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Social Network Types and Health among Older Adults in Rural China: The Mediating Role of Social Support

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  • Liping Ye

    (School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China)

  • Xinping Zhang

    (School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China)

Abstract

This study aimed to identify social network types among older adults in rural China, to explore the relationship between social network types and the health of the older adults, and further, to examine the mediating role of social support in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey method was employed to investigate the health of adults aged 60 or older in rural areas of Hubei Province from 5 September 2018 to 15 October 2018; 405 samples were obtained. First, using k -means clustering analysis, we found five robust network types: diverse, restricted, family, friends and a specific type—family-restricted. Second, the results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that social network types were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and self-rated health in older adults. Older people with diverse friend networks were significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, whereas those with restricted and family-restricted networks were significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of self-rated health. Finally, the results of multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that social support partially mediated the association of the identified social network types with depressive symptoms and self-rated health. Enriching the social network relationships of older adults and providing them with more social support should be conducive to promoting their mental and physical health.

Suggested Citation

  • Liping Ye & Xinping Zhang, 2019. "Social Network Types and Health among Older Adults in Rural China: The Mediating Role of Social Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:3:p:410-:d:202317
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nan Feng, 2023. "Social disadvantage, context and network dynamics in later life," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11, December.
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    3. Jianliang Nie & Bohan Chen & Yini Liao & Yufeng Wu & Dan Li, 2023. "The Characteristics and the Influencing Factors of Rural Elders’ Social Networks: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, February.

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