Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, United States.
AARP, United States.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2020 May-Jun;88:104008. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2020.104008. Epub 2020 Jan 22.
Three sets of analyses are performed in our study. First, following Erikson (1959), we hypothesized that the relationship between age and meaning becomes progressively stronger at successively older ages (i.e., the relationship is nonlinear). Second, following Carstensen (1992), we predicted that the relationship between age and social support (received support and satisfaction with support) becomes progressively stronger at successively older ages (i.e., these relationships are nonlinear, as well). Third, we proposed that the nonlinear relationship between age and meaning is mediated by the nonlinear social support constructs (i.e., received support and satisfaction with support).
Our data were obtained from online interviews with a nationwide sample of adults of all ages (N = 2, 245).
Our findings suggest there is a nonlinear relationship between age and meaning in life as well as a nonlinear relationship between age and each social support measure. Our data also indicate that the nonlinear effects of the social support measures mediate the nonlinear relationship between age and meaning in life.
Finding a sense of meaning may be facilitated by the supportive social networks that older people maintain.
我们的研究进行了三组分析。首先，我们遵循埃里克森（1959）的观点，假设年龄与意义之间的关系在年龄逐渐增大时变得越来越强（即关系是非线性的）。其次，我们遵循卡森斯坦（1992）的观点，预测年龄与社会支持（获得的支持和对支持的满意度）之间的关系在年龄逐渐增大时变得越来越强（即这些关系也是非线性的）。第三，我们提出年龄与意义之间的非线性关系是由非线性社会支持结构（即获得的支持和对支持的满意度）介导的。
我们的数据来自对所有年龄段成年人的全国性在线访谈（N=2245）。
我们的研究结果表明，生命意义与年龄之间存在非线性关系，社会支持的每个衡量指标与年龄之间也存在非线性关系。我们的数据还表明，社会支持措施的非线性效应中介了年龄与生活意义之间的非线性关系。
老年人维持的支持性社交网络可能有助于找到生命的意义。
