Social Participation Variables Research Articles

Comparative analysis of types according to activities and social participation of the Oldest‐old

AbstractBackgroundUsing the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA), we tried to classify the clusters according to the activity and social participation of the oldest‐old and analyze the differences in characteristics between the clusters.MethodData from 682 people aged 85 years or older were included in the analysis using the KLoSA cross‐sectional data. Data extracted factors related to demographic characteristics, activities of daily living, social participation, lifestyle‐related factors, and successful aging. Cluster analysis was conducted focusing on activity and social participation variables. A chi‐square test was performed to determine the differences between demographic characteristics and variables for successful aging between clusters. In addition, ANOVA and Welch’s robust were performed according to the homogeneity of variance, and Scheffe and Dunnett T3 were performed for post hoc analysis.ResultAs a result of Cluster analysis, ‘Active participation’ (4%), ‘Dependent daily life’ (27.1%), and ‘Passive participation’ (68.9%) were clustered. Differences in demographic characteristics between clusters showed high rates in all clusters for women, the level of education below elementary school, and the number of household members of 2∼4. For related‐factors to successful aging, cognitive, perceived health status, depression, and satisfaction of life all showed differences between cluster, and the active participation group showed the most positive results in the post‐hoc analysis.ConclusionThe cluster according to the activities and social participation of the oldest‐olds confirmed the difference in the factors related to successful aging. This is significant in that it was an empirical analysis focused on successful aging for the older aged 85 years and over, and it can be used as a useful basic data for access to health promotion for the super‐aged society in Korea.

Heterogeneity in social participation among young people with vision impairment

Young people may adapt to vision impairment (VI) in a variety of ways. To explore heterogeneity in social participation, data were mined for distinct patterns. Existing data from 258 young people with VI, aged between 26 and 44 years ( M = 35.3 years; SD = 5.07), were clustered. Social participation was measured by four closed-ended questions and the Social Network Map. Loneliness was measured by the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness scale. K-medoids clustering with the Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) algorithm was used to cluster social participation variables and age.Eight clusters were identified, with participants in the two largest clusters, clusters 1 ( n = 84) and 2 ( n = 50), scoring high on almost all social participation outcomes. Participants in cluster 8 ( n = 14) had the lowest social participation scores. However, also over half of the participants in clusters 4, 5, 6, and 7 experienced feelings of loneliness. Findings demonstrate considerable heterogeneity in social participation among young people with VI, which however does not link to loneliness. These variations in social participation underline the need for a differentiated approach to address needs of young people with VI.

Understanding the Association Between Osteoarthritis and Social Participation: The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

The focus on disability in osteoarthritis (OA) has largely been on the ability to perform specific activities, which neglects the greater implications for social participation. We investigated the association between OA and social participation, considering activity limitations and instrumental supports as intervening variables in the association. Data were from 21,214 respondents, ages 45-85 years, from cycle 1 of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The questionnaire elicited information regarding self-reported doctor-diagnosed OA, difficulty with 14 activities, perceived availability and receipt of instrumental supports, and 17 social participation activities. Structural equation modeling was used. The primary outcome was social participation, and the primary predictor was OA. The intervening variables included activity limitations, received instrumental supports, and perceived instrumental supports. Latent variables were developed for intervening and social participation variables. The covariates included age, sex, body mass index, income, education, smoking, and comorbidity count. The mean age of the respondents was 63 years, 51% were female, and 26.5% reported having OA. Two distinct social participation indicators were identified, including social participation-diversity and social participation-intensity. When intervening variables were not considered, minimal/no association was found between OA and social participation. When intervening variables were considered, unique pathways linking OA and social participation were found. The overall negative association between activity limitations and social participation was partially direct and partially buffered by both receipt of and perceived availability of instrumental supports. In the absence of activity limitations, OA was associated with greater social participation. Enhanced social participation in people with OA who do not have activity limitations may reflect proactive steps taken by those with mild OA to maintain activity and social engagement. For those with activity limitations, findings highlight the need for interventions to mitigate limitations and draw particular attention to the importance of both provision and awareness of available instrumental supports in maintaining social participation.

The relationship between resilience, emotional distress, and community participation outcomes following traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACTPurpose/Objective: To determine how resilience is associated with social participation outcomes in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI), in the context of emotional distress, demographics, and injury-related factors.Setting: Individuals with a history of TBI recruited the following stay at three rehabilitation facilities in the USA.Participants: 201 community-dwelling persons with medically documented TBI ranging in severity from mild to severe.Design: Prospective cohort observational study. Data were collected at two time points, approximately 6 months apart.Main Measures: TBI-QOL; PART-OResults: Resilience at baseline was moderately to strongly correlated with baseline psychological distress variables (rs= −.66) and social participation variables (rs =.33 to.57). In regression analyses, resilience was directly associated with social participation outcomes and formed a significant interaction with emotional distress in some models. Resilience failed to show a relationship with social participation at 6-month follow-up, when controlling for baseline social participation.Conclusions: Though related to emotional distress, self-reported resilience makes a unique contribution to predicting outcomes over time following brain injury, and may impact the relationship between stress and negative participation outcomes. As such, it is possible interventions that promote resilience may mitigate distress and promote community integration.

Intersectorality and social participation as coping policies for health inequities-worldwide

ObjectiveTo determine the impact that intersectoral policies and social participation, implemented worldwide, have had on the modification of the social determinants for health and on the reduction of social health inequities. MethodA scoping review of the literature published in the period 2005-2015 was performed. The literature search was conducted on PubMed and Scielo databases. Two researchers reviewed each document. Data were analysed according to the intersectoral action and social participation variables and according to the theoretical frameworks of the Social Determinants Model of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) and the theoretical constructs of Social Capital (SC) and Life Course (LC). ResultsOut of 45 documents likely to be selected for final review, all of them based on title and abstract, 20 documents were eventually picked out and analysed; most them (n = 8) were conducted in all Latin America and Latin America's countries. Twelve documents reported intersectoral action associated with social participation in partnership with different institutions. Regarding theoretical frameworks, most of studies (n = 8) used CSDH and SC. In relation to health outcomes, the studies showed mainly: increased access to health and education, follow-up of pregnant women, increasing in prenatal examinations, reduction in malnutrition/child mortality, reduction in extreme poverty/hunger; reduction in epidemics/tuberculosis, control of alcohol/drug consumption, promotion of health/mental as well as basic sanitation improvements. ConclusionsIntersectoral and social participation experiences studied yielded positive outcomes regarding health status and quality of life in the communities in which such experiences were implemented.

Factors impacting sense of community among adults with brain injury.

Despite increasing interest in examining community outcomes following disability, sense of community (SOC) has received relatively no attention in the rehabilitation literature. SOC refers to feelings of belonging and attachment one has for a community and is of particular relevance for people with brain injury who are at increased risk of social isolation. The aim of this study was to investigate factors contributing to SOC for individuals with brain injury. Members from 2 brain injury associations (n = 98) participated in this survey-based study. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore demographic, disability-related, community and social participation variables' impact on SOC with regard to one's town or city. Follow-up mediation analyses were conducted to explore relationships among social self-efficacy, support network, neighboring behavior, and SOC. Findings indicated that disability-related and community variables accounted for over 40% of the variance in SOC. Size of social support network was the only significant independent contributor to SOC variance. Follow-up analyses provided support for (a) the partial mediating effect of social support network size on the relationship between social self-efficacy and SOC, and (b) the mediating effect of neighboring behavior on the relationship between social self-efficacy and social support network size. Findings from this study highlight the particular importance of self-efficacy, social support, and neighboring behaviors in promoting SOC for people with brain injury. Recommendations are provided to advance research efforts and inform intervention approaches to improve the felt experience of community among people with brain injury. (PsycINFO Database Record

The association between social participation and cognitive function in community-dwelling older populations: Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study at Taisetsu community Hokkaido.

To study the association between the number of area-level and individual-level social participation items and cognitive function in the community-dwelling older populations of three towns in Hokkaido, Japan. A survey on the frequency of social participation was mailed to those in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2013 who were aged ≥65 years, were not certified as needing long-term care, and lived in Higashikawa, Higashikagura, or Biei. A subset of participants aged 70-74 years completed the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in a home visit survey. Both the area-level and individual-level social participation and demographic information were obtained on the self-administered questionnaire. A multilevel analysis using a generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to examine the association between variables in the area-level and individual-level social participation items and cognitive function. Out of 4042 respondents, data from 2576 were used in the area-level analysis. Of those, 180 were aged 70-74 years and completed the home visit survey for the individual-level analysis. A greater number of higher social participation items at the individual level was associated with higher cognitive function scores after adjusting for area-level social participation variables and confounders (regression coefficient: 0.19; 95% confidence interval: 0.03, 0.35). There were no significant associations between area-level social participation item averages and individual-level cognitive function scores. Older populations participating in many kinds of social activities exhibited preserved cognitive function even after adjusting for area-level social participation variables. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social networking profile correlates of schizotypy

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, are extremely popular and have become a primary method for socialization and communication. Despite a report of increased use among those on the schizophrenia-spectrum, few details are known about their actual practices. In the current research, undergraduate participants completed measures of schizotypy and personality, and provided access to their Facebook profiles. Information from the profiles were then systematically coded and compared to the questionnaire data. As predicted, social anhedonia (SocAnh) was associated with a decrease in social participation variables, including a decrease in number of friends and number of photos, and an increase in length of time since communication with a friend, but SocAnh was also associated with an increase in profile length. Also, SocAnh was highly correlated with extraversion. Relatedly, extraversion uniquely predicted the number of friends and photos and length of time since communication with a friend. In addition, perceptual aberration/magical ideation (PerMag) was associated with an increased number of “black outs” on Facebook profile print-outs, a measure of paranoia. Overall, results from this naturalistic-like study show that SocAnh and extraversion are associated with decreased social participation and PerMag with increased paranoia related to information on social networking sites.

Social involvement, behavioural risks and cognitive functioning among older people

ABSTRACTThis study analyses the relationships between cognitive performance, social participation and behavioural risks, taking into account age and educational attainment. We examine individual data for 11 European countries and Israel from the first wave of the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The stochastic frontier approach methodology enables us to identify different sources of plasticity on cognitive functioning while taking into account age-related decline in cognitive performance. Several social participation variables were examined: employment status, attending educational courses, doing voluntary or charity work, providing help to family, friends or neighbours, participating in sports, social or other clubs, in a religious organisation and in a political or community organisation, and we controlled for age, education, income, physical activity, body-mass index, smoking and drinking. In the pooled sample, the results clearly show that all kinds of social involvement enhance cognitive functions, in particular in work. Moreover, behavioural risks such as physical inactivity, obesity, smoking or drinking were clearly detrimental to cognitive performance. Models for men and women were run separately. For both genders, all social involvement indicators associated with better cognitive performance. The results varied by countries, however, particularly the signs of the associations with a number of indicators of social involvement and behavioural risks.

Perception of happiness among elderly persons in metropolitan USA.

The relationships of some selected sociodemographic variables with perception of happiness among older individuals living in metropolitan areas in the United States were examined. Data from the General Social Surveys for the ten years between 1982-1991 were analyzed. Seven sociodemographic variables, six social participation variables, and six attitudinal variables covering the six domains of life were considered independent variables with perception of happiness as the dependent variable. Analysis of variance indicated that race, marital status, education, financial status, and religious attendance were significantly related to perception of happiness and the six attitudinal variables increased the total variance accounted for in perceived well-being.

Race and life satisfaction in the middle class

This article examines Black‐White differences in life satisfaction among members of the middle class. Using national survey data for the period 1984 to 1994, its analysis shows that although the sources of satisfaction do not differ appreciably by race, middle‐class Blacks express lower absolute levels of satisfaction with several facets of their lives than middle‐class Whites. Controls for sociodemographic and social participation variables do not alter these findings. It is concluded that, even among the ranks of the materially successful middle class, race continues to exert a significant impact on subjective well‐being.

The Meaning of Grandparenthood and Its Relationship to Demographic, Relationship, and Social Participation Variables

The meaning of grandparenthood has been a focus of research, especially during the last decade. Types of meanings and variables differentiating these grandparental meanings have been established. Most recently Kivnick (1981, 1982a, 1982b, 1985) has derived a multidimensional framework representing five aspects of the meaning of grandparenthood. The present study attempted to verify whether these five aspects of meaning were related to unique combinations of demographic, social, personal, and health variables. Zero-order correlations showed high intercorrelations among Kivnick's five subscales, and low correlations among the majority of variables. Regression analyses indicated that no more than 30% of the variance in any one of the dimensions could be explained and that considerable overlap existed in the significant predictors across aspects of meanings.

On specificity in the impact of social participation on physical and psychological health.

Although it has been suggested that social participation is likely to be beneficial for health and well-being, there is little research demonstrating specifically which aspects of socializing may be responsible. This study distinguishes specific components of social interaction and health and examines differential relationships among them. Three distinct categories of social participation variables were posited: quality, quantity, and social traits. If was hypothesized that health problems would be more frequent among persons with poor quality interaction. The only exception to this prediction was that illnesses that are socially communicated were expected to be more prevalent among persons with a greater quantity of social participation, regardless of quality. Results confirmed these predictions for females. For males, the pattern of results was more complex, in that masculinity and femininity influenced the manner in which symptoms were expressed. These results supported the notion that social relations have a specific impact on health, and that if research is to provide useful information for intervention, we must learn more about which specific aspects of social participation are beneficial as well as how this occurs.

Religion and Community-Oriented Attitudes

The relationship between religion and social integration has inspired sociological inquiry since the discipline originated. To address the issue empirically, this paper considers the effects of religious affiliation on two attitudinal measures of social integration. Derived from a survey of 548 non-institutionalized adult residents of Wisconsin, the analyses disclose that respondents without traditional Christian religious affiliations were less likely than their counterparts to feel attached to their residential localities. The introduction of controls for status and social participation variables using the analysis of covariance indicates more fully the nature of the relationships being examined. The findings partially support functionalist theories of religion. Avenues for future research are noted in conclusion.

An Interpersonal Influence Model of Traditional Religious Commitment

Typically, explanations of traditional religious commitment have relied on economic deprivation or sociodemographic variables. An alternative explanation was developed based on social control and participation in the activities of the congregation. It was predicted that the most important determinant of individual religious commitment would be denominational affiliation; the denomination establishes the expectations with regard to religious belief. It was also predicted that social participation variables, which determine the extent to which the individual is integrated into the congregation, would also be important. Testing the model with data broadly representative of the Protestant churchgoing population, it was found that denominational affiliation, church attendance and intra-congregational friendships were generally the three most important predictors of three traditional religious commitment measures. Other variables—education, occupation, gender, age and region of birth—made insignificant or small contributions to explained variance.

Pre-retirement Life-style and the Degree of Planning for Retirement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the pre-retirement life-style of adult men, and both the degree of planning for the retirement years and the decision to retire early. Adult males (N = 360) between 55 and 64 years of age were interviewed about their present leisure life-style and the amount of retirement planning they were doing or had done. In order to determine which demographic, attitudinal and social participation variables predict retirement related behavior, Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was used. It was found that socioeconomic status, health, involvement in expressive type organizations, job satisfaction and degree of leisure orientation were associated with pre-retirement attitudes toward retirement.

Aging in Minority Populations an Examination of the Double Jeopardy Hypothesis

The plight of minority aged has been characterized by many as one of double jeopardy: in addition to the disadvantages imposed by their minority group status, the minority aged are said also to experience the devaluation in status associated with old age in our society. Other research has indicated, however, that the gaps between minority and majority individuals tend to decline with age, such that the status disparity between white and minority aged actually may have decreased from middle to old age. To test these competing hypotheses, a series of health, income, life satisfaction, and social participation variables (interaction with family, kin, neighbors, and friends) was examined with data from a large (N = 1269) sample of middle-aged and older blacks, Mexican Americans and whites in Los Angeles County. Differences among the three ethnic groups were found which, in some cases, constituted a case of "double jeopardy" for minority aged. On variables measuring life satisfaction or frequency of contact with relatives, however, the extent of ethnic variation declined across age strata, indicating some support for the "age as leveler" hypothesis.

Correlates of subjective well-being in Northern Wisconsin

This paper presents the results of an attempt to relate socioeconomic status, family status, social participation and personal disruptions of statuses and roles to an index of life satisfaction in rural sectors of Northern Wisconsin. While income, education and occupational status and level of living explain very little of life satisfaction, social participation variables explain somewhat more and disruptions of marital ties, job, physical well-being and residence explain most. Analyses by age and sex show that contacts with friends, relatives and church attendance are more important for the young, employment for the middle-aged and village residence more important for the older persons. The analysis supports the notion that life satisfaction results from the discrepancy between the aspirations and expectations of the individual and his ability to satisfy them within his environment. Education is negatively associated with subjective well-being when other variables are controlled. The influence of social involvement upon life satisfaction suggests the need for a modification of the aspiration-attainment model to include the integrative-expressive as well as the adaptive-instrumental processes of the individual.