Social participation is an important resource for parents in old age, and may be particularly important for parents living with adult offspring with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To evaluate whether socializing with friends and family and participating in social organizations protects against depression in old age, this study…

Purpose: Social contact is known to be vital for older adults' mental and physical health but, because communication impairments often co-occur with other types of disability, it is difficult to generalize about the relative impact of a communication impairment on the social relationships of older adults. Specific aims of the study were to examine…

Examined the marital status differences in the frequency and sources of loneliness among older women. Showed that loneliness for married women revolved around the marital relationship, whereas the amount of time since the marital dissolution and the quality of the closest friendship were critical for formerly married older women. (Author/ABB)

This study, involving 49 adults with Down syndrome living with their families, explored the relationship of diet, exercise, disability status, and social integration to Body Mass Index (BMI), an indicator of excess weight and health status. BMI was found to be related to friendship, access to recreation, and social opportunities. (Author/CR)

Although success in managing evolving peer relationships is linked to critical adolescent outcomes, little is known about the specific factors that lead to success or failure in peer relationship development across adolescence. This longitudinal study examines the role of adolescents' level of ego development as a predictor of the future course of…

This paper looks at the relationship between parents' social networks and aspects of child development. It has often been suggested that parents' links with kin, neighbors, friends, and local and non-local organizations are likely to have many effects on their children's development. These effects, however, have never been systematically…