ArticleThe American psychologist2017
Close social ties and health in later life: Strengths and vulnerabilities.
Article in The American psychologist, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
78 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Older Adults' Social Relationships and Dental Visits: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Gerodontology · 2026Pooled it
- The concept of vulnerability in aged care: a systematic review of argument-based ethics literature.BMC medical ethics · 2022Pooled it
- Psychological and Social Factors Associated with Coexisting Frailty and Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review.Research on agingPooled it
- Novelty-seeking and directed exploration scale with dissociable social network outcomes and brain systems in older adults.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Life after loss: gendered changes in social networks and community participation around widowhood.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Day-to-day associations between social interaction valence and awareness of age-related change.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- A Daily Diary Study of Positive Experiences and Alcohol Use Among Non-Abstaining Adults Aged 50+ Years.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Sex-specific associations between loneliness and hair cortisol among older African American adults.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Article
- Determinants of social health in later life: the roles of family integration, social participation, and psychosocial well-being.Frontiers in sociology · 2026Article
- Associations between community social capital and posttraumatic growth among older survivors 11 years after a natural disaster.American journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Examining Longitudinal Relationships between Social Support and Strain in Relationships with Children and Older Adults' Cognitive Functioning.Journal of health and social behavior · 2025Article
- 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
- Psychological distress across 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic differs by age and by race/ethnicity.Journal of traumatic stress · 2025Article
- Understanding the Role of Social Negativity in Perceived Life Course Impact and Mental Health Among Women with Endometriosis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Sustained Purpose in Life is Associated With Slower Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis With a Diverse National Sample.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Gambling in Older Adulthood: Longitudinal Associations Between Stressful Life Events, Individual, and Social Factors.Journal of gambling studies · 2025Article
- Empathy is associated with older adults' social behaviors and verbal emotional expressions throughout the day.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The relationship between ambivalence over the expression of emotions and somatic symptoms among Iranian long-distance and geographically close partners: The mediating role of emotional suppression.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Living Near Contamination: The Impacts on Personal Well-Being.Applied research in quality of life · 2025Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The world is aging at an unprecedented rate, with older adults representing the fastest-growing segment of the population in most economically developed and developing countries. This demographic shift leaves much uncharted territory for researchers who study social relationships and health. Social relationships exert powerful influences on physical health in later adulthood, a critical consideration given age-related increases in the prevalence of chronic health conditions and physical disability. A large body of research indicates that older adults report greater satisfaction with their social networks than do younger adults, and that they often take measures to minimize their exposure to negative social encounters. These emotionally satisfying and generally positive social ties afford some health protection against a backdrop of mounting physical limitations and play an important role when juxtaposed with the potentially health-damaging frictions that sometimes emerge in older adults' social relationships. Although most older adults report that they are satisfied with their social ties, some older adults experience frequent conflicts or ambivalent exchanges with members of their social networks, and these experiences detract from their health. In addition, many older adults will experience the loss of one or more close relationships during the course of their lives, with ramifications for their health and, often, for the reorganization of their social lives over time. Understanding how both the strengths and vulnerabilities of close social relationships affect health and well-being in later life is an important goal, particularly in view of the accelerating rate of population aging worldwide. (PsycINFO Database Record
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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.