Table 2.
Earlier life social network size effects on later life physical and mental health
| Mental health (depressive symptoms) |
Physical (self-rated) health |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network size | Inner, middle, outer circle sizes | Network size | Inner, middle, outer circle sizes | |||||
| Model 1a | Model 2b | Model 1a | Model 2b | Model 1a | Model 2b | Model 1a | Model 2b | |
| b (SE) | b (SE) | b (SE) | b (SE) | b (SE) | b (SE) | b (SE) | b (SE) | |
| 15.41*** (0.98) | 15.47*** (2.04) | 15.21*** (0.99) | 16.02*** (2.08) | 4.00*** (0.10) | 3.98*** (0.20) | 4.00*** (0.10) | 3.96*** (0.20) | |
| Years of education (W1, centered at 12) | −0.37*** (0.09) | −0.37*** (0.09) | −0.37*** (0.09) | −0.37*** (0.09) | 0.05*** (0.01) | 0.05*** (0.01) | 0.05*** (0.01) | 0.05*** (0.01) |
| White | −1.09* (0.54) | −1.06 (0.54) | −0.96 (0.55) | −0.95 (0.55) | 0.21*** (0.06) | 0.21*** (0.06) | 0.21*** (0.06) | 0.21*** (0.06) |
| Female | 0.77 (0.48) | 0.86 (0.48) | 0.67 (0.48) | 0.81 (0.48) | −0.02 (0.05) | −0.02 (0.05) | −0.02 (0.05) | −0.02 (0.05) |
| Married or lives with partner | −2.08*** (0.41) | −1.81*** (0.42) | −2.08*** (0.41) | −1.79*** (0.42) | 0.09* (0.04) | 0.10* (0.04) | 0.09* (0.04) | 0.10* (0.04) |
| Survey year | −0.05 (0.04) | −0.12 (0.12) | −0.05 (0.04) | −0.16 (0.12) | −0.02*** (0.00) | −0.03** (0.01) | −0.02*** (0.00) | −0.03* (0.01) |
| Age (W1) 25–39c | −1.70* (0.77) | −0.70 (2.29) | −1.48 (0.77) | −1.54 (2.32) | −0.18* (0.08) | −0.08 (0.22) | −0.19* (0.08) | −0.07 (0.22) |
| Age (W1) 40–59c | −1.97* (0.78) | −2.96 (2.33) | −1.86* (0.78) | −3.49 (2.36) | −0.33*** (0.08) | −0.49* (0.22) | −0.33*** (0.08) | −0.48* (0.23) |
| Age (W1) 60–89c | −2.66** (0.87) | −4.33 (2.49) | −2.55** (0.87) | −5.03* (2.52) | −0.52*** (0.09) | −0.35 (0.24) | −0.52*** (0.09) | −0.35 (0.24) |
| Network size (W1) | −0.16** (0.06) | −0.12 (0.19) | 0.00 (0.01) | 0.01 (0.02) | ||||
| Inner circle size (W1) | −0.09 (0.09) | −0.38 (0.32) | 0.00 (0.01) | 0.01 (0.03) | ||||
| Middle circle size (W1) | −0.33*** (0.09) | −0.19 (0.34) | 0.01 (0.01) | 0.02 (0.03) | ||||
| Outer circle size (W1) | 0.07 (0.13) | 0.26 (0.37) | −0.02 (0.01) | −0.01 (0.04) | ||||
| Model 2—significant 2-way interactions | ||||||||
| Survey year * Age 40–59 | 0.03* (0.01) | 0.03* (0.01) | ||||||
| Survey year * Age 60–89 | 0.32* (0.16) | 0.38* (0.16) | ||||||
| Model 2 – significant 3-way interactions | ||||||||
| Network size * Survey year * Age 40–59 | −0.003* (0.00) | |||||||
| Outer circle size * Survey year * Age 40–59 | −0.01** (0.00) | |||||||
| SD (Intercept) | 6.15 | 6.08 | 6.1 | 6.02 | 0.56 | 0.56 | 0.56 | 0.55 |
| SD (Survey year) | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| N-Level 1 | 2,294 | 2,294 | 2,291 | 2,291 | 2,354 | 2,354 | 2,351 | 2,351 |
| N-Level 2 | 890 | 890 | 889 | 889 | 907 | 907 | 906 | 906 |
| AIC | 16,310 | 16,291 | 16,292 | 16,291 | 6,054 | 6,049 | 6,050 | 6,053 |
| LRT Chi-squared (M0, M1)d | 104.6*** (6, 15) | 37.7*** (15, 24) | 111.3*** (6, 19) | 42.54** (19, 40) | 110.9*** (6, 15) | 23** (15, 24) | 115.3*** (6, 19) | 38.95** (19, 40) |
Notes:
p<0.05;
p<0.01;
p<0.001;
Model 1 included interactions for network size (and each specific circle size) × survey year, and none were statistically significant (p<.05) indicating that the main effect of network size is generally consistent in all three waves;
Model 2 tested three-way interactions between network size (and each specific circle size) × survey year × age group. All lower order (two-way) interactions were included in model 2 and only statistically significant (p<.05) three-way interactions are presented;
Age 13–24 is the reference group;
For model 1, likelihood ratio test chi-squared statistics calculated by comparing model 1 to an unconditional growth curve model with no covariates. For Model 2, likelihood ratio test chi-squared statistics calculated by comparing model 2 to model 1.