal care provided by friends in relation to the composition of people's social networks, and the trajectories through which people become (more) engaged in informal care (Lapierre and Keating, 2013).…”