Social networks contribute to the well-being and longevity of older adults, yet very little research to date has attempted to identify communicative mechanisms that explain the link between social networks and health. This study identified and tested two communicative mechanisms, openness and criticism, as mediators between confidant network size, confidant network density, and depression in a sample of 2,249 Americans over the age of 60. The data suggest that openness with friends and family mediate the relationship between network factors (size and density) and depression, while criticism from friends and family also mediate the relationship between network properties (size and density) and depression but less consistently (e.g., friend criticism only mediated the relationship with density). In general, network size appears to increase exposure to the positive outcomes of openness but also increase the negative outcomes of criticism; the role of network density is more complicated. The varied direction of the mediation associations are discussed along with implications for network and communication theorists and those who work with older adults.
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