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Lenford

Lenford Kasungu

Lecturer

Family Ties and Older Adult Well-Being: Incorporating Social Networks and Proximity

Published on: January 23, 2025

Original author: Sarah E. Patterson, et al. 2023 (doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbad139)

Family members are frontline supporters for older adults, including those institutionalized, because they affect older adults’ health and mortality. The demographic changes in family structures have led to fewer children, lower rates of marriages, and a higher rate of divorce cases in later life, leaving behind older adults kinless or without a partner and children. It has been argued that the possibility of poor physical and mental health, isolation, and community participation for kinless older adults is high. Kinless has been defined using various terms, including aging alone, solo agers, or elder orphans, to imply aging alone with little support. It has also been highlighted that the proximity and the extent of interactions with kin are essential aspects of family relationships and caregiving, as they determine whether older adults have their kin close and are a part of one’s life. Patterson and Margolis examined how family relationships are linked to mental health, social activity, and whether being without a family and unmet needs affect older adults’ well-being. The authors analyzed this study by comparing four types of family ties, including close, kinless, distanced, and disconnected. Methodology The study utilized pooled data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) 2015–2019, involving participants who were 65 years and older. The analyzed data of interest included mental health, social activity, family relationships, and unmet needs. The analyzed sample consisted of communal older adults, those in residential care and nursing homes, with a total of 24,818 person-years. The study analyzed data using multivariate OLS regressions to assess the relationship between family ties and mental health and social activity, adjusting for control variables. Results The study results established that family relationships affect older people’s well-being in the United States. The findings suggest that kinless older adults experience poor mental health and a lower social activity than those who are closer to their families. It was also observed that unmet needs for self-care, mobility, and household tasks were reported to be higher. Furthermore, the findings in the study on the disconnected older adults reported having experienced poor mental health and lower social activity, this accounted for those who lacked social network ties or location data for kin, while distanced older adults that resided far from their close families presented important disadvantages in mental health or social activity than those close to their kin. The study emphasizes the need for quality and strength in family ties as analyzed by proximity and social network inclusion for the benefit of the older adult’s well-being in terms of mental health and social activity. The findings also observed that unmet needs are connected to poor consequences; however, they do not indicate the link between family relationships and well-being. Conclusion The study analyzed family ties and observed various family relationships, or ties, of older adults in the United States and their impact on older adults’ well-being. It has been highlighted that as families continue to advance, scholars should endeavor to seize the scope of the family complexes, including the level of association that the older adults share with their close families, the care given, and where it is sourced, which is essential for the older adult’s well-being and how that impacts them. Impact of the research The study highlights the role of family ties in promoting mental and emotional health in older adults. It also demonstrates how social networks through friends may be especially important in later life, contributing to the reduction of loneliness and depression among older adults. Furthermore, it outlines how policies and community initiatives can be developed that seek to enhance the quality of life for the aging population. Keywords: Family structure, Kinless, Mental health, Social activity, unmet needs

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