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- Title
Better Off Alone: Daily Solitude Is Associated With Lower Negative Affect in More Conflictual Social Networks.
- Authors
Birditt, Kira S; Manalel, Jasmine A; Sommers, Heidi; Luong, Gloria; Fingerman, Karen L
- Abstract
Background and Objectives Older adults are often considered at risk for social isolation. Little is known, however, about how often older adults lack social contact (in person, phone, electronic) throughout the day, the implications of lacking contact (i.e. solitude), and whether the effects of solitude vary by the broader social context. Research Design and Methods Participants were from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study (DEWS) which included 313 older adults (aged 65+) who completed baseline interviews followed by 5–6 days of ecological momentary assessments approximately every 3 hr. Results Individuals reported having no social contact (i.e. solitude) on 11% of the occasions. Solitude predicted lower negative and positive affect on those occasions. The solitude-negative affect link varied by social network quality. Solitude predicted lower negative affect among individuals with more conflictual social networks but not among those with less conflictual networks. Discussion and Implications Overall, solitude may serve as an adaptive strategy for individuals embedded in demanding or irritating social contexts.
- Subjects
AFFECT (Psychology); CONFLICT (Psychology); INTERVIEWING; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; RISK assessment; SOCIAL isolation; SOCIAL networks; SOCIAL skills; WELL-being; POSITIVE psychology
- Publication
Gerontologist, 2019, Vol 59, Issue 6, p1152
- ISSN
0016-9013
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/geront/gny060