ArticleBMC geriatrics2016
Understanding the value of social networks in life satisfaction of elderly people: a comparative study of 16 European countries using SHARE data.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed.
- Friend and Neighbor Ties among Unpartnered, Childless, and "Kinless" Older Adults in Europe.Population, space and place · 2026Article
- Socio-emotional well-being is associated with cognitive function and informant-rated cognitive decline: Results from the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol in Europe.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS · 2026Article
- Meaning in life and Parkinson's disease: Evidence from a 17-year study across 14 countries.Archives of gerontology and geriatrics · 2026Article
- Subjective model of successful aging and its determinants-analysis of a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- The Mediating Role of Health Empowerment in the Relationship Between Social Support and Loneliness Among Nursing Home Residents: A Correlational Study.Journal of advanced nursing · 2025Article
- Urban-Rural Disparities in Life Satisfaction Among Older Koreans: Determinants and Healthcare Policy Implications.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Social network and life satisfaction among elderly in the field practice area of tertiary care hospital Tamil Nadu.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- New Communication Technology and the Elderly: A Study on the Continuous Use of the Extreme Edition APP for Middle-Aged and Senior Citizens.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Qualities of Older Adults' Family and Friendship Relationships and Their Association with Life Satisfaction.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- A Scoping Review on the Opportunities for Social Engagement and Cognitive Frailty in Older Adults.Public health reviews · 2024Article
- The Relationship between Smartphone Use Motives, Social Capital, Digital Literacy, and Life Satisfaction in Elderly Koreans.Iranian journal of public health · 2023Article
- The Moderating Roles of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Religiosity on the Relationship between Social Networks and Flourishing: A Study on Community-Dwelling Widowed Older Adults in Malaysia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- The Individual and Combined Effects of Social Networks and Loneliness on Life Satisfaction among Community-Dwelling Residing Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The impact of social-relationship patterns on worsening mental health among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Hungary.SSM - population health · 2023Article
- Understanding the associations between the number of close friends and life satisfaction: Considering age differences.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- The role of social networks in prognostic understanding of older adults with advanced cancer.Patient education and counseling · 2023Article
- The Impact of Changing Social Support on Older Persons' Onset of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom.The Gerontologist · 2022Article
- Genetic, Social, and Lifestyle Drivers of Healthy Aging and Longevity.Current genetic medicine reports · 2022Article
- The importance of social participation for life satisfaction among spouse caregivers aged 65 and over.Health & social care in the community · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundNetworks of family and friends are a source of support and are generally associated with higher life satisfaction values among older adults. On the other hand, older adults who are satisfied with their life may be more able to develop and maintain a wider social network. For this reason, the causal link between size and composition of the social networks and satisfaction with life is yet to be explored. This paper investigates the effect of the 'size', (number of family and friends, and network) and the 'composition' (the proportion of friends over total number of persons) of the social network on life satisfaction among older adults (50+). Moreover, we also investigate the patterns of this relation between different European countries.
methodData from the 4
resultsRespondents in Western and Northern European (WNE) countries report larger networks than respondents in Eastern and Southern European (ESE) countries. However, the positive relationship between network size and life satisfaction is consistent across countries. On the other hand, the share of friends in the network appears to be generally negatively related to satisfaction with life, though results are not statistically significant for all countries.
conclusionsApparently, a larger personal network is important for older adults (50+) to be more satisfied with life. Our results suggest that this relation is particularly positive if the network is comprised of family members.
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