Differential Benefits of Volunteering Across the Life Course

Willigen, Marieke Van

doi:10.1093/geronb/55.5.s308

Cited by 627 publications

(534 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…12,57,59,60 Most studies report on the psychological and social benefits of volunteering, 12 although there is some research that demonstrates associations between volunteering and physical indicators of health. Volunteering has positive associations with perceived health, 61 life satisfaction, 62 positive mood 12 and reduced mortality levels among older adults. 63,64 A meta-analysis of 37 largely crosssectional studies found that older adult volunteers had higher wellbeing than older non-volunteers.…”

Section: Volunteering and Health Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social participation as an indicator of successful aging: an overview of concepts and their associations with health

Douglas¹,

Georgiou

Westbrook

2017

Aust. Health Review

275

219

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Objectives. Social participation has generated a wealth of research in gerontology, but the concept suffers from a lack of conceptual clarity that renders it difficult to define and measure. This means that research on social participation is difficult to compare directly. The aim of the present study was to draw the literature on social participation in older adults together to inform health services researchers seeking to investigate social participation as an indicator of successful aging.Methods. A narrative review of studies investigating the association between social participation and health in adults aged 65 years and older was conducted.Results. Three concepts of social participation (i.e. social connections, informal social participation and volunteering) were defined, their measurement instruments described and evidence of their associations with health explored. All three concepts have demonstrated associations with an array of health indicators. Prospective studies reveal that social participation at baseline is positively associated with mental and physical health. Conclusion.A model of social participation on health is presented, showing the evidence that all three concepts contribute to the association between social participation and health through their shared mechanisms of social support and social cohesion with the wider community. Using an instrument that can be separated into these three distinct concepts will assist health services researchers to determine the relative effect of each form of participation on the health of older adults.What is known about the topic? Social participation has generated a wealth of research in gerontology. The scope of the literature on social participation is broad and the concepts diverse. For this reason, most previous systematic reviews have been unable to comprehensively assess the effect of all concepts of social participation on health. This means the research on social participation is difficult to compare directly, and indicators of social participation in older adults are difficult for policy makers to select. What does this paper add? This paper overviews the three concepts of social participation, their methods of measurement and their associations with health in older adults. We present a model of social participation that incorporates all three concepts of social participation and their effects on health. We argue that the use of a measure that can be segmented into each of the three forms of social participation will predict more of the variance in health outcomes than any measure on its own. What are the implications for practitioners? Enhancing the social participation of older adults is a key factor in successful aging that many older adults value. However, many service provision organisations tend to focus on meeting the specific physical needs of clients, rather than targeting services that connect older adults with their community. Targeting social participation may present one of the greatest opportunities to improve older adults'...

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Section: Volunteering and Health Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social participation as an indicator of successful aging: an overview of concepts and their associations with health

Douglas¹,

Georgiou

Westbrook

2017

Aust. Health Review

275

219

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, it has been found that formal volunteering reduces depressive symptoms among older people, but informal volunteering does not help (Li & Ferraro, 2005). This research focus has often been guided by the observation that older people seem to benefit more from volunteering than younger people (Van Willigen, 2000). One possible explanation for this observation could be that older people, for whom there is typically a reduction in major role identity (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Happy to Help? Exploring the Factors Associated with Variations in Rates of Volunteering Across Europe

2009

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This is the unspecified version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractThe frequency of formal volunteering varies widely across European countries, and rates of formal volunteering are especially low among Eastern European countries. Why are there such large differences in volunteering rates when it is known that volunteering is beneficial for well-being? Using data from the latest round of the European Social Survey, we test three hypotheses to explain these cross-national differences in volunteering. We ask whether people in countries with low frequencies of volunteering spend more of their time on informal volunteering activities; whether they differ on socio-demographic variables which are known to be linked to volunteering rates; or whether they show less well-being benefit from formal volunteering. Contrary to the first hypothesis, we find a positive correlation between formal and informal volunteering. We further conclude that national differences in rates of volunteering cannot be fully explained by differences in the social, psychological or cultural factors associated with volunteering nor the outcome of volunteering. It is likely that contextual factors, such as a country's historical background or institutions, determine levels of volunteering to a large extent.

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“…In terms of other health measures, Herzog et al (1998) observed that frequency of productive and leisure activities improves physical health and reduces the risk of depression in older people. Using the American Changing Lives data base associations of volunteering with lower mortality (Musick et al 1999) and with higher self-perceived health and life satisfaction (van Willigen 2000) were found. In a longitudinal study of 2,812 older people in New Haven, Connecticut, Mendes de Leon et al (2003) observed strong associations of different types of social and productive activities with functional limitations crosssectionally, but failed to provide prospective evidence of this link.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social productivity and well-being of older people: baseline results from the SHARE study

Wahrendorf

Knesebeck²,

Siegrist

2006

Eur J Ageing

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Social and productive activities have been associated with more favorable well-being and health outcomes in older populations. There is limited consensus on what aspects account for the observed effect and what pathways may underlie their associations. Using data from the 2004 'Survey of Health Aging and Retirement in Europe' (SHARE), based on some 22,000 participants aged 50 and older from ten European countries, this study explores types and quality of productive activities (voluntary work, care for a person, informal help) and its association with two indicators of well-being (depressive symptoms, quality of life). Quality of social productivity is analyzed in the frame of a sociological model based on the notion of exchange reciprocity. Results of multivariate linear regression analysis, adjusted for important confounders, confirm an association of productive activity with well-being. However, this association varies according to experienced quality of exchange: Experienced reciprocity between efforts spent and rewards received is associated with positive well-being (with the exception of caring), while non-reciprocal exchange (high effort and low reward) is associated with negative well-being in all activities. Findings underline the need to improve quality of exchange in socially productive activities as a means of motivating older people to participate in societal life.

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Differential Benefits of Volunteering Across the Life Course

Cited by 627 publications

References 45 publications

Social participation as an indicator of successful aging: an overview of concepts and their associations with health

Social participation as an indicator of successful aging: an overview of concepts and their associations with health

Happy to Help? Exploring the Factors Associated with Variations in Rates of Volunteering Across Europe

Social productivity and well-being of older people: baseline results from the SHARE study

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