Suchergebnisse

AbstractEmotional support from family and friends is associated with lower psychological distress. This study examined whether genetic and environmental influences explain associations among family support, friend support, and psychological distress. Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study and included 947 pairs of monozygotic (MZ), same‐sex dizygotic (DZ), and opposite‐sex DZ twins. Results showed that a genetic factor explains the relation between friend support and psychological distress, independent of family support. Alternatively, a nonshared environmental factor accounts for an association between family support, friend support, and psychological distress. Thus, heritable factors shape a distinct relation between friend support and psychological distress, but unique experiences contribute to a link between family support, friend support, and psychological distress.

Abstract

Objectives
More frequent engagement in social activity is often associated with better physical health outcomes. Yet, less is known about whether engagement in a greater variety of social activities such as a mix of volunteering and attending club meetings (social activity variety) is important for health. The current study assessed whether social activity variety relates to mortality risk after adjusting for social activity frequency, nonsocial activity frequency and variety, and sociodemographic covariates, and how this relationship varies depending on age.


Methods
Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we included 5,017 adults aged 51 and older who completed questions about social activity participation in 2008 and whose mortality status was recorded up to 2019. We also examined whether age moderated the relationship between social activity variety and mortality risk.


Results
Cox proportional hazard model analyses revealed that those with higher activity variety in social activities were more likely to survive over the following 11 years than those with low social activity variety. Moreover, age moderation indicated that the association between social activity variety with mortality risk was stronger among the oldest adults.


Discussion
Findings suggest that a greater variety of social activities is linked to mortality risk even after adjusting for social activity frequency, nonsocial activities, and health status across adulthood.

AbstractFriend support is often assumed to exert direct environmental influences on psychological distress, yet the role of both genetic and environmental influences on this association has not been examined. This study investigates whether both genetic and environmental factors explain the link between friend support and psychological distress in adults. The sample was drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States study and included 947 pairs of monozygotic, same‐sex dizygotic (DZ), and opposite‐sex DZ twins. Results showed that genetic influences explain the association between friend support and psychological distress, suggesting that heritable contributions to friend support also shape psychological distress. Interventions focused on psychological distress should consider how individuals' heritable characteristics influence their friend support and psychological distress.

AbstractObjectivesActivity diversity—an index of active lifestyles that captures variety (number) and evenness (consistency) in activity engagement—is known to support health in adulthood. However, less is known who has higher or lower activity diversity, information that helps identify individuals who may be at greater risk for poor health. This article examined sociodemographic characteristics and Big Five personality traits that may be associated with activity diversity.MethodsWe used 2 independent project samples (nsample1 = 2,699; nsample2 = 301). Sample 1 included U.S. national adults in a wide age range (25–84). Sample 2 included U.S. community-dwelling older adults (age = 65–89). Each study asked about different types of activity engagement using surveys. The activity diversity index was calculated in each sample, using Shannon's entropy method.ResultsIn Sample 1, older adults, women, non-Hispanic White individuals, married/partnered individuals, and those with higher education and fewer functional limitations had higher activity diversity. Additionally, higher conscientiousness, higher extraversion, and lower neuroticism were each associated with higher activity diversity after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Extraversion and neuroticism remained significant in the younger group (age < 65) of Sample 1, but only extraversion was a significant factor associated with activity diversity in the older group (age ≥ 65). The results in the older group were generally replicated in Sample 2, such that higher extraversion in older adults was consistently associated with higher activity diversity independent of the strong correlates of sex, education, and functional limitations.DiscussionFindings were discussed in terms of age-specific associations between sociodemographic and personality characteristics and activity diversity.