The moderating role of social network size in the temporal association between formal social participation and mental health: a longitudinal analysis using two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Abstract

Introduction Previous studies have shown that engaging in formal social participation may protect against declining mental health, but social network size (the number of close social ties a person has) may moderate the relationship. We assessed the potential moderating role of social network size using longitudinal data. Methods Nationally representative data from two consecutive waves (2011, 2013) of the SHARE survey were analyzed. The data consisted of 38,300 adults from 13 European countries aged 50 years and older in 2011. Measures pertaining to formal social participation, social network size, quality of life, and depression symptoms were used. Multivariable linear regression models were conducted. Results The majority of participants (over 70% of the sample) had a social network size of four or less close social ties. We identified significant moderations in both models. Individuals with relatively few close social ties may have benefitted from formal social participation both in terms of reductions in depression symptoms and increases in quality of life, while formal social participation among those with many social ties did not appear to be beneficial, and may even to some extent have been detrimental. Conclusions Declines in mental health specifically among those with relatively few close social ties could potentially be prevented through the promotion of formal social participation. It is possible that such strategies could have a greater impact by specifically targeting individuals that are otherwise socially isolated. High levels of formal participation among those with relatively many close social ties may not be pragmatically beneficial.

The Infertility Trap: The Fertility Costs of Group-Living in Mammalian Social Evolution

“…Female baboons that have more grooming partners (i.e., allies) experience less harassment (Dunbar, 2018a), and have lower cortisol titres (Crockford et al, 2008;Wittig et al, 2008), higher wound healing (Archie et al, 2014) and lower infection rates (Balasubramaniam et al, 2016) and live longer (Silk et al, 2003(Silk et al, , 2009(Silk et al, , 2010Cheney et al, 2016), and in addition produce more offspring that in turn have higher survival rates. Similar results have been reported for chimpanzees (Wittig et al, 2016), macaques (Young et al, 2014;McCowan et al, 2016;Brent et al, 2017), feral horses (Cameron et al, 2009;Nuñez et al, 2015) and dolphins (Frère et al, 2010), as well as humans (for whom there is a substantial epidemiological literature demonstrating very significant effects of the number of close friends on both psychological and physical health and wellbeing, as well as longevity: Holt-Lunstad et al, 2010;Dunbar, 2018b;Santini et al, 2020).…”

Association between physical activity, sedentary time, participation in organized activities, social support, sleep problems and mental distress among adults in Southern Norway: a cross-sectional study among 28,047 adults from the general population

“…Results from the present study indicated that low involvement in organized activities was associated with increased odds of mental distress, both among men and women. These findings are supported by results from prospective studies among European adults suggesting that involvement in social organized activities predicted higher quality of life and lower level of depressive symptoms over time and be a protective factor against the onset or development of chronic conditions, especially among individuals with few close social ties [16,46]. Finally, a Norwegian population-based study has suggested a dose-response effect of participation in organized activities on perceived health, anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with life in both women and men, and that men who engaged specifically in receptive, rather than creative, cultural activities reported better healthrelated outcomes [47].…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Informal Caregiving and Care Receiving Across Europe During the First Phase of the Pandemic

“…There were 18,398 respondents who exclusively answered the SHARE Corona survey through telephone interview after the outbreak of the pandemic but could not be successfully approached in person before the suspension of the Wave 8 fieldwork. These data have been carefully augmented with information from previous waves where appropriate ( 45 – 52 ). The SHARE data are unanimous based on full probability samples ( 53 , 54 ), providing internationally comparable data that can add important insights to recent studies, which are frequently restricted to the national level.…”