Does Embeddedness Protect? Personal Network Density and Vulnerability to Mistreatment Among Older American Adults

Jun 14, 2014The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences

Does having close social connections protect older Americans from mistreatment?

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Abstract

Older adults with dense personal networks had a lower risk of elder mistreatment.

A higher density of personal networks is associated with a reduced risk of experiencing elder mistreatment.
Perpetrators of elder mistreatment were often found within the victim's close personal networks.
There is little evidence to suggest that perpetrators are poorly integrated within these networks.
The findings indicate that network dynamics may protect against mistreatment, despite perpetrators being well embedded.

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OBJECTIVES: This study considers the association between personal network density and risk of elder mistreatment among American adults.

METHOD: Using egocentric network data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, we employ logistic and negative binomial regression to predict recent experience of elder mistreatment. We further unpack the density mistreatment association by linking perpetrators to the victim's network and by assessing their position within its structure.

RESULTS: As hypothesized, older adults with dense networks had a lower risk of elder mistreatment. Interestingly, the perpetrators of these harmful acts were often found within seniors' close networks-though there was little evidence to suggest that perpetrators themselves were poorly embedded in the network.

DISCUSSION: Results highlight how network-level phenomena can operate distinctively from dyadic mistreatment processes. Dense personal networks seem to provide structural protection against elder mistreatment, even as many offensive acts are committed by those that are close to the victim and relatively well embedded in their network.

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