Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T21:50:45.376Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social engagement from childhood to middle age and the effect of childhood socio-economic status on middle age social engagement: results from the National Child Development study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

HEIDI HIETANEN ,
MARJA AARTSEN ,
NOONA KIURU ,
TIINA-MARI LYYRA  and
SANNA READ
HEIDI HIETANEN*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences and the Gerontology Research Centre, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
MARJA AARTSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
NOONA KIURU
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
TIINA-MARI LYYRA
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences and the Gerontology Research Centre, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
SANNA READ
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Heidi Hietanen, Department of Health Sciences and the Gerontology Research Centre, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (Viveca), FIN-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland. E-mail: heidi.k.a.hietanen@jyu.fi
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Social engagement has powerful effects on wellbeing, but variation in individual engagement throughout the lifecourse is wide. The trajectories may differ by gender and be affected by socio-economic status (SES). However, long-term development of social engagement is little studied and the effect of childhood SES on later-life social engagement remains obscure. We aimed to describe the social engagement development from childhood to middle age by gender and test the effect of childhood SES on middle age social engagement. Data (N=16,440, 51.3% male) are drawn from the on-going National Child Development Study, following British babies born in 1958. Social engagement was measured by social activities, voluntary work and social contacts, with follow-ups at age 11, 16, 23 and 50. SES was measured by father's occupational social class and tenure status. Structural equation modelling suggested inter-individual stability in social engagement, showing that development of social engagement started in childhood and increased social engagement in middle age through adolescence and early adulthood. Longitudinal effects were detected within and across the social engagement domains. Lower childhood SES was significantly related to a lower level of voluntary work and social activity in middle age, but to higher levels of social contacts. Although stability in social engagement is moderate over the lifecourse, variation within and across the different social engagement domains is shaped by differences in childhood SES.

Keywords

social engagementsocial activitiesvolunteer worksocial contactsmiddle agesocio-economic statuslifecourse
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 36 , Issue 3 , March 2016 , pp. 482 - 507
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agahi, N., Ahacic, K. and Parker, M. 2006. Continuity of leisure participation from middle age to old age. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61B, 6, S340–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asher, S., Hymel, S. and Renshaw, P. 1984. Loneliness in children. Child Development, 55, 4, 1456–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, T. and Silva, E. 2006. Introduction: Cultural capital and inequality: policy issues and contexts. Cultural Trends, 15, 2/3, 87–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourdieu, P. 1986. The forms of capital. In Westport, J. (eds), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Greenwood, New York, 214–58.Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. 1969. Attachment and Loss. Volume 1: Attachment. Basic Book, New York.Google Scholar
Broese van Groenou, M. and Deeg, D. 2010. Formal and informal social participation of the ‘young-old’ in the Netherlands in 1992 and 2002. Ageing & Society, 30, 3, 445–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bukov, A., Maas, I. and Lampert, T. 2002. Social participation in very old age. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57B, 6, 510–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carstensen, L. 1992. Social and emotional patterns in adulthood: support for Socioemotional Selectivity theory. Psychology and Aging, 7, 3, 331–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dalstra, J., Kunst, A. and Mackenbach, J. 2006. A comparative appraisal of the relationship of education, income and housing tenure with less than good health among the elderly in Europe. Social Science & Medicine, 62, 8, 2046–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dannefer, D. 1987. Ageing as intracohort differentiation: accentuation, the Matthew effect, and the life course. Sociological Forum, 2, 2, 211–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dannefer, D. 2003. Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: cross-fertilizing age and social science theory. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58B, 6, S327–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elder, G., Kirkpatrick Johnson, M. and Crosnoe, R. 2003. The emergence and development of life course theory. In Mortimer, J. and Shanahan, M. (eds), Handbook of the Life Course. Springer, New York, 3–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, J. and Vaitilingam, R. 2008. Now We Are 50: Key Findings from the National Child Development Study. The Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London, London.Google Scholar
Erlinhagen, M. and Hank, K. 2006. The participation of older Europeans in volunteer work. Ageing & Society, 26, 4, 567–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glass, T., Mendes De Leon, C., Marttoli, R. A. and Berkman, L. 1999. Population based study of social and productive activities as predictors of survival among elderly Americans. BMJ, 319, 21, 478–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grundy, E. and Read, S. 2012. Social contacts and receipt of help among older people in England: are there benefits of having more children? Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67B, 6, 742–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, D. and Donnelly, T. M. 2007. High school community service as a predictor of adult voting and volunteering. American Educational Research Journal, 44, 1, 197–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holahan, C. and Chapman, J. 2002. Longitudinal predictors of proactive goals and activity participation at age 80. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57B, 5, P418–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, L. and Bentler, P. 1999. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1, 1–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyyppä, M., Mäki, J., Impivaara, O. and Aromaa, A. 2006. Leisure participation predicts survival: a population-based study in Finland. Health Promotion International, 21, 1, 5–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Janke, M., Davey, A. and Kleiber, D. 2006. Modeling change in older adults’ leisure activities. Leisure Sciences, 28, 3, 285–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kjønniksen, L., Anderssen, N. and Wold, B. 2009. Organized youth sport as a predictor of physical activity in adulthood. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 19, 5, 646–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuh, D. and the New Dynamics of Ageing Preparatory Network 2007. A life course approach to healthy aging, frailty, and capability. Journals of Gerontology: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 62A, 7, 717–21.Google Scholar
Li, Y. and Ferraro, K. 2006. Volunteering in middle and later life: is health a benefit, barrier or both? Social Forces, 85, 1, 497–519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y., Pickles, A. and Savage, M. 2005. Social capital and social trust in Britain. European Sociological Review, 21, 2, 109–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y., Savage, M. and Warde, A. 2008. Social mobility and social capital in contemporary Britain. British Journal of Sociology, 59, 3, 391–411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Little, R. J. A. 1988. A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83, 404, 1198–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayer, K. 2009. New directions in life course research. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 413–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendes de Leon, C., Berkman, L. and Glass, T. 2003. Social engagement and disability in a community population of older adults. American Journal of Epidemiology, 157, 7, 633–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendes de Leon, C., Glass, T., Beckett, L., Seeman, T., Evans, D. and Berkman, L. 1999. Social networks and disability transitions across eight intervals of yearly data in the New Haven EPESE. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 54B, 3, S162–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menec, V. 2003. The relation between everyday activities and successful aging: a 6-year longitudinal study. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58B, 2, S74–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muntaner, C., Borrell, C., Vanroelen, C., Chung, H., Benach, J., Kim, I. and Ng, E. 2010. Employment relations, social class and health: a review and analysis of conceptual and measurement alternatives. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 12, 2130–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muthén, L. and Muthén, B. 1998–2009. Mplus Users's Guide. Fifth edition, Muthén & Muthén, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Oesterle, S., Kirkpatrick Johnson, M. and Mortimer, J. 2004. Volunteerism during the transition to adulthood: a life course perspective. Social Forces, 82, 3, 1123–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. 1970. Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London. Available online at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/classifications/archived-standard-classifications/soc-and-sec-archive/index.html 3.11.2014.Google Scholar
Pahl, R. and Pevalin, D. 2005. Between family and friends: a longitudinal study of friendship choice. British Journal of Sociology, 56, 3, 433–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pekonen, O. and Pulkkinen, L. 2002. Sosiaalinen Pääoma Ja Tieto-Ja Viestintätekniikan Kehitys [Social capital and the development of information and communication technology, with an English summary]. Committee for the Future, Technology Assessment 11, Reports of the Parliamentary Office, Edita, Helsinki.Google Scholar
Power, C. and Elliott, J. 2006. Cohort profile: 1958 British birth cohort (National Child Development Study). International Journal of Epidemiology, 35, 1, 34–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Power, C., Manor, O. and Matthews, S. 1999. The duration and timing of exposure: effects of socioeconomic environment on adult health. American Journal of Public Health, 89, 7, 1059–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pulkkinen, L. 2004. A longitudinal study on social development as an impetus for school reform toward an integrated school day. European Psychologist, 9, 3, 125–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pulkkinen, L., Lyyra, A.-L. and Kokko, K. 2011. Is social capital a mediator between self-control and psychological and social functioning across 34 years? International Journal of Behavioral Development, 35, 6, 475–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putnam, R. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Democracy. Simon and Schuster, New York.Google Scholar
Rasulo, D., Christensen, K. and Tomassini, C. 2005. The influence of social relations on mortality in later life: a study on elderly Danish twins. The Gerontologist, 45, 5, 601–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rotolo, T. and Wilson, J. 2004. What happened to the ‘long civic generation’? Explaining cohort differences in volunteerism. Social Forces, 82, 3, 1091–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubin, D. B. 1974. Characterizing the estimation of parameters in incomplete data problems. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 69, 346, 467–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, M., Tizard, J. and Whitmore, K. 1970. Education, Health and Behaviour. Longmans, London.Google Scholar
Sacker, A. and Cable, N. 2006. Do adolescent leisure-time physical activities foster health and well-being in adulthood? Evidence from two British birth cohorts. European Journal of Public Health, 16, 3, 331–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheepers, P., te Grotenhuis, M. and Gelissen, J. 2002. Welfare states and dimensions of social capital: cross-national comparisons of social contacts in European countries. European Societies, 4, 2, 185–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scherger, S., Narzoo, J. and Higgs, P. 2011. Leisure activities and retirement: do structures of inequality change in old age? Ageing & Society, 31, 1, 146–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seabra, A., Mendonça, D., Thomis, M., Peters, T. and Maia, J. 2008. Associations between sport participation, demographic and socio-cultural factors in Portuguese children and adolescents. European Journal of Public Health, 18, 1, 25–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Simpkins, S., Ripke, M., Huston, A. and Eccles, J. 2005. Predicting participation and outcomes in out-of-school activities: similarities and differences across social ecologies. New Directions for Youth Development, 2005, 105, 51–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strain, L., Grabusic, C., Searle, M. and Dunn, N. 2002. Continuing and ceasing leisure activities in later life. The Gerontologist, 42, 2, 217–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Telama, R., Leskinen, E. and Yang, X. 1996. Stability of habitual physical activity and sport participation: a longitudinal tracking study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 6, 6, 371–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Utz, R., Carr, D., Nesse, R. and Wortman, C. 2002. The effect of widowhood on older adults’ social participation. The Gerontologist, 42, 4, 522–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verbrugge, L., Gruber-Baldini, A. and Fozard, J. 1996. Age differences and age changes in activities: Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 51B, 1, S30–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, J. and Musick, M. 1997. Who cares? Toward an integrated theory of volunteer work. American Sociological Review, 62, 5, 694–713.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Youniss, J., Mclellan, J., Su, Y. and Yates, M. 1999. The role of community service in identity development: normative, unconventional, and deviant orientations. Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 2, 248–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaranek, R. and Chapleski, E. 2005. Casino gambling among urban elders: just another social activity? Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 60B, 2, S74–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar