Structure of personal networks and cognitive abilities: A study on a sample of Italian older adults

Abstract

Research in social gerontology has suggested that structural complexity of personal networks could moderate cognitive decline of older adults. In line with the environmental complexity hypothesis, their cognitive functioning would benefit from a high number of cohesive subgroups in their own personal networks, i.e., various social foci, thanks to higher cognitive stimuli from various social interactions. Yet, past studies considered only compositional diversity of networks due to lack of data on alter–alter ties. To fill this gap, we collected survey ego-network data on frequent social contacts (including alter–alter ties) and cognitive functioning on a sample of individuals aged ≥ 75 in Brescia, Italy (N=230). As a proxy for social foci, we detected cohesive subgroups within each respondent’s personal networks. Results showed a positive association between the number of cohesive subgroups and cognitive functioning, regardless of the network size, while controlling for relevant socio-demographic attributes and depression symptoms. Our findings testify to the importance of granular network data in studying the link between social relationships and cognitive functioning.