Formal and informal network factors as sources of morale in a senior center population

This study examined the relative effects of senior center factors and socia l network attributes on the morale of a sample of senior center participant s in Israel (N = 85), controlling for respondents' background characteristi cs. The multivariate model accounted for 56 percent of the variance in mora le scores. Respondents' health was the primary explanatory factor, followed by selected attributes of participants' informal social networks. The form al network factors had a minor and partly negative effect. The findings sug gest that participants' morale was shaped more by the configuration of thei r interpersonal social networks than by factors related to the senior cente r environment.