Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34969095›Full record

ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2022

Sole Family Survivors: Older Adults Lacking Family of Origin Kin.

Susan L Brown, Kagan A Mellencamp, I-Fen Lin

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. "Kinlessness," Social Connectedness, and Subjective Well-Being in Europe.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025
    Article
  3. Kinlessness at Older Ages: Prevalence and Heterogeneity in 27 Countries.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Susan L BrownDepartment of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3350-4160
Kagan A MellencampDepartment of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.
I-Fen LinDepartment of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9070-990X
Bowling Green State University · US

Funding

Computing and Data CoreP2CHD050959 · NICHD · BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY · PI BROWN, SUSAN L. · 2016 to 2021
$1.2M
NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD050959
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe introduced a unique form of kinlessness: sole family survivorship, which describes the lack of family of origin (i.e., biological parents and siblings) kin. This form of kinlessness may be particularly consequential for older adults who experience other forms of kinlessness (e.g., no spouse/partner or no children) as they are especially likely to have relied on their family of origin for support.

methodsData from the 1998-2014 Health and Retirement Study (N = 148,346 person-waves) were used to estimate the prevalence of sole family survivorship among adults aged 55 and older and men and women aged 55-74 and 75+. Variation in prevalence levels of sole family survivorship across sociodemographic characteristics, health indicators, and family factors were also estimated. Finally, we tracked cohort trends in sole family survivorship.

resultsMore than 1 in 10 adults aged 55+ were sole family survivors and this figure rose to more than 1 in 4 among those aged 75+. Adults with no spouse/partner and no children were especially likely to be sole family survivors, meaning they face a double burden of kinlessness. DISCUSSION: Sole family survivorship represents the culmination of loss of multiple, lifelong kin ties. It is more common among those lacking other close kin, signaling the presence of a uniquely vulnerable group of older adults who experience multiple forms of kinlessness. Future research should address how older adults and society at large adapt to kinlessness to ensure successful aging.

Indexed as

AgingFamilyAgedFemaleHumansMaleSurvivorsCohortDeathGenderKinlessnessMarital status

Identifiers

PMID34969095
PMCPMC9071394
OpenAlexW4205886947

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.