This study aimed to determine which social network, demographic, and health-indicator variables were able to predict the development of high nutrition risk in Canadian adults at midlife and beyond, using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Multivariable binomial logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of the development of high nutrition risk at follow-up, 3 years after baseline. At baseline, 35.0 per cent of participants were at high nutrition risk and 42.2 per cent were at high risk at follow-up. Lower levels of social support, lower social participation, depression, and poor self-rated healthy aging were associated with the development of high nutrition risk at follow-up. Individuals showing these factors should be screened proactively for nutrition risk.

Many social interventions have been developed with the hopes of reducing and preventing social isolation among older people (e.g., recreation, arts-based programs and social prescription). Friendly visiting programs, also known as befriending schemes, have been a mainstay in this area for decades and are largely thought to be effective at reconnecting older people (≥ 60 years of age) experiencing isolation. Research and evaluations have yet to determine, however, how and why these programs may be most successful, and under what conditions. This article presents the findings of a realist synthesis aimed at identifying the critical mechanisms and contextual factors that lead to successful outcomes in friendly visiting programs. Seven studies are synthesized to inform a friendly visiting program theory accounting for key mechanisms (e.g., provision of informal support) and underlying contexts (e.g., training of volunteers) that can be used to inform future programs. Recommendations for future research are also presented.

Parental self-efficacy (PSE) is a central aspect of parenting research. Although parenting continues in older ages, few studies have focused on PSE among older adults. In line with the parenting determinant model, the study examined the associations between psychological distress, social support, loneliness, and PSE in older age.

The study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey, including 362 Israeli parents age 65 years and above. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires of psychological distress, social support, loneliness, PSE, and background information.

Results revealed that higher PSE was associated with lower psychological distress, higher social support, and a lower sense of loneliness in older adults. The research model explained 36.9 per cent of the variance in PSE among older adults.

Mental state and social conditions are important for PSE of older adults; therefore, professionals should ensure the availability of diverse solutions to enable, maintain, and promote well-being through social and familial engagement in this population.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound consequences on collective mental health and well-being, and yet, older adults appear better off than younger adults. The current study examined mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups in a large sample (n = 5,320) of Canadians using multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggest older adults are experiencing better mental health and more social connectedness relative to younger adults. Loneliness predicted negative mental health outcomes across all age groups, while the negative association between social support and mental health was only significant at average and high levels of loneliness in the 65–69 age group. Results point towards differential mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups and indicate that loneliness and social support may be key intervention targets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further examine mechanisms of resiliency among older Canadian adults during the pandemic.

This paper focuses on the role of religion and ethnicity in providing social support for elderly Dutch Canadian Catholic and Calvinist parents and in establishing ethno-religious retirement and long-term care facilities. The data come from a 1995 survey of elderly Dutch Canadian immigrants (N = 79) and their adult children (N = 364) examining intraethnic differences in ethnic persistence and parent care. Continuity theory provides the theoretical framework for this study. In the last few decades, second generation Dutch Calvinist immigrants have been busy establishing retirement and long-term care facilities to look after the needs of the older Calvinist generation. Dutch Catholic immigrants have established very few retirement and nursing homes for their elderly members. Ethnic and religious differences influence the kind of support available to elderly Dutch Canadians.

In this study we examined the longitudinal relationships between five dimensions of social support and psychological distress to determine whether (1) social support was related to subsequent psychological distress levels; or (2) if distress levels were related to subsequent social support levels; or (3) if distress and support had a reciprocal (bi-directional) relationship across time. Using bivariate autoregressive cross-lagged models, we analysed data from 2,564 older adults. We found support for the reciprocal relationship between affectionate support and distress. Higher psychological distress was related to subsequently higher levels of positive social interaction, and significantly related to subsequently higher emotional/informational support. No significant relationship was found between tangible and structural support and psychological distress. This study demonstrates that different types of support are associated in correspondingly different ways with psychological distress, and that psychological distress may be important in predicting levels of social support two years later.

This article reviews the international English-language literature on social support and caregiving in gerontology since the early 1990s. The literature has grown, but consensus on the terms’ meaning and measurement is lacking. Interest is ongoing in practical help, in benefits of social support, and in demands and negative outcomes for caregivers, with growing but less emphasis on more theoretical questions, on negative outcomes from the receipt of support, and on positive consequences of providing care. Nevertheless, social support is duly recognized as a social determinant of health and receiving attention at policy levels – both are significant shifts from two decades ago and add to the interest this area will receive from researchers in coming decades. There remain many unanswered questions regarding the changing societal context, but it is clear that the social support of others – throughout our lives including old age – will continue in the future, albeit in ever-changing forms.

The growing population of seniors with disabilities experiences unmet support needs and loneliness. Although support deficiencies can be overcome by peers in support groups, most support groups are inaccessible to older adults with limited physical functioning. Accordingly, this project aimed to develop and test the impact of an accessible telephone support group intervention for seniors with disabilities. Six research questions guided the study. Four telephone support groups with five to six participants (n = 23) were created, each with a professional and a peer (senior) leader. The groups met once a week for 12 weeks. Qualitative analyses of the telephone transcripts and post-intervention interviews of participants and leaders revealed decreased support needs, diminished loneliness, and enhanced coping. Selection, training, and support of peer and professional leaders and member control of discussions were important ingredients of successful support groups.

Data from the Survey on Ageing and Independence are employed to test the relationship between stress, integration in close family and friend networks, and well-being with a particular emphasis on parent status. The dependent variables used in this analysis are, whether individuals have a close family member or a close friend, the number of reported close relatives and friends, life stress, and the affect balance scale. It is hypothesized that the zero order relationship often found between parent status and well-being may be due to (1) a fundamental difference in the social support experiences of older parents and older childless individuals, (2) different levels of stress among these groups, or (3) the potential of friends to be of greater importance in assuring well-being in older age than family. Results show that childless persons are less likely than parents to have at least one close family member and they have fewer close relatives. No parent status differences are found regarding the likelihood of having a close friend or in the number of close friends individuals have. Compared to parents, childless individuals experience less life stress and similar levels of well-being. Finally, the nature of the stress-support-well-being relationship appears to be the same regardless of parent status.

This article discusses a longitudinal study of caregivers (n = 195) from a representative sample of caregivers pf Spanish, ADL-disabled persons, aged 65 and over carried out to assess the role of social support and religiosity in the development of depression. Depressive symptomatology was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. One year later, 119 of the caregivers were contacted again. Stability of depression over 1 year was observed in most participants. Poor physical health and low self-esteem, as well as incontinence in the care recipients, were significant predictors of the development of depressive symptoms. Social support had a differential effect on the development of depression, depending on how much assistance with activities of daily living the caregivers had to provide. Religiosity seemed to have no effect. Depression in caregivers is related more to their health and psychosocial resources than to the amount of care they provide. Poor health status, low self-esteem, and lack of emotional support may be useful indicators in identifying caregivers at high risk for depression.

While an association between UI and psychological distress among older adults has been established in the literature, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain less clear. Using a sample of 4,689 older adults from the Canadian Community Health Survey (1.1), we test the potential mediating and moderating effects of four dimensions of social support on the UI–distress relationship. Incontinent older adults are significantly more likely to report higher levels of distress than continent adults. Although we do not find support for a mediating effect of any of the dimensions of social support, we do report a significant interaction between one dimension of social support (tangible support) and UI. A buffering effect of tangible support is evident for continent – but not incontinent – respondents. These findings emphasize the need to assess the types of social support and the context in which they operate.

Accessible support programs can improve health outcomes for family caregivers of older relatives with a chronic condition. Over the course of 6 months, 27 experienced family caregivers provided weekly support via the telephone to 66 individuals, either new family caregivers of seniors recently diagnosed with stroke or newly vulnerable family caregivers (i.e., facing increasing demands from the deterioration of their senior relative's condition) of seniors with Alzheimer's disease. Qualitative data documented the perceived impact of the intervention, including increased satisfaction with support, coping skills, caregiving competence and confidence, and decreased caregiver burden and loneliness. Caregivers identified varied support processes that overcame support deficits in their social networks. These processes can facilitate replication in future research and inform practice, programs, and policies.

One of the most influential applications of the concepts, methods and measures of social network analysis to the study of the social support transactions of older adults is the convoy model of social support. We draw on recent debates in network methodology to provide an assessment of the convoy model that explores the role of weak ties in the support networks of older adults. The social networks generated by the target diagram which operationalizes the convoy model display the structural and functional characteristics set out in its theoretical arguments. But not all of the ties constituting these networks are conduits of social support and, more importantly, these social networks do not include all supporting and supported others. The target diagram identifies core support networks; therefore, support flowing through weak ties is missed when it is used to set the boundaries of support networks. Expanding our picture of the support networks of older adults to take systematic account of weak ties and the emotional aid, instrumental assistance, and companionship that flow through them will enhance the effectiveness of support interventions that target older adults.