The role of social network diversity for self-perceptions of aging in later life

Abstract While the link between self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and healthy aging is well established, less is known about how SPA relate to social factors. The present study investigated whether higher social network diversity is associated with more gain-related SPA and less loss-related SPA and whether this association is moderated by chronological age. We examined data from the German Ageing Survey of 2008 (DEAS; N = 6,205, 40–85 years, 49.5% female). Network diversity was assessed as the number of social roles in an individual’s social network. Three dimensions of SPA were measured with the Aging-Related Cognitions Scale (AgeCog; ongoing development, social losses, physical losses). We conducted multiple linear regression models and tested for a moderator effect of chronological age using an interaction term of age and network diversity. Results showed that at higher ages older adults with higher network diversity reported more gain-related SPA in the dimension of ongoing development than those with less diverse networks, supporting a moderating effect of age. Loss-related SPA in the dimension of social losses showed a small positive association with network diversity while loss-oriented SPA in the dimension of physical losses did not appear to be related to network diversity. Age had no relevance for either relationship. The present study adds to evidence on the role of social relationships for SPA. Our findings suggest that in certain dimensions and partly depending on age, social network diversity is both related to more gain-related and more loss-related SPA.