THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF DISABLEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON MORTALITY OUTCOMES: THE ROLE OF ETHNICITY. (11th November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Howard, A
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 2(2018)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 652
• Page End: 652
• Publication Date: 2018-11-11
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.2431
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: Demographers have consistently found that Latinos in the United States exhibit a survival advantage over their non-Latino counterparts, a phenomenon which also extends to the subpopulation of older adults with disability in completing activities of daily living. As many scholars hypothesize that the sociocultural context of Latinos may protect against adverse health outcomes, this study examines whether aging Latinos actually report significant differences in their social worlds, and whether or not those differences contribute to observed differentials in mortality outcomes among the disabled by race/ethnicity. Methods: This research leverages the rich social network data collected in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project to examine 14 dimensions of the social lives of older adults. First, multiple linear regression models were run to examine whether or not disabled Latinos report significant differences from non-Latinos in any of those 14 dimensions. Then, the impact of those measures on 5-year mortality outcomes was examined for any variation by ethnicity. Results/Discussion: Disabled Latinos reported different living arrangements from their non-Latino peers, but these measures had no impact on mortality outcomes. Instead, aspects like loneliness and total network size were found to have impacts on mortality, and the relationship between those measures and mortality outcomes also varied by race/ethnicity. These findings suggest that social context does not operate universally across all racial/ethnic groups, and that future research that addresses the mechanisms through which social context affects health outcomes should also consider the local meanings and expectations of social worlds.