Social Networks in Adult Life, 1980: [United States]

These data were gathered to provide information on Kahn and Antonucci's life-span developmental model, "convoys of social support," which explores interpersonal relationships over time. Older adults (aged 50+) were interviewed on their health status, labor force status, and other demographic characteristics, and on the composition and degree of closeness of members of their current support network (e.g., spouses, children, friends). Three concentric circles of closeness were defined, varying in terms of transcendence of the relationship beyond role requirements, stability over the life span, and exchange of many different types of support (confiding, reassurance, respect, care when ill, discussion when upset, and talk about health). The principal respondents named a total of 6,341 network members, ranging in age from 18 to 96 years. Detailed structural and functional characteristics were collected from the principal respondents on the first ten named members of each support network. Similar interviews were then conducted with one to three network members of those 259 principal respondents who were 70+ years old. Two data files are provided: Part 1 contains merged data from the interviews of both the principal respondents aged 70+ and their network members, and Part 2 contains data from the principal respondents aged 50+.