The Strength of Strong Ties for Older Rural Adults: Regional Distinctions in the Relationship between Social Interaction and Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

Classic and contemporary sociological theories suggest that social interaction differs in rural and urban areas. Intimate, informal interactions (strong ties) are theorized to characterize rural areas while urban areas may possess more formal and rationalized interactions (weak ties). Aging and social support literature stresses social interaction as a predictor of health among the aged. Using data from Wave III of the Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) study, this study examines the hypothesized differences between informal strong ties and formal weak ties on the subjective well-being of older adults in rural, urban, and suburban areas. Visiting with friends, neighbors, or relatives has a stronger positive effect on subjective well-being for rural older adults than urban. These findings highlight that: a) informal strong ties increase subjective well-being; and b) the effect of informal strong ties differs by region. We discuss the potential of our findings for policy and urge continued attention to regional variation in aging studies.

Happiness and social determinants across age cohorts in Taiwan

“…Other diverse variables are related to happiness in the existing research, such as living in a rural area (Mair and Thivierge-Rikard, 2010), a coping and positive mind (Kim et al, 2012) and personality (Moltafet et al, 2010), religiosity and attending religious activities (Cooper et al, 2011b;Lewis et al, 2005;Stavrova et al, 2013), the environment and politics (Boehnke and Wong, 2011;Summers et al, 2012), life events (Ballas and Dorling, 2007), daily activities (Oerlemans et al, 2011), physical health (Bishop et al, 2006(Bishop et al, , 2010, and leading a healthy lifestyle, such as not smoking, drinking alcohol, and exercising (Nyqvist et al, 2008;Peiró, 2006;Shahab and West, 2009;Zander et al, 2013). In addition, internet use has been the main pathway of social interaction recently, particularly for the younger generations.…”

Examining Social Connections as a Link Between Religious Participation and Well-being Among Older Adults

“…Formal support systems can include religious, civic, and volunteer organizations and typically are characterized by rational and less intimate social interactions (Amato, 1993). In contrast, informal support systems include family, friends, and neighbors and typically produce more intimate interactions (Mair & Thivierge-Rikard, 2010). Religious organizations can function as both a formal and informal support system-or serve as a bridge between the two-through the development of intimate social interactions or "connections" (Sherr, Shields, King, & Curran, 2005).…”

Exploring the influence of a cooling treatment on quality of life in patients with chronic venous disease

“…It has been suggested that individuals living in rural areas may have a greater sense of satisfaction or gratification with life and have well-established relationships within the community, and also visiting with friends, neighbors, and relatives has a stronger positive effect on subjective well-being. [40][41][42][43] Satisfaction with living conditions in rural settings may have bolstered the addition of cooling to standard of care in providing improved QOL and symptom reduction such that participants felt a greater sense of control and perceived well-being in overall health, 44 although control and well-being were not study outcomes.…”