New Directions in the Sociology of Aging (2013) / Chapter Skim
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8 Networks, Neighborhoods, and Institutions: An Integrated "Activity Space" Approach for Research on Aging--Kathleen A. Cagney, Christopher R. Browning, Aubrey L. Jackson, and Brian Soller
8 Networks, Neighborhoods, and Institutions: An Integrated "Activity Space" Approach for Research on Aging--Kathleen A. Cagney, Christopher R. Browning, Aubrey L. Jackson, and Brian Soller
Pages 151-174
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From page 151... ...
In this chapter, we focus on the conceptualization and measurement of the social space that older adults inhabit, exploring implications for research on residential context. We approach this review broadly, incorporating research on social networks and institutional contexts that bear on the interpretation of "neighborhood effects." Our initial aim is to illustrate that community can take many forms, and that networks, neighborhoods, and institutions, independent or interdependent, combine to shape the social environment in which older adults are embedded.
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From page 152... ...
analysis of data from the Social Networks in Adult Life Survey indicates that receiving and providing social support are associated with better wellbeing among adults ages 50 and older, although these associations vary by the type of relationship to the alter (i.e., nominated network member) and the number of alters supported.
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From page 153... ...
Differences in network size across the life course may have significant implications for health and well-being. Loneliness may be one manifestation of decreased social ties, and the concepts of loneliness and social isolation have received increasing attention in research on aging (e.g., Hawkley et al., 2008)
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From page 154... ...
Drawing on key theoretical approaches that have been used to frame research on neighborhoods, we review health-related implications of neighborhood social structural and social process environments for older adults. Research on the neighborhood context of health across the life course has drawn heavily from social disorganization theory -- a long-standing theoretical approach with roots in the Chicago School of Sociology.
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From page 155... ...
Regardless of the operationalization, a growing body of evidence suggests that neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) matters for the health of older adults, with some research finding evidence that neighborhood SES explains older adult health disparities between race groups (Cagney, Browning, and Wen, 2005; Yao and Robert, 2008)
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From page 156... ...
. Relatively few studies of neighborhood influences on aging-related outcomes have directly measured the social processes thought to mediate the influence of neighborhood structural characteristics on older adult health.
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From page 157... ...
. Research on the neighborhood context of older adult health remains incipient, but suggests the importance of neighborhood environments in shaping health outcomes.
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From page 158... ...
. Participation in voluntary organizations and even regular but informal gatherings in local restaurants, clubs, or recreational facilities may contribute to a richer social experience.
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From page 159... ...
CHALLENGES Despite the substantial promise of research on the social context of aging, this area of inquiry has faced a number of challenges. Although the criticisms directed at contextual research are not unique within the social sciences, addressing these issues has proved particularly vexing given the nature of the questions and the data typically involved.
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From page 160... ...
In addition, face-to-face social network interactions always occur in a geographic and more or less structured social setting. Understanding the emergence and quality of social networks as sources of support for older adults may require richer information on the settings that shape and sustain social networks.
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From page 161... ...
Incorporating theory in contextual research more generally will help better elucidate the processes that link contexts with health for older adults and draw attention to the inherently interconnected nature of social contexts as they shape older adult outcomes. Substantial advances in this area, however, will require more complex theoretical models that explicitly acknowledge the multifaceted nature of social contextual influence.
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From page 162... ...
Data and Measures Theory cannot be adequately tested, nor can efforts to address problems of selection and causation, in the absence of high-quality data collection efforts. An obvious advance would be to incorporate social contextual measures into ongoing, longitudinal investigations of older adult well-being.
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From page 163... ...
The interrelationship between social ties and social interaction, and the exact location in which ties are maintained, could potentially inform neighborhood-based interventions for older adults. If it is known, for instance, that certain neighborhood institutions create consistent opportunities for interaction, and that ties formed there are of some consequence, then efforts can focus on protecting or sustaining those institutions.
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From page 164... ...
Conversely, the harmful effects of concentrated disadvantage might be alleviated when individuals are routinely exposed to more affluent or pro-social contexts. Although advanced age and disability may limit the potential to travel beyond the residential neighborhood, as noted earlier, the assumption of age-constricted routine activity spaces has not been investigated empirically (Cagney and York Cornwell, 2010)
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From page 165... ...
Do residential neighborhoods provide institutional exposures or do older adults travel outside their immediate neighborhood contexts for some institutional involvements? The typical approach to estimating the impact of neighborhood institutional environments is to simply enumerate the presence of relevant organizations, businesses, and local facilities in a neighborhood and estimate the impact of institutional density on aging-related outcomes.
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From page 166... ...
. By incorporating direct exposure to geographically identified institutions into theoretical models of social context effects, researchers will be encouraged to think about the complex influences of institutions through participation, social networks, and proximate spatial processes.
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From page 167... ...
could benefit from more accurate assessment of network dynamics through space-time data on social network interactions. Although the challenges associated with inferring causation from analyses of social context effects are exceedingly difficult to surmount, activity space data will offer an opportunity to, at a minimum, assess theoretically relevant characteristics of a contextual treatment with greater accuracy.
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From page 168... ...
, but the social and ecological dynamics that tend to promote these features of neighborhood social organization have remained elusive. Moreover, by measuring the co-location network more precisely, researchers may be able to leverage social network analysis techniques to characterize routine activity patterns using sophisticated global network measures and identify an individual's location in the network (e.g., through various measures of centrality)
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From page 169... ...
Research on the social context of aging faces a variety of challenges and opportunities in the coming years. Significant advances have characterized research on specific social contexts, demonstrating the role of social networks, neighborhoods, and institutions in shaping trajectories of older adult health and well-being.
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From page 170... ...
. Neighborhood social processes, physical conditions, and disaster-related mortality: The case of the 1995 Chi cago heat wave.
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From page 171... ...
. Socioeconomic status differences in recreational physical activity levels and real and perceived access to a supportive physical environ ment.
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From page 172... ...
. Neighborhood contextual influences on depressive symptoms in the elderly.
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From page 173... ...
. The quantitative assessment of neighborhood social environments.
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From page 174... ...
. Social networks and health.
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