Structure and drivers of social networks and their links with health in older adults

Social network is an important factor in promoting healthy aging. However, the mechanisms linking social capital to health are complex. Moreover, most of the social network analysis studies on older adults consider only participants’ relationships and not how these relationships are themselves connected. In this study, we went further than current ego-centered network studies by determining global social network metrics and the structure of relationships among older adult participants of the RECORD Cohort using the Veritas-Social questionnaire. The aim of this study is to identify key dimensions of social networks of older adults, and to evaluate how these dimensions relate to depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and well-being. Using Principal Component Analyses (PCA), we identified four social network dimensions with psychological meanings. Dimension 1 (homophily) was positively linked with perceived accessibility to services in one’s residential neighborhood but negatively linked with the level of study. Dimension 2 (social integration) as Dimension 3 (social support) was only linked to the number of people living with ego. Dimension 4 was linked with perceived accessibility to local services. Finally, and rather surprisingly, we found that none of the four network dimensions, even the degree, was linked to the three health status metrics.