Paradox of aging: Differential effects of social network types on mental health in midlife and older adults

This study identified network types based on multiple indicators reflecting the structure, function, and quality of social relationships, and investigated their associations with mental health in two age-groups. Using 620 South Korean middle-aged and older adults, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted for both the total sample and for each age-group separately. LPA derived four network types: diverse-supported, family-focused, friend-focused, and restricted. However, for each age group, the prevalence and composition of the network types differed. While controlling for individuals’ demographic information and self-rated health, there were significant differences in terms of mental health among four network types, and an individual’s network type membership was found to be significantly associated with their mental health. Although the associations of network types with mental health were overall similar in both groups, the effect sizes of network type impact on mental health were much greater in older adults than they were in middle-aged adults.