Relocation and Network Turnover in Later Life: How Distance Moved and Functional Health Are Linked to a Changing Social Convoy

Abstract

Life-course transitions among older adults often produce a reshuffling of social network members. Moving is a common experience for U.S. seniors, but relatively little is known about how core networks change amid the relocation process. Drawing on longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, the present study examines how late-life moving is associated with changes to network size and the loss and gain of particular network members. We find that when older adults undertake a long-distance move, they tend to add more family to their core network-yet this is moderated by their initial level of functional health. Long-distance moves are also associated with losing nonkin members from the core network. These empirical patterns are interpreted in light of developmental perspectives on late-life relocation, continuity theory, and the social convoy model.

Who is dropped and why? Methodological and substantive accounts for network loss

“…A respondent who had moved out of the region was about four times likelier to drop an alter than a respondent who had stayed put. (The effect of moving is also highlighted in other studies, such as Badawy et al, 2018;Bloem et al, 2008. )The alter of a respondent who reported the death of a close nonkin associate or who had reported a major break in a relationship was at about 67 percent elevated risk of being dropped.…”

“…Researchers using some version of name-eliciting methods (Laumann, 1965;Wellman, 1979;Fischer 1982;Marsden, 1987; and many others) have generally found that there is much "churn" in network membership, but that the overall content of egos' networks-say, overall size, availability of support, or kin composition-remains stable. For examples : Wellman, et al's (1997) East Yorkers failed to rename two-thirds of their ties; van Duijin, et al's (1999) Dutch older sample failed to rename one-third; NSHAP's older Americans dropped about 43 percent of their few confidants (National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (Badawy, et al, 2018;Cornwell, 2014;Cornwell et al, 2014); and Marin and Hampton's (2019) Boston respondents failed to rename about half of their alters. Burt (2000) and Suitor et al (1997) summarized the studies up to about 20 years ago by estimating that one-third to two-thirds of nominated ties are dropped within a single year.…”

“…Research suggests that between-ego differences are much less significant contributors to patterns of alter loss than are between-tie differences (e.g., van Duijin et al 1999;Marin and Hampton, 2019), but a few attributes do stand out. People undergoing life transitions-marriage, widowhood, graduation, moving, retirement and nearing the end of life-report more drops and more churn generally (e.g., Badawy, et al, 2018;Bidart and Cacciuttolo, 2013;Bidart and Lavenu, 2005;Bidart, et al, 2011;Bloem, et al, 2008;Carstensen, et al, 1999;Cornwell et al, 2014;Lang, 2000;Mollenhorst, 2014;Schafer and Vargas, 2016;Small, et al, 2015;van Dujian, et al, 1999;Wellman et al, 1997). Thus, both young and very elderly adults tend to have high drop rates.…”

“…Illness can lead to more ties or more active ones because health crises mobilize dormant relationships and even generate new ones for a while (e.g., Badawy, 2018;Perry and Pescosolido, 2012;van Tilburg and van Groenou, 2002;vs. Cornwell, 2014), even if in the long term more peripheral ties are lost (as one reviewer noted).…”

“…The process is homeostatic: Individuals have distinct and stable preferences for networks -"signatures" is one term (Heydari, et al, 2018;Saramäki, et al, 2013) for thisand upon dropping or being dropped by alters, they form new ties so as to maintain the general character of their ego networks. "Continuity theory" in gerontology (Atchley, 1989;Badawy, et al, 2018;Cornwell, 2014) similarly stresses individuals' efforts to sustain or reconstruct familiar social connections.…”