Date of Award

Spring 6-13-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Social Work

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Social Work

First Advisor

Kaipeng Wang

Second Advisor

Anamika Barman-Adhikari

Third Advisor

Eric Chess

Fourth Advisor

Leslie Hasche

Fifth Advisor

Scott Horowitz

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Intergenerational relationships, Social isolation, Survey, Social networks, Aging, Older adults

Abstract

The older adult population continues to face significant challenges stemming from social isolation. Intergenerational relationships – connections between older and younger individuals that foster mutual respect and benefits – have demonstrated effectiveness in building social connections across generations and hold great promise as a solution to this issue. However, further research is needed to understand the unique mechanisms that make these relationships impactful and to develop community-wide initiatives that encourage and support them.

An exploratory cross-sectional survey design was conducted to address the following aims: 1) Explore the prevalence and characteristics of intergenerational relationships within the social networks of older adults, as well as explore any associations with participant and community demographics and the number of intergenerational relationships held by older adults, 2) Conduct a latent class analysis to identify distinct subgroups within the sample based on patterns in their relationships, and 3) Examine what social and health outcomes are associated with the latent classes of older adult participants created in the second aim.

Data were collected from 307 community-dwelling older adults and included a social network analysis to explore the relationships of older adults. Descriptive results highlight the prevalence of intergenerational relationships (92.51% of the sample) and characterize the differences between intergenerational and non-intergenerational relationships as well as familial and non-familial intergenerational relationships. Results from the latent class analysis resulted in three classes: 1) Low Relationship Class, 2) High Close and Reciprocal Relationship Class, and 3) High Intergenerational and Familial Relationship Class. Comparing these classes revealed notable trends in social and health outcomes. Participants in the high close and reciprocal relationship class reported lower levels of loneliness compared to the low relationship class. Additionally, the low relationship class exhibited lower perceived social support compared to the other two classes.

Results highlight the importance of the quality of relationships, supporting familial intergenerational relationships, and the association of income with intergenerational relationships. They also highlight the need for policies and practices in the workplace that promote intergenerational engagement. Future research should build upon these insights to advance understanding and develop intergenerational solutions to combat social isolation among older adults.

Copyright Date

6-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Carson M. De Fries

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

148 pgs

File Size

1.3 MB

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Available for download on Sunday, July 18, 2027



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