The convoy model: explaining social relations from a multidisciplinary perspective.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Social relations are a key aspect of aging and the life course. In this paper, we trace the scientific origins of the study of social relations, focusing in particular on research grounded in the convoy model. DESIGN AND METHODS We first briefly review and critique influential historical studies to illustrate how the scientific study of social relations developed. Next, we highlight early and current findings grounded in the convoy model that have provided key insights into theory, method, policy, and practice in the study of aging. RESULTS Early social relations research, while influential, lacked the combined approach of theoretical grounding and methodological rigor. Nevertheless, previous research findings, especially from anthropology, suggested the importance of social relations in the achievement of positive outcomes. Considering both life span and life course perspectives and grounded in a multidisciplinary perspective, the convoy model was developed to unify and consolidate scattered evidence while at the same time directing future empirical and applied research. Early findings are summarized, current evidence presented, and future directions projected. IMPLICATIONS The convoy model has provided a useful framework in the study of aging, especially for understanding predictors and consequences of social relations across the life course.

[1]  Vern L. Bengtson,et al.  Handbook of theories of aging , 2016 .

[2]  Kira S Birditt.  Age differences in emotional reactions to daily negative social encounters. , 2014, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[3]  K. Birditt,et al.  Implications of marital/partner relationship quality and perceived stress for blood pressure among older adults. , 2014, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[4]  D. Kaminsky.  Number our days , 2012 .

[5]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Survey methods and aging research in an Arab sociocultural context--a case study from Beirut, Lebanon. , 2012, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[6]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Enacted support during stressful life events in middle and older adulthood: an examination of the interpersonal context. , 2012, Psychology and aging.

[7]  Kay L Wanke,et al.  Advancing Research in Gene–Environment Interplay: Can Developmental Science Lead the Way? , 2011 .

[8]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Convoys of social relations: Past, present, and future. , 2011 .

[9]  H. Amièva,et al.  What Aspects of Social Network Are Protective for Dementia? Not the Quantity But the Quality of Social Interactions Is Protective Up to 15 Years Later , 2010, Psychosomatic medicine.

[10]  Timothy B. Smith,et al.  Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review , 2010, PLoS medicine.

[11]  M. Bornstein,et al.  Handbook of Lifespan Development , 2010 .

[12]  Jacqui Smith,et al.  Theories of Aging From a Life-Course and Life-Span Perspective: An Overview , 2009, Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

[13]  S. Charles,et al.  Now you see it, now you don't: age differences in affective reactivity to social tensions. , 2009, Psychology and aging.

[14]  G. Elder,et al.  The Craft of Life Course Research , 2009 .

[15]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Convoys of social relations: An interdisciplinary approach. , 2009 .

[16]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Longitudinal patterns of negative relationship quality across adulthood. , 2009, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[17]  N. Christakis,et al.  Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study , 2008, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[18]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Life sustaining irritations? Relationship quality and mortality in the context of chronic illness. , 2008, Social science & medicine.

[19]  Beate Ditzen,et al.  Positive Couple Interactions and Daily Cortisol: On the Stress-Protecting Role of Intimacy , 2008, Psychosomatic medicine.

[20]  N. Christakis,et al.  SUPPLEMENTARY ONLINE MATERIAL FOR: The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social Network , 2022 .

[21]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Profiles of social relations among older adults: a cross-cultural approach , 2008, Ageing and Society.

[22]  Shelly L. Gable,et al.  HE SAID, SHE SAID: A Quasi-Signal Detection Analysis of Daily Interactions Between Close Relationship Partners , 2008 .

[23]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Relationship quality profiles and well-being among married adults. , 2007, Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

[24]  Jacqui Smith,et al.  Social network types among older adults: a multidimensional approach. , 2007, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[25]  N. Christakis,et al.  The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network Over 32 Years , 2007, The New England journal of medicine.

[26]  K. Cortina,et al.  Social network typologies and mental health among older adults. , 2006, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[27]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Social networks among men and women: the effects of age and socioeconomic status. , 2005, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[28]  K. Ajrouch.  Arab-American immigrant elders' views about social support , 2005, Ageing and Society.

[29]  David M. Almeida,et al.  CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Resilience and Vulnerability to Daily Stressors Assessed via Diary Methods , 2022 .

[30]  T. Antonucci,et al.  A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach to Social Relationships and Well-Being in the United States and Japan* , 2005 .

[31]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Attachment and close relationships across the life span , 2004, Attachment & human development.

[32]  A. DeLongis,et al.  Social support and social strain among husbands and wives: a multilevel analysis. , 2004, Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

[33]  Masumi Iida,et al.  Daily Supportive Equity in Close Relationships , 2003, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[34]  T. Antonucci,et al.  The effect of social relations with children on the education-health link in men and women aged 40 and over. , 2003, Social science & medicine.

[35]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Negative interactions in close relationships across the life span. , 2003, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[36]  Robin J. Caster.  Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, 5th ed. , 2003 .

[37]  L. Kiser,et al.  Social Support Measurement and Intervention: A Guide for Health and Social Scientists. , 2001 .

[38]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Social networks among blacks and whites: the interaction between race and age. , 2001, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[39]  Toni C. Antonucci,et al.  Social relations: An examination of social networks, social support, and sense of control. , 2001 .

[40]  C. Phillipson,et al.  Family and Community Life of Older People: Social Networks and Social Support in Three Urban Areas , 2000 .

[41]  Benjamin H. Gottlieb,et al.  Social support measurement and intervention: A guide for health and social scientists. , 2000 .

[42]  D. Dannefer.  Paradox of opportunity: education, work, and age integration in the United States and Germany. , 2000, The Gerontologist.

[43]  B. Winblad,et al.  Influence of social network on occurrence of dementia: a community-based longitudinal study , 2000, The Lancet.

[44]  Harry T. Reis,et al.  Measuring relationship properties and interactions relevant to social support. , 2000 .

[45]  N. Lin,et al.  Age differences in the effects of network composition on psychological distress. , 1999, Social science & medicine.

[46]  P. Baltes,et al.  The Berlin Aging Study: Aging From 70 To 100. , 1999, Care Management Journals.

[47]  F. Lang,et al.  Social relationships in old age , 1999 .

[48]  A M Sherman,et al.  Satisfaction with social networks: an examination of socioemotional selectivity theory across cohorts. , 1998, Psychology and aging.

[49]  T. Antonucci,et al.  Negative effects of close social relations , 1998 .

[50]  R Fuhrer,et al.  Social relations and depressive symptomatology in a sample of community-dwelling French older adults. , 1997, Psychology and aging.

[51]  Laura L. Carstensen,et al.  Evidence for a Life-Span Theory of Socioemotional Selectivity , 1995 .

[52]  H. Litwin.  The social networks of elderly immigrants: An analytic typology , 1995 .

[53]  John B. Cassel,et al.  The contribution of the social environment to host resistance : the fourth wade Hampton frost lecture , 1995 .

[54]  Toni C. Antonucci,et al.  3. Convoys of Attachment and Social Relations in Children, Adolescents, and Adults , 1994 .

[55]  K. Hurrelmann,et al.  Social networks and social support in childhood and adolescence , 1994 .

[56]  E. Minnemann.  [Gender-specific differences in the development of social relations in the elderly--results of an empirical study]. , 1994, Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie.

[57]  T. Antonucci.  A life-span view of women's social relations. , 1994 .

[58]  Christina R. Victor,et al.  Family and social networks , 1994 .

[59]  Ruth A. Weber,et al.  Intergenerational Support, Relationship Quality, and Well-Being , 1992 .

[60]  G. Wenger,et al.  Help in old age--facing up to change: A longitudinal network study , 1992 .

[61]  K. Pugliesi,et al.  Size and effectiveness of informal helping networks: a panel study of older people in the community. , 1991, Journal of health and social behavior.

[62]  R. Kessler,et al.  Effects of daily stress on negative mood. , 1989, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[63]  Barry Wellman,et al.  Brothers' Keepers: Situating Kinship Relations in Broader Networks of Social Support , 1989 .

[64]  J. House,et al.  Social relationships and health. , 1988, Science.

[65]  M. Powell Lawton,et al.  Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics , 1988, Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

[66]  T. Antonucci,et al.  An examination of sex differences in social support among older men and women , 1987 .

[67]  H Akiyama,et al.  Social networks in adult life and a preliminary examination of the convoy model. , 1987, Journal of gerontology.

[68]  J. Johnson,et al.  Social network interaction and mortality. A six year follow-up study of a random sample of the Swedish population. , 1987, Journal of chronic diseases.

[69]  T. Wills,et al.  Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. , 1985, Psychological bulletin.

[70]  N. Milburn.  To Dwell Among Friends: Personal Networks in Town and City. , 1983 .

[71]  J. House,et al.  The association of social relationships and activities with mortality: prospective evidence from the Tecumseh Community Health Study. , 1982, American journal of epidemiology.

[72]  D. Blazer.  Social support and mortality in an elderly community population. , 1982, American journal of epidemiology.

[73]  Robert L. Kahn,et al.  Convoys over the life course: attachment, roles, and social support , 1980 .

[74]  L. Berkman,et al.  Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. , 1979, American journal of epidemiology.

[75]  R. Binstock,et al.  Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. , 1978 .

[76]  J. Cassel.  The contribution of the social environment to host resistance: the Fourth Wade Hampton Frost Lecture. , 1976, American journal of epidemiology.

[77]  Roderick Martin,et al.  Scientific knowledge and sociological theory , 1975, Nature.

[78]  M. Lowenthal,et al.  Interaction and adaptation: intimacy as a critical variable. , 1968, American sociological review.

[79]  J. Johnston.  Americans View Their Mental Health: A Nationwide Interview Survey , 1960 .

[80]  P. Willmott,et al.  Family and Kinship in East London , 1958 .

[81]  C. Hogg,et al.  Family and Kinship in East London , 1957, Mental Health.