School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Psychology, and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Res Aging. 2023 May-Jun;45(5-6):486-497. doi: 10.1177/01640275221126103. Epub 2022 Sep 14.
We examined changes in the frequencies of in-person, telephone, and written or email contact with friends in older adults who move short or longer distances. 3820 adults aged 50 years or older were included from a nationally representative sample from the Health and Retirement Study. Using ordinal logistic regression, we found differential effects of geographical distances on the in-person, telephone, and write or email contact with friends. Specifically, in-person contact frequency was most sensitive to distance. Telephone contact frequency was only impacted by long-distance moves; however, email contact frequency was not influenced by distance. Findings suggest that the impact of relocation on contact frequency exists even though communication technology gives older adults flexibility in maintaining frequent contact with their friends. We discuss our findings through the lens of socioemotional selective theory and social convoy model. Future studies could examine factors linked to changes in the amount and modes of contact.
我们研究了在短距离或长距离搬家的老年人中，与朋友进行面对面、电话和书面或电子邮件联系的频率变化。研究对象为来自健康与退休研究的全国代表性样本中的 3820 名 50 岁及以上的成年人。使用有序逻辑回归，我们发现地理距离对与朋友的面对面、电话和书面或电子邮件联系的影响存在差异。具体来说，面对面接触的频率对距离最为敏感。电话联系的频率仅受远距离迁移的影响；然而，电子邮件联系的频率不受距离的影响。研究结果表明，即使通信技术使老年人能够灵活地与朋友保持频繁联系，搬迁对联系频率的影响仍然存在。我们通过社会情感选择理论和社会护航模型的视角来讨论我们的发现。未来的研究可以考察与联系数量和方式变化相关的因素。
