LOCAL FAMILY AND FRIEND TIES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO SOCIAL SUPPORT AND STRAIN AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Abstract

Abstract Family members and friends who live nearby are likely valuable sources of support for older adults. At the same time, local family and friend ties may also be a source of strain as spatial proximity to close ties can generate more intense interactions. Using data from Round 3 (2015-2016) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) (N=3,615), this study examines how local family and friend ties reported in older adults’ social network roster are associated with instrumental and emotional support and social strain among community-dwelling older adults aged 50 and older. Results from ordered logistic regression models show that having a local friend tie is associated with higher levels of instrumental and emotional support from friends and lower levels of instrumental and emotional support from family. Having a local family tie, on the other hand, is associated with higher levels of instrumental support from family and lower levels of emotional support from friends. Having a local family tie is not related to emotional support from family or instrumental support from friends. Results also indicate that having a local friend tie increases the odds of reporting that friends make too many demands (i.e., higher friend strain) whereas having a local family tie is not a predictor of family strain. Together, results suggest that spatial proximity to friends and, to a lesser degree, family members are linked to how older adults experience social support and strain.