362
of examining the potentially beneficial role of oxytocin
on perceptions of trustworthiness in aging. In the present
study, 48 young and 54 older participants evaluated the
trustworthiness of young and older male and female unfa-
miliar faces, while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging.
Participants were randomly assigned to either self-administer
intranasal oxytocin or a placebo before engagement in the
task. Behavioral analysis suggested that female faces were
generally rated as more trustworthy than male faces. This
effect was particularly pronounced in older participants in
the oxytocin group but young participants in the placebo
group. Functional connectivity analysis between amygdala
and prefrontal cortex is currently underway and will identify
the underlying brain mechanism of oxytocin’s effect on trust-
worthiness perceptions. Findings from this study emphasize
the importance of considering age and sex of participants
and faces when examining effects of oxytocin on perceptions
of facial trustworthiness. Results will be discussed in the con-
text of an emerging literature on oxytocin’s age-by-sex mod-
ulatory role in social and affective information processing.
SESSION 1115 (POSTER)
SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SOCIAL SUPPORT
EFFECTS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND NEGATIVE
INTERACTIONS ON MENTAL HEALTH IN JAPAN
K. Harada1, H. Sugisawa2, Y. Sugihara3, S. Yanagisawa4,
M. Shimmei5, 1. Jissen Women’s University, Tokyo, Japan,
2. J.F. Oberlin University, Tokyo, Japan, 3. Kamakura
Women’s University, Kanagawa, Japan, 4. Tokushima
University, Tokushima, Japan, 5. Tokyo Metropolitan
Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
The effects of social support and negative interactions
with various personal relationships (spouse, family members
living together, relatives, neighbors, friends) on the mental
health of younger (25–64 years old) and older (≥65 years
old) men and women were examined. Data were obtained
from a probability sample survey of 4,676 participants
(≥25 years) living in 30 municipalities of Tokyo, Chiba,
Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures of Japan. The depend-
ent variable was mental health, which was measured using
the Japanese version of the K6, an indicator of psychologi-
cal distress. Multiple regression analyses were carried out
separately for both age groups, controlling for socioeco-
nomic status. Results showed that social support and nega-
tive interactions were significantly related with psychological
distress, and negative interactions exerted stronger effects
on distress than social support for both age groups. For
the younger adults, buffering effects of social support on
the relationship between negative interactions and distress
were observed. Results of the examination of effects of spe-
cific types of relationships showed that social support from
friends was significantly related with lower distress, and neg-
ative interactions with family members living together was
related with higher distress for older adults. These findings
suggest that social support decreases the distress-producing
effects of negative interactions for younger adults, but not
for older adults. Findings also highlighted the importance of
taking into account the provider-recipient relationship when
The Gerontological Society of America
studying the joint influence of positive and negative social
exchange on mental health in Japanese older adults.
AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON OLDER PERSON’S
REGULAR USE OF A SOCIALIZATION PLACE IN THE
SUBURB OF TOKYO
H. Matsumoto, M. Kageyama, N. Yamamoto-Mitani,
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/56/Suppl_3/362/2574792 by Universidade Federal do Paraná user on 24 July 2022
S. Nagata, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Introduction: Building and maintaining social rela-
tionships are central to the well-being of senior citizens.
Socialization places (SPs), alternative models to senior cent-
ers and third places, are one of multiple interventions used
to enrich social relationships. However, little is known about
these places. Design and methods: An ethnographic study
was conducted over nine months in an SP in suburban semi-
public housing, in Tokyo. Data from participant observation,
formal and informal interviews, and related documents were
analyzed through coding and categorizing. Findings: Six pat-
terns were found to be used regularly, which include park,
school, meeting room, library, shopping, and event styles
of use. Frequency of use and cohesion with other users are
apparent differences among these types. Transference among
the types rarely occurs, as user’s physical and social back-
grounds determine type, but transferring into park style is
commonly observed. Implications: The main advantage of
SPs may be that they reach those who experience difficulty
participating due to their physical and social backgrounds.
IMPACT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS ON SLEEP
DURATION: A TWO-WAVE MEDIATION ANALYSIS
G. Cheng1, A. Chan1,2, J. Lo1, 1. Duke-NUS Medical School,
Singapore, Singapore, 2. National University of Singapore,
Singapore, Singapore
Extreme sleep duration is associated with negative cogni-
tive and health outcomes among older adults. It is important
to understand the determinants of sleep duration. Here, we
advance a mediation model to examine the contribution of
social relationships (marital status, living arrangement, social
network with friends and relatives), loneliness and depression
to elderly’s sleep duration. The present study drew on two
waves of data from a nationally representative survey (the
PHASE study) of community-dwelling older Singaporeans
(aged 60 or above). A mediation analysis was performed.
Path analytic findings, which included cross-lagged effects,
revealed that being unmarried, living alone and having
weaker social network increased levels of loneliness and in
turn depression, thereby eventually resulted in short sleep.
Our findings revealed the contribution of sub-optimal social
factors on short sleep among older adults, and clarified the
causal relationship between depression and sleep duration.
To improve sleep in this age group, interventions can tar-
get at promoting their social relationships and psychological
well-being.
THE EFFECT OF FRIENDSHIP ON MALIGNANT
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY IN PERSONS WITH
DEMENTIA
J. Perion, V. Steiner, J. Van Hoy, Language, Literature &
Social Science, University of Toledo, Temperance, Michigan
Social scientists have identified negative social exchanges,
known as Malignant Social Psychology, which can adversely
GSA 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting
influence one’s social identity. When a person with dementia
encounters behaviors such as shunning or stigmatization, it
creates a negative experience that can be difficult to over-
come. Friendship, which is a voluntary relationship often out-
side the caregiver/care recipient dynamic, may offer benefits
for these individuals if it includes opportunities for recipro-
cal exchange. This qualitative study examines friendship for
persons with dementia, and whether reciprocal opportunities
exist that might influence the experience of Malignant Social
Psychology. Individuals experiencing memory problems were
recruited from programs sponsored by the local Alzheimer’s
Association. In a face-to-face, one-time interview, they were
asked about existing friendships including opportunities for
mutual support. The data were analyzed using a phenomeno-
logical method that revealed themes of friendship that are
valued by persons with dementia. Participants included six
men and four women who were primarily White, averaged
76 years old, and had at least some college education. Five
themes emerged: recognizing the importance of longevity in
friendship; helping one another is a normal part of friend-
ship, feeling “alive” through the give and take in friendship,
knowing somebody is there for them, and seeking security
through friendship. Opportunities for further research into
the importance of friendship as it pertains to feelings of
positive identity exist. Understanding the benefits of friend-
ship, and ways to encourage the continuation of existing
friendships, will allow professionals and caregivers insight
into ways to provide fulfilling experiences for persons with
dementia.
RECEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND MENTAL HEALTH
AMONG THE ELDERLY: DOES IT VARY ACROSS
CULTURAL CONTEXTS?
Z. Zhou, Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, State
College, Pennsylvania
Previous research has found a strong and negative asso-
ciation between perceived social support and the risk of
depression, especially among individuals in their late life.
Yet, evidence linking received social support and elderly’s
mental health is less consistent, and little is known whether
this relationship varies between individualist and collec-
tivist cultural contexts, where people experience differ-
ent levels of stress when receiving support. To examine
the effect of received social support across contexts, this
study pooled data from two nationally representative
datasets (N=21,668) in the U.S. and China, and analyzed
the relationship between received support and depression
among the elderly aged 65 and above. Results showed that
increased monetary support from nonresident children was
associated with fewer depressive symptoms for elderly in
both countries, while the amount of received support from
relatives and friends did not matter significantly. Compared
to those who did not receive any monetary support from
their children, elderly in the U.S. who received support
from children had a higher risk of depression, whereas get-
ting money from children lowered the risk of depression
for elderly in China. Whether the elderly received support
from relatives or friends did not affect their mental health
in both countries. The findings indicate that children’s
instrumental support remain the most important source of
social support for the elderly; the received support from
363
children is only protective against depression among the
elderly in cultural context with strong social norm of filial
piety.
PROFILE OF HEALTH CONFIDANTS AMONG
OLDER ADULTS
J. Bookwala, T. Gaugler, Psychology, Lafayette College,
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/56/Suppl_3/362/2574792 by Universidade Federal do Paraná user on 24 July 2022
Easton, Pennsylvania
Close confidant relationships play a key role in older
adults’ health and well-being. Recently, we showed that
older adults selectively disclose health-related concerns to
confidants and that having health confidants has added
benefits for well-being net of those explained by having
confidants in general (Bookwala & Gaugler, in press). In
the current study, we used longitudinal data from a national
probability-based sample of older adults to develop a pro-
file of health confidants based on confidant gender, rela-
tionship to the participant, co-residence with the confidant,
frequency with which participant talked with confidant,
and participant’s rated closeness of the relationship with
the confidant. Repeated measures logistic regression analy-
ses using PROC GLIMMIX in SAS were used to determine
the likelihood that a confidant would be further identified
as a health confidant from among available confidants.
Results showed that at both T1 and T2, the odds of being
named a health confidant were significantly higher when
the confidant was female (T1-chi-square=34.5, p<.0001,
T2-chi-square=53.4, p<.0001) and a spouse/ family mem-
ber (T1-chi-square=88.6, p<.0001, T2-chi-square=164.1,
p<.0001) and when the participant co-resided with the
confidant (T1-chi-square=7.2, p<.01, T2-chi-square=8.2,
p<.01), shared a closer relationship with the confidant
(T1-chi-square=1186.2, p<.0001, T2-chi-square=1411.9,
p<.0001), and talked more frequently with him or her
(T1-chi-square=57.2, p<.0001, T2-chi-square=116.3,
p<.0001). These results show that older adults’ health con-
fidants are a select and distinctive group from among con-
fidants at large. Their significant role in well-being may be
at least partially explained by the characteristics that dis-
tinguish them from the broader set of confidants named by
older adults.
THE CASE OF JOLENE & HATTIE: RESIDENT AS
CAREGIVER IN LONG-TERM CARE
A.D. Peeples, VISN 5 MIRECC, Department of Veterans
Affairs, Baltimore, Maryland
Residents in long-term care settings often find meaning
and purpose in relationships made with one another. Among
residents with dementia, resident relationships sometimes
have the added benefit of diminishing or preventing resi-
dents’ problematic behavioral symptoms, thus simultane-
ously improving the residents’ day-to-day interactions with
others in the setting. Staff members encourage relationships
among residents, particularly relationships where a higher-
functioning resident seemingly takes a lower-functioning
resident under her wing. This can be beneficial for all, as
the higher-functioning resident may find fulfillment in help-
ing another, the lower-functioning resident may find her
needs for companionship and guidance satisfied, and staff
members subsequently have more time available to tend to
other residents. In some instances, however, these types of