Identification and characteristics of social connection latent profiles in older adults: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study

Social disconnection is associated with poor health outcomes including worse psychological well-being and cognitive function, and greater morbidity and mortality. Conceptually, social connection comprises two distinct aspects: structural and functional. Modeling these aspects together enables examination of discrepancies between them, as well as their influence on health outcomes. This study took a person-centered approach as opposed to the variable-centered approach and aimed to examine the characteristics of distinct patterns of social connection in older adults based on both structural and functional aspects. We measured social connection with seven indicators. Structural indicators were marital/partnership status, living arrangements, contact frequency with children/other family members/friends, and social participation. Functional indicators were perceived social support and reported loneliness. The sample was of 10,145 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older ( M age = 74.48) drawn from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Patterns of social connection captured by these seven indicators were identified using latent profile analysis and compared on sociodemographic, psychological, environmental, and health-related measures. Results revealed five distinct profiles: (1) most socially connected (9% of the sample), (2) single and moderately socially connected (27%), (3) married and moderately socially connected (40%), (4) married and socially disconnected (18%), and (5) most socially disconnected (7%). Compared to the most socially connected, members of the other profiles were more likely to have less education and fewer economic resources, greater neuroticism, more depressive symptoms, and worse cognitive scores. Less socially connected groups scored lower on extraversion, neighborhood disorder and neighborhood cohesion. These results highlight the heterogeneity of social connection in older adulthood. Most of our findings replicated previous research. However, our “married and socially disconnected” group stood out as a unique profile compared to previously identified groups in earlier studies. Viewing social connection from a broader perspective that accounts for both structural and functional aspects facilitate understanding of the complexity of social connection experiences in older adults and how these impact health and well-being. Not applicable.