Strong social participation and integration into social relationships are generally considered to be health-promoting. Numerous studies have already shown a connection with lower mortality and therefore higher life expectancy in old age. Many of these studies investigate kin networks. Less is known, however, about the effect of social integration in non-kin networks, that is contacts outside the family, like friends, neighbors and colleagues.

ISS researcher Lea Ellwardt studied this effect together with colleagues from the Free University of Amsterdam and the NOVA Institute in Oslo in more detail. The researchers hypothesized that a complex composition of non-kin networks increases survival in old age. Networks should not only be large, but also manifold in their composition, since they potentially involve a variety of different support resources and reduce the dependence on single useful contacts.

In their recently published study, the researchers analyzed death and survey data of 2440 women and men aged 54 to 100 years, who were interviewed within the LASA Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam over 20 years. The researchers were able to show that individuals with larger and more diverse relationship patterns had greater survival chances than individuals with less diverse relationships with non-kin contacts. This result was independent of the total number of kin and health status.

Overall, differences were rather small. Nonetheless, the researchers conclude that in the future, especially non-kin contacts can make a difference where older people have little access to family support and are increasingly dependent on extra-family assistance.