Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov 3;58(6):1109-1113.
doi: 10.1093/geront/gnx151.

Influence of the Social Network on Married and Unmarried Older Adults' Mental Health

Jeffrey E Stokes  1 , Sara M Moorman  2
Affiliations

Influence of the Social Network on Married and Unmarried Older Adults' Mental Health

Jeffrey E Stokes et al. Gerontologist. .

Abstract

Purpose of the study: In later life, adults' social networks grow smaller through a combination of intentional selection and involuntary loss. This study examined whether older adults who lack a high-quality marriage compensate for this using support from other ties. We analyzed how relationships with family and friends are associated with depressive symptoms across multiple marital statuses.

Design and methods: Data from 3,371 older adults who participated in the most recent wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression.

Results: Individuals in high-quality marriages experienced fewer depressive symptoms than the widowed, never married, divorced/separated, and those in lower-quality marriages. Older adults' perceived family support, family strain, and friend strain were all significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The only difference in these effects according to marital status was for perceived family support, which was strongest for the never married.

Implications: The never married may depend more on family and friends than the previously or unhappily married. Any compensation efforts among the latter failed to reduce depressive symptoms relative to happily married others. Older adults in high-quality marriages benefit from their marital relationship, and also benefit from supportive family and friend ties.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Depressive Symptoms by Marital Status and Level of Perceived Family Support.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bock J. O., Hajek A., Weyerer S., Werle J., Wagner M., Maier W.,…, König H. H. (2017). The impact of depressive symptoms on healthcare costs in late life: Longitudinal findings from the AgeMooDe study. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(2), 131–141. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2016.10.011 - PubMed
    1. Blieszner R., & Roberto K. A (2004). Friendship across the life span: Reciprocity in individual and relationship development. In F. Lang & K. L. Fingerman (Eds.), Growing together: Personal relationships across the life span (pp. 159–182). New York: Cambridge University Press.
    1. Carstensen L. L. Isaacowitz D. M. & Charles S. T (1999). Taking time seriously. A theory of socioemotional selectivity. The American psychologist, 54 (3), 165–181. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.54.3.165 - PubMed
    1. Hawkins D. N., & Booth A (2005). Unhappily ever after: Effects of long-term, low-quality marriages on well-being. Social Forces, 84 (1), 451–471. doi:10.1353/sof.2005.0103
    1. Isaacowitz D. M., Smith T. B., & Carstensen L. L (2003). Socioemotional selectivity and mental health among trauma survivors in old age. Ageing International, 28 (2), 181–199. doi:10.1007/s12126-003-1023-7

Publication types