Being with People and Being Alone in Late Life: Costs and Benefits for Everyday Functioning

Abstract

Being alone and being with people are both important determinants for adaptation in the everyday life of elderly people. We examined the relationship between social contact (engagement in activities alone or in the presence of others), difficulties experienced with daily activities when with people or when alone, everyday satisfaction, and self-reported autonomy. Greater levels of social contact are associated with greater everyday satisfaction as long as participants report no difficulty in daily activities. However, greater levels of social contact are associated with lower self-reported autonomy among very old participants (85-104 years) and social contact is unrelated to self-reported autonomy among old participants (70-84 years). The findings suggest that the compensatory use of social resources and the selective narrowing of social contact in daily activities contribute to adaptive everyday functioning in later life.

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