Negative Social Interactions in Late Life: Socioemotional Selectivity Theory and the Relationship Experiences of Older

1. Negative Social Interactions in Late Life:Socioemotional Selectivity Theory and the Relationship Experiences of Older Adults Sarah E. DeAnna The Ohio State University

2. Centrality of Relationships • Most elders are not socially isolated and rely on the support of informal network members in order to successfully age. • These central networks are more likely to contain members of one's family than friends. • 66 percent of older adults live in a family setting. • Over half of those over age 65 live with a partner. • Social support can act as a mediator in times of adversity life stress and increase reported well-being overall. • Unfavorable interpersonal interactions with close others can negatively impact both physical and mental well-being. Gadalla, 2010; Hooyman & Kiyak, 2010; Krause, 2005; Thomas, 2009

3. Negativity in Older Adult Relationships • Overall, research shows a decrease in reported negative interaction by older persons versus younger persons. • 3 longitudinal studies, 1 cross-sectional • However, relational negativity varies by relationship type. • Over time relationship negativity tends to decrease but there are some exceptions. • Stability in some studies. • Spousal relationships. Akiyama, Antonucci, Takahashi, & Langfahl, 2003; Birditt, Jackey, & Antonucci, 2009; Boerner, Reinhardt, Raykov, & Horowitz, 2004; Fingerman & Birditt, 2003; Krause & Rook, 2003

4. Recent Research Continued • The spousal relationship is the biggest exception to the rule with an increase in negativity with age and over time. • Respondents were more likely to report negativity in the spousal relationship than any other relationship. • Older adults also have increasing negativity with their parents possibly due to the strains of caregiving. • Family relations are likely to be more negative than friendships.

5. Socioemotional Selectivity Theory A lifespan theory of motivation developed by Stanford psychologist Laura Carstensen in the early 1990s. • As people age their perception of future time decreases and they move toward a desire to stabilize and maintain emotionally rewarding relationships • Individuals go through a lifelong process of adaptively selecting social partners “to maximize social and emotional gains and minimize social and emotional risks.” Carstensen, 1992; Lang & Carstensen, 2002

6. Spousal Relationships • Over half of those over age 65 live with a partner. • In current research, the spousal relationship was more likely to show increasing rather than decreasing negativity over time and with age. • As many as 20 percent of older adult couples report “moderate or strong emotional or social loneliness in their marriage” • The strains of caregiving may contribute to unhappiness, as these marriages were more likely to contain a spouse with health problems Hooyman & Kiyak, 2010

7. Implications for Practice • Recent efforts in intervention with older adults focus on increasing social integration and supportbut do not acknowledge that not all socialization will be beneficial for older adults. • Although the benefits of social support are widely known, much less is known about the efficacy of support interventions. • Inadequate research and practice in recent years has focused on the goals of emotional closeness and fulfillment that socioemotional selectivity theory identifies as important to older adults.

8. Implications Continued • Practitioners should not assume that all social encounters or support are going to be beneficial for older adults. • Consider the changing social motivations of older adults when developing interventions. • Increase interventions aimed at strengthening families. • More widespread use of couples counseling with this population. • Further research to inform practice.

9. References Akiyama, H., Antonucci, T., Takahashi, K., & Langfahl, E. (2003). Negative interactions in close relationships across the life span. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 58(2), P70.   Birditt, K., Jackey, L., & Antonucci, T. (2009). Longitudinal patterns of negative relationship quality across adulthood. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 64(1), 55-64.   Boerner, K., Reinhardt, J., Raykov, T., & Horowitz, A. (2004). Stability and change in social negativity in later life: Reducing received while maintaining initiated negativity. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 59(4), S230.   Carstensen, L. (1992). Social and emotional patterns in adulthood: Support for socioemotional selectivity theory.Psychology and aging, 7, 331–331.   Carstensen, L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science,312(5782), 1913. Fingerman, K & Birditt, K. (2003). Does variation in close and problematic family ties reflect the pool of living relatives? Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 58, P80-P87. Gadalla, T. (2010). The Role of Mastery and Social Support in the Association Between Life Stressors and Psychological Distress in Older Canadians. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53(6), 512–530.   Hooyman, N. & Kiyak, H. (2010). Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (9th ed.). Prentice Hall.   Krause, N. (2005). Negative interaction and heart disease in late life. Journal of Aging and Health, 17(1), 28. Krause, N., & Rook, K. (2003). Negative interaction in late life: Issues in the stability and generalizability of conflict across relationships. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58(2), P88. Lang, F. & Carstensen, L. (2002). Time Counts: Future Time Perspective, Goals, and Social Relationships.Psychology and aging, 17(1), 125–139.   Thomas, P. (2009). Is it better to give or to receive? Social support and the well-being of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 65(3), p351-357.