ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2023
Family Ties and Older Adult Well-Being: Incorporating Social Networks and Proximity.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Quality of relationships among the oldest old in Germany-an examination of the association with depressive symptoms and loneliness].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2026Article
- Article
- Identifying the interactive pathways shaping health satisfaction among Chinese older adults with tourism participation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Friend Caregivers Among Older Adults.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Latent profiles of fear of falling and their determinants among community-dwelling older adults with sarcopenia: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Chronic disease multimorbidity and mental health among older adults in China: The moderating roles of family and social support.PloS one · 2026Article
- Evolution of shared care networks by race and ethnicity: findings from the National Health and Aging Trends Study.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- The Strength of Long-Distance Ties for Aging Healthy With HIV: The Case of Rural South Africa.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Characterizing complex care relationships in Canada using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Parent-Child Disconnectedness and Older European Adults' Mental Health: Do Patterns Differ by Marital Status and Gender?The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- "Kinlessness," Social Connectedness, and Subjective Well-Being in Europe.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Kinship Structures for Left Behind Older Adults in High Outmigration Contexts: Evidence From Puerto Rico.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Family Structure and Unmet Care Needs Among Older Adults With and Without Dementia in the United States.The Gerontologist · 2025Article
- Confidants and Caregivers: Network Multiplexity and Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024Article
- A Phenomenological Study of Nursing Home Residents' Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThis paper examines the family ties of older adults in the United States and how they are associated with mental health and social activity. We compare older adults with 4 types of family ties: adults "close" to family in proximity and social network, "kinless" older adults without a partner or children, "distanced" adults who live far from close kin, and "disconnected" older adults who do not report kin in their social network or do not report a location for some kin.
methodsUsing pooled data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study 2015-2019 for older adults aged 70 and older (N = 24,818 person-waves), we examine how family ties are associated with mental health and social activity, and whether lacking family is tied to poor well-being because older adults' needs are not being met.
resultsKinless older adults and disconnected older adults have poorer outcomes (lower mental health scores and less social activity), compared to those close to their family. These findings suggest that both the presence and quality of the connection, as measured here via both location and social network, are critical for understanding which older adults are "at risk." Older adults who were not geographically proximate to their close kin (i.e., distanced) were not disadvantaged relative to those close to their families. Unmet needs do not help explain these patterns. DISCUSSION: Our results highlight that family ties are important for older adults well-being, not just through their existence but also their quality and strength.
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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.