ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2019
Social Relationships and Salivary Telomere Length Among Middle-Aged and Older African American and White Adults.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social support and telomere length: a meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Social Interactions and Cell Aging Dynamics in Postpartum Women.Biological research for nursing · 2026Article
- Molecular markers, mechanisms and metrics of biological aging: a scoping review.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- The advantages of seeing the silver lining: how valuing emotions moderates the link between ambivalent ties and daily health.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- An emotional support model in aging families: linking interaction patterns to positive mental health through social activity engagement and aging attitudes.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Social Statuses, Quality of Social Relationships, and Self-Esteem Among Older Adults in Canada: Resource Multiplication or Substitution?Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2024Article
- Inequities in the Impacts of Hurricanes and Other Extreme Weather Events for Cancer Survivors.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2024Review
- Positive social factors prospectively predict younger epigenetic age: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2023Article
- Intrusive social support among Black and White individuals with type 2 diabetes: A "Control issue" or a sign of "Concern and love"?PloS one · 2023Article
- Maternal Psychological Resilience During Pregnancy and Newborn Telomere Length: A Prospective Study.The American journal of psychiatry · 2021Article
- Coming up short: Comparing venous blood, dried blood spots & saliva samples for measuring telomere length in health equity research.PloS one · 2021Article
- Does Telomere Length Indicate Biological, Physical, and Cognitive Health Among Older Adults? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2018Article
- Does Salivary Telomere Length Explain Race/Ethnic Differences in Aging?Biodemography and social biologyArticle
- Marital Quality and Salivary Telomere Length Among Older Men and Women in the United States.Journal of aging and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesA common mechanism underlying premature morbidity may be accelerated biological aging as reflected by salivary telomere length (STL). This study examined the extent to which social relationships, both positive and negative, can be protective or confer risk relative to biological aging.
methodData from the Health and Retirement Study and multiple regression were used to examine cross-sectional associations between STL, self-reported social support, and negative interaction (e.g., conflict, criticism) with family in a nationally representative sample of African American and non-Hispanic White middle-aged and older adults (N = 4,080).
resultsSocial support from family was associated with shorter STL. Negative interaction with family had no main effect on STL but interactions characterized by high social support and more frequent negative interactions were associated with longer STL. Negative interaction with family was negatively associated with STL for African Americans and Whites but the magnitude of the effect was greater for African Americans. DISCUSSION: Study findings highlight the role of social relationships in physiological deterioration among middle-aged and older adults and identify a potential mechanism whereby race is linked to accelerated biological aging. Findings highlight the importance of considering positive and negative aspects of social relationships to understand the consequences of social connections for cellular aging in diverse populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.