Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530, USA.
Gerontology. 2013;59(1):40-52. doi: 10.1159/000339747. Epub 2012 Jul 18.
Findings from existing research exploring whether positive social exchanges can help to offset (or 'buffer' against) the harmful effects of negative social exchanges on mental health have been inconsistent. This could be because the existing research is characterized by different approaches to studying various contexts of 'cross-domain' and 'within-domain' buffering, and/or because the nature of buffering effects varies according to sociodemographic characteristics that underlie different aspects of social network structure and function.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether the buffering effects of global perceptions of positive exchanges on the link between global negative exchanges and mental health varied as a function of age and gender.
We used a series of regressions in a sample of 556 Australian older adults (ages 55-94) to test for three-way interactions among gender, positive social exchanges, and negative social exchanges, as well as age and positive and negative social exchanges, in predicting mental health, controlling for years of education, partner status, and physical functioning.
We found that positive exchanges buffered against negative exchanges for younger old adults, but not for older old adults, and for women, but not for men.
Our findings are interpreted in light of research on individual differences in coping responses and interpersonal goals among late middle-aged and older adults. Our findings are in line with gerontological theories (e.g., socioemotional selectivity theory), and imply that an intervention aimed at using positive social exchanges as a means of coping with negative social exchanges might be more successful among particular populations (i.e., women, 'younger' old adults).
现有研究探索积极的社会交往是否有助于抵消（或“缓冲”）消极的社会交往对心理健康的有害影响，研究结果一直不一致。这可能是因为现有研究的特点是采用不同的方法来研究各种“跨领域”和“领域内”缓冲的情况，以及/或者因为缓冲效应的性质根据社会人口特征而有所不同，这些特征构成了社会网络结构和功能的不同方面。
本研究旨在检验积极交往的整体感知对消极交往与心理健康之间的联系的缓冲效应是否会因年龄和性别而有所不同。
我们在 556 名澳大利亚老年人（年龄在 55-94 岁之间）样本中使用了一系列回归来检验性别、积极社会交往和消极社会交往之间的三向交互作用，以及年龄和积极与消极社会交往之间的交互作用，以预测心理健康，同时控制教育年限、伴侣状况和身体功能。
我们发现，对于年轻的老年人来说，积极的交往缓冲了消极的交往，但对于年长的老年人来说则不然，对于女性来说是这样，但对于男性则不然。
我们的发现是根据对中年后期和老年人的应对反应和人际目标的个体差异研究进行解释的。我们的发现与老年学理论（例如，社会情绪选择理论）一致，这意味着，一项旨在利用积极的社会交往作为应对消极的社会交往的手段的干预措施，可能在特定人群（即女性、“年轻”的老年人）中更有效。
