TY - JOUR PY - 2011// TI - Associations Between Social Relationships and Emotional Well-Being in Middle-Aged and Older African Americans JO - Research on aging A1 - Warren-Findlow, Jan A1 - Laditka, James N. A1 - Laditka, Sarah B. A1 - Thompson, Michael E. SP - 713 EP - 734 VL - 33 IS - 6 N2 - Social relationships may enhance emotional health in older age. The authors examined associations between social relationships and emotional health using data from the Milwaukee African American sample of the second Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS II) study, 2005-2006 (n = 592). Self-reports indicated good, very good, or excellent emotional health, distinguished from fair or poor. Social relationships were measured by relationship type (family or friend), contact frequency, and levels of emotional support and strain. Control variables included demographic characteristics, types of lifetime and daily discrimination, neighborhood quality, and other social factors. In adjusted results, each increase on a family emotional support scale was associated with 118% greater odds of reporting better emotional health (odds ratio [OR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.43, 3.32]). Friend emotional support also was associated with better emotional health (OR = 1.59, CI [1.07, 2.34]). Daily discrimination substantially reduced reported emotional health; family and friend support buffered this effect.

LA - SN - 0164-0275 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0164027511411928 ID - ref1 ER -