ArticleSocial science & medicine (1982)2024
Social connectedness, functional capacity, and longevity: A focus on positive relations with others.
Article in Social science & medicine (1982), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- How spousal, friend, and family ties predict health: Within- and between-person effects across 16 years.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2026Article
- A Prospective Study of the Association Between School Connectedness in Adolescence and Social Connection in Adulthood.The Journal of school health · 2026Article
- Social participation and subjective well-being among older adults: item-level evidence and screening potential in an East Asian aging society.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Combating social determinants with collective weapons: Social identities and health inequalities in male Portuguese Veterans.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2026Article
- Longevity, Centenarians, and Lifestyle: Any ''Tips'' to Live Longer?Current nutrition reports · 2026Review
- The role of neighbourhood-level sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics on the physical activity of people with COPD.ERJ open research · 2025Article
- The protective power of social connectedness: Individual vs. community influences on psychological distress in middle-aged Black adults.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2025Article
- Salutogenesis for thriving nations: Sense of coherence and longevity across income strata.SSM - population health · 2025Article
- Positive social relations, loneliness, and immune system gene regulation.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Article
- Multidimensional Religiousness and Spirituality Are Associated With Lower Interleukin-6 and C-Reactive Protein at Midlife: Findings From the Midlife in the United States Study.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
rationaleA large literature links social connectedness to health, but there is growing recognition of considerable nuance in the ways social connectedness is defined, assessed, and associated with health.
objectiveThis study centers on positive relations with others - a measure derived from philosophical notions of the components of a "good life" - and the extent to which it predicts functional limitations and mortality using data from the national, longitudinal Mid-Life in the United States (MIDUS) study. We also assess whether these associations are independent of two common measures of social connectedness: social integration and social support.
methodsData on social connectedness came from the first wave of MIDUS (1994-1996), self-reported functional limitations were from the first (MIDUS 1) and third (MIDUS 3; 2013-2014) waves, and mortality data through 2022 were obtained from the National Death Index.
resultsLinear regression analyses showed that higher scores on positive relations with others predicted significantly less increase in functional limitations over time, and logistic regression models showed reduced probability of onset of functional limitations between MIDUS 1 and MIDUS 3 in those scoring higher on positive relations with others. Mortality was also significantly lower in those with higher scores on positive relations with others. All models adjusted for demographic and health characteristics, and all associations were robust to the inclusion of social integration and social support in the models.
conclusionsThese results show that positive relations with others, a component of a well-lived life that describes sustained investment in social relationships that are mutual and trusting, is associated with two key health outcomes in aging adults: functional limitations and longevity. That these associations are independent of social integration and social support suggests a unique role for this formulation of social connectedness in the health of aging adults.
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.