Browsing by Subject "Social relationships"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Do subjective or objective cognitive measures better predict social network type among older adults?
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022) Roth, Adam R.; Peng, Siyun; Coleman, Max E.; Apostolova, Liana G.; Perry, Brea L.; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    A large literature highlights the link between cognitive function and social networks in later life. Yet there remains uncertainty about the factors driving this relationship. In the present study, we use measures of subjective cognitive decline and clinical cognitive assessments on a sample of older adults to investigate whether the relationship between cognitive function and social networks is driven by psychosocial factors. We found a consistent link between clinical cognitive assessments and social network type, but no association between subjective concerns of cognitive decline and networks. Participants who exhibited signs of clinical cognitive impairment were more likely to have restricted networks (i.e., smaller networks consisting of fewer contacts, more interconnectivity, and less social diversity) compared to their cognitively normal counterparts, regardless of subjective measures of cognitive decline—both from the participant’s perspective and study partner’s perspective. These findings suggest that neither cognitively impaired older adults nor their network members appear to consciously dissolve social ties on the basis of perceived cognitive decline. However, it remains unclear whether the association between clinical cognitive impairment and social network type indicates the protective nature of social networks against cognitive decline or a subconscious process leading to social contraction.
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    Social Relationships, Gender, and Recovery From Mobility Limitation Among Older Americans
    (Oxford University Press, 2015-09) Latham, Kenzie; Clarke, Philippa J.; Pavela, Greg; Department of Sociology, IU School of Liberal Arts
    OBJECTIVES: Evidence suggests social relationships may be important facilitators for recovery from functional impairment, but the extant literature is limited in its measurement of social relationships including an over emphasis on filial social support and a paucity of nationally representative data. METHODS: Using data from Waves 4-9 (1998-2008) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this research examines the association between social relationships and recovery from severe mobility limitation (i.e., difficulty walking one block or across the room) among older Americans. Using a more nuanced measure of recovery that includes complete and partial recovery, a series of discrete-time event history models with multiple competing recovery outcomes were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Providing instrumental support to peers increased the odds of complete and partial recovery from severe mobility limitation, net of numerous social, and health factors. Having relatives living nearby decreased the odds of complete recovery, while being engaged in one's neighborhood increased the odds of partial recovery. The influence of partner status on partial and complete recovery varied by gender, whereby partnered men were more likely to experience recovery relative to partnered women. The effect of neighborhood engagement on partial recovery also varied by gender. Disengaged women were the least likely to experience partial recovery compared with any other group. DISCUSSION: The rehabilitative potential of social relationships has important policy implications. Interventions aimed at encouraging older adults with mobility limitation to be engaged in their neighborhoods and/or provide instrumental support to peers may improve functional health outcomes.
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    Societal Participation of People With Traumatic Brain Injury Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A NIDILRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study
    (Elsevier, 2023) Venkatesan, Umesh M.; Adams, Leah M.; Rabinowitz, Amanda R.; Agtarap, Stephanie; Bombardier, Charles H.; Bushnik, Tamara; Chiaravalloti, Nancy D.; Juengst, Shannon B.; Katta-Charles, Sheryl; Perrin, Paul B.; Pinto, Shanti M.; Weintraub, Alan H.; Whiteneck, Gale G.; Hammond, Flora M.; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine
    Objective: To examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on societal participation in people with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Cross-sectional retrospective cohort. Setting: National TBI Model Systems centers, United States. Participants: TBI Model Systems enrollees (N=7003), ages 16 and older and 1-30 years postinjury, interviewed either prepandemic (PP) or during the pandemic (DP). The sample was primarily male (72.4%) and White (69.5%), with motor vehicle collisions as the most common cause of injury (55.1%). Interventions: Not applicable. Main outcome measure: The 3 subscales of the Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective: Out and About (community involvement), Productivity, and Social Relations. Results: Out and About, but not Productivity or Social Relations, scores were appreciably lower among DP participants compared to PP participants (medium effect). Demographic and clinical characteristics showed similar patterns of association with participation domains across PP and DP. When their unique contributions were examined in regression models, age, self-identified race, education level, employment status, marital status, income level, disability severity, and life satisfaction were variably predictive of participation domains, though most effects were small or medium in size. Depression and anxiety symptom severities each showed small zero-order correlations with participation domains across PP and DP but had negligible effects in regression analyses. Conclusions: Consistent with the effect of COVID-19 on participation levels in the general population, people with TBI reported less community involvement during the pandemic, potentially compounding existing postinjury challenges to societal integration. The pandemic does not appear to have altered patterns of association between demographic/clinical characteristics and participation. Assessing and addressing barriers to community involvement should be a priority for TBI treatment providers. Longitudinal studies of TBI that consider pandemic-related effects on participation and other societally linked outcomes will help to elucidate the potential longer-term effect the pandemic has on behavioral health in this population.