A comprehensive investigation of daily social events and health in older adults
Description: A growing body of research has shown that positive social interactions such as spending time with loved ones can promote health in older adults. On the contrary, negative social events such as conflicts or social rejection can have adverse health effects. However, the everyday mechanisms through which social relationships relate to health are still not well understood, and there is a need for more research to better understand these pathways. The proposed study aims to address this gap in knowledge by using innovative methods to directly measure social encounters, emotional experiences, and stress physiology in the daily lives of older adults, as well as manipulating exposure to positive and negative social events in a laboratory setting. The study will also investigate whether savouring and physical activity act as important resources for health regulation. We will recruit 360 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and above who will take part in a 2-hour baseline session, followed by 7 days of daily life assessments and a 1.5-hour exit session including a laboratory experiment. Findings of this study have the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of the ways in which social factors are linked with health in older adults. By identifying specific biological pathways that may accumulate over time and manifest in long-term health problems, the study could help inform public health efforts to improve older adults' health and support healthy aging. Specifically, the study will shed light on potential factors for resiliency, namely, savouring and physical activity, which could be targeted in future interventions to improve older adults' health outcomes.
Amount: CA$455,200
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Project Grant
Start date: 2024-04-01
End date: 2028-03-31
Investigator: Theresa Pauly
Institution: Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, B.C.)
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 191691_1
OpenAlex ID: G2866467360