Networks in later life: An examination of race differences in social support networks

Although there has been considerable interest in the effects of social supp ort networks on various health outcomes for older adults, there has been li ttle research directed toward the predictors of networks. In this study, we examine race differences in the determinants of social support network cha racteristics (size, frequency of interaction with network members, proporti on of kin, and amount of support received and given to network members) usi ng data from an older community sample drawn from the North Carolina site o f the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPE SE) focusing on adults sixty-five and order (n = 4124). This research focus es on the extent to which race differences in network dimensions are presen t and whether these variations can be attributed to varying social structur al positions held by African Americans and Whites. The results indicate tha t several race differences persist even when controlling for social structu ral variables. The structural argument and future implications are discusse d.