D. Shye et al., GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL NETWORK SUPPORTAND MORTALITY - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF AN ELDERLY COHORT, Social science & medicine, 41(7), 1995, pp. 935-947
Citations number
53
Categorie Soggetti
Social Sciences, Biomedical","Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath
Despite well-recognized gender differences in patterns df social netwo
rk support, few studies have explored whether the pathways by which so
cial support affects mortality risk differ for men and women. In a 15-
year follow-up study of elderly HMO members, we found that network siz
e affected men's mortality risk indirectly, through their health statu
s. while no such indirect effect was found for women. The data also su
ggested that network size had a direct protective effect on mortality
risk for both men and women, with men gaining protection at a lower le
vel of network size than women. These findings confirm the need for a
gender-specific approach to further research on this subject, and sugg
est the need to measure variables that capture the different meaning a
nd value of social network participation for men and women.