Stull D E, Scarisbrick-Hauser A
Res Aging. 1989 Mar;11(1):124-39. doi: 10.1177/0164027589111006.
Researchers are beginning to look more closely at the lives of never-married elderly. As yet, there is no clear consensus regarding the lives and social support networks of the never-married elderly. In particular, are never-married elderly at greater risk for institutionalization than other marital groups? Findings from past research are mixed. Part of the difficulty lies in grouping never-married elderly with other unmarried elderly, or focusing on the presence or absence of a spouse. This article reexamines the life situation of never-married elderly in terms of health, social interaction, and household and family structure. The never married are compared with married, widowed, and divorced/separated elderly persons on these three dimensions. The findings suggest that never-married elderly are socially active, are not socially isolated, and may not be at high risk for institutionalization compared to other marital groups.
研究人员开始更密切地关注未婚老年人的生活。迄今为止，对于未婚老年人的生活及社会支持网络，尚未形成明确的共识。特别是，未婚老年人比其他婚姻状况群体面临更高的机构养老风险吗？过去的研究结果不一。部分困难在于将未婚老年人与其他未婚老人归为一组，或者只关注配偶的有无。本文从健康、社会交往以及家庭结构等方面重新审视未婚老年人的生活状况。将未婚老年人与已婚、丧偶以及离异/分居的老年人在这三个维度上进行比较。研究结果表明，与其他婚姻状况群体相比，未婚老年人社交活跃，没有被社会孤立，且面临机构养老的风险可能并不高。
