The Impact of Living Alone on the Relationship Between Social Resources and Physical and Psychological Well-being in the Elderly. Physical and Psychological Well-being in the Elderly.

Abstract

Despite a great deal of research, empirical findings regarding the relationships between social resources and well-being, to a great extent, remain inconclusive. Part of the problem arises because study populations are treated as a single undifferentiated group. Although groups may be differentiated along many lines, the primary goal of this dissertation is to focus on differences in living arrangements. It is proposed that the relationship between social resources and well-being will vary depending upon whether an older person lives alone or lives with others. Greater insight into this issue is facilitated by: (1) assessing multiple dimensions of social relationships; and (2) by examining the impact of income, education, and gender on the relationships among social relationships, living arrangements, and well-being. Viewed broadly, the findings reveal that living arrangements matter and that maintaining high social contact with others is more likely to enhance the well-being of those who live alone than those living with others. The results also suggest that the interaction of education and age with living arrangement plays a role in self-reported well-being. Specifically, less education was related to greater satisfaction within each living arrangement at baseline, with those living alone who have 16 or more years of education the least satisfied of all. Older individuals within each living arrangement, compared to younger individuals, were not only significantly more satisfied at baseline assessment; they also experienced a difference in their rate of change over time. With increasing numbers of older adults living alone projected in the future along with increasing estimated costs of their health care, developing interventions to halt or reduce the progression of disease and disability should be a major public health priority. Results of this study suggest that interventions that focus on bolstering the social support systems available to older adults and increasing contacts with others can result in increased well being, especially for those who live alone.