A Change for the Worse: Negative Social Exchanges Are Associated with an Accelerated Decline in Self-Rated Health over Time

Published In

Journal of Aging and Health

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

4-27-2022

Abstract

Objectives

Age-associated accelerated declines in physical health vary across individuals, and researchers have suggested that individual differences in decline may vary as a function of stressors. The relation of one such stressor, negative social exchanges, to accelerated declines in self-rated health is investigated.

Method: Participants are from a 2-year, 5-wave, national, longitudinal study of social relationships among older adults. Growth curve analyses are used to examine the relation of negative and positive social exchanges to accelerated changes in self-rated health, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and depressive symptoms. Results: Individuals reporting more frequent negative social exchanges showed significantly accelerated declines in physical health. Positive social exchanges were not related to linear or accelerated declines in self-rated health over time.

Discussion

The association between negative social exchanges and accelerated deterioration in self-rated health provides general support for hypotheses that interpersonal stressors play an important role age-related physical health decline.

Rights

Copyright © 2022 by SAGE Publications

DOI

10.1177/08982643221083407

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/37920

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