Aging without Close Kin? Gender Differences in Social Ties with Extended Family and Friends and Loneliness

Background and Purpose: Being kinless or aging without a spouse/partner and children brings a greater risk of loneliness in later life due to the limited social network, while social interaction with extended family members and friends may serve as vital buffers against feelings of isolation. Whether gender differences in older adults’ social relationships and loneliness among all older adults also apply to kinless older adults is not known. This study aims to extend the literature on this unique population by examining associations of loneliness with three dimensions of social relations–social contact, social support, and social strain–from two major sources of social networks, extended family members and friends, and exploring the role of gender, given the established differences in social networks and experiences by gender.

Methods: Using the 2020 Health and Retirement Study, we examined how social contact, social support, and social strain from extended family members and friends were associated with loneliness by gender among kinless adults over 50 (N=216). The outcome variable, loneliness, was examined using the 11-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. The 4-item social contact scale, 3-item social support scale, and 4-item social strain scale developed by Walen and Lachman were used to measure social contact, social support, and social strain with each source of social networks (i.e., extended family members and friends). Control variables included age, gender, race, level of education, employment status, and self-reported health. The moderating effect of gender on the association between social strain and loneliness was also assessed. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and linear regression were implemented in Stata version 17.0.

Results: Unadjusted results reveal that kinless females (N=134) have less social contact with extended family members (p<.01), gain more social strain from friends (p<.05), and experience greater loneliness (p<.01). Adjusted standardized linear regression analyses indicated the relationship between social strain and loneliness depended on gender: females experienced more social strain from extended family members decreasing loneliness (β=-.230, p<.01) and more social strain from friends increasing loneliness (β=.357, p<.05); males experienced more social strain from extended family members increasing loneliness (β=.445, p<.01) and more social strain from friends decreasing loneliness (β=-.223, p<.05).

Conclusions and Implications: Our findings underscore the importance of social relationships on loneliness among kinless adults over 50 with a spotlight on gender differences. Various sources of social contact/support/strain engender different effects on loneliness among kinless adults over 50. While kinless females experience greater loneliness, the relationships between their social strains and loneliness differ from those of males. The identification of gender-specific patterns highlights the need for targeted interventions that address gender-related social dynamics to alleviate loneliness. Future research should further examine the mechanisms underlying these associations and explore socio-culturally sensitive interventions to effectively alleviate loneliness among unrelated older adults.