The moderating role of social network size in the temporal association between formal social participation and mental he
- PDF / 949,355 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 29 Downloads / 229 Views
ORIGINAL PAPER
The moderating role of social network size in the temporal association between formal social participation and mental health: a longitudinal analysis using two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Ziggi Ivan Santini1 · Paul E. Jose2 · Ai Koyanagi3,4 · Charlotte Meilstrup1 · Line Nielsen1 · Katrine R. Madsen1 · Carsten Hinrichsen1 · Robin I. M. Dunbar5 · Vibeke Koushede6 Received: 15 April 2020 / Accepted: 23 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Introduction Previous studies have shown that engaging in formal social participation may protect against declining mental health, but social network size (the number of close social ties a person has) may moderate the relationship. We assessed the potential moderating role of social network size using longitudinal data. Methods Nationally representative data from two consecutive waves (2011, 2013) of the SHARE survey were analyzed. The data consisted of 38,300 adults from 13 European countries aged 50 years and older in 2011. Measures pertaining to formal social participation, social network size, quality of life, and depression symptoms were used. Multivariable linear regression models were conducted. Results The majority of participants (over 70% of the sample) had a social network size of four or less close social ties. We identified significant moderations in both models. Individuals with relatively few close social ties may have benefitted from formal social participation both in terms of reductions in depression symptoms and increases in quality of life, while formal social participation among those with many social ties did not appear to be beneficial, and may even to some extent have been detrimental. Conclusions Declines in mental health specifically among those with relatively few close social ties could potentially be prevented through the promotion of formal social participation. It is possible that such strategies could have a greater impact by specifically targeting individuals that are otherwise socially isolated. High levels of formal participation among those with relatively many close social ties may not be pragmatically beneficial. Keywords Social participation · Social network · Quality of life · Depression · Aging
Introduction Poor mental health is a leading contributor to the burden of disease in Europe as well as around the world, with depression now being the single leading cause of global disability [1]. Widespread agreement exists that mental health status strongly influences physical health, and that Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01961-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Ziggi Ivan Santini [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
mental health should be a key consideration in changing the general health status of a community or population [2]. The total cost of poor mental health in Europe has been
Data Loading...
