Mugford and Kendig (1986)1616 Mugford S, Kendig H. Social relations: Networks and ties. In: Kendig H, editor. Ageing and families: A social networks perspective. Sydney: Allen and Unwin; 1986. p. 38-59. |
Australia |
1,050 participants aged 60+ |
Descriptive and categorical. |
• Size • Multiplexity |
1) attenuated: low-low 2) intense: low-high 3) diffuse: high-low 4) complex: high-high 5) balanced: medium-medium |
Wenger (1989; 1991)1717 Wenger GC. Support networks in old age: constructing a typology. In: Jefferys M, editor, Growing Old in the Twentieth Century. London: Routledge; 1989. p. 169-185.,1818 Wenger GC. A network typology: from theory to practise. J Aging Stud 1991; 5(2):147-162. |
North Wales (UK) |
534 individuals aged 65+ |
Descriptive and categorical. |
• Proximity of close kin • Proportion of family, friends and neighbors • Levels of interaction between the old persons and their families, friends, neighbors and community groups |
1) family dependent support network or local family dependent 2) locally integrated support network 3) local self-contained support network 4) wider community-focused support network 5) private restricted support network |
Litwin (1995)2121 Litwin H. The social networks of elderly immigrants: An analytic typology. J Aging Stud 1995; 9(2):155-174.,2222 Litwin H. Unprooted in old age: soviet Jews and their social networks in Israel. Westport, CT: Praeger; 1995. |
Israel |
254 elderly Soviet Jews emigrated in Israel, aged 62+ |
Cluster analysis: Quick Cluster procedure (K-means) |
• Composition • Size • Percentage of intimates • Duration of ties • Frequency of contact • Residential proximity |
1) kin network 2) family intensive network 3) friend-focused network 4) diffuse tie network |
Melkas and Jylhä (1996)3030 Melkas T, Jylhä M. Social network characteristics and social network types among Eldery People in Finland. In: Litwin H, editor. The social network of older people: a cross national analysis. Westport, CT: Praeger; 1996. p. 99-116. |
Finland |
1,655 elders aged 60+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Breadth of the network (number of friends) • Depth of the network (closeness between network members; whether or not respondents have at least one confidant) • Everyday interaction (frequency of meetings with members of the network) • Pratical support (help received and help provided) |
1) endowed network 2) perceived network 3) agentic network 4) family-intensive network 5) defective network |
Auslander (1996)2828 Auslander G. The Interpersonal Milieu of Elderly People in Jerusalem. In: Litwin H, editor. The Social Networks of Older People: A Cross-National Analysis. London: Praeger; 1996. p. 77-97. |
Israel |
200 participants aged 60 + |
Principal component analysis (varimax rotation) |
• Three social support measures (affective, affirmational, and instrumental supportiveness) • Average frequency and duration of contact • Six components of network membership (spouse, children, other family, friends, and neighbors) • Attendance at religious services • Two indicators of network reduction (loss during the past year and ammount of support lost) |
1) supportive network 2) replacement network 3) traditional network |
Stone and Rosenthal (1996)2929 Stone L, Rosenthal C. Profiles of the social networks of Canada's elderly: An analysis of 1990 General Social Survey Data. In: Litwin H, editor. The Social Networks of Older People: A Cross-National Analysis. Westport: Praeger Publishers; 1996. p. 77-97. |
Canada |
3,186 participants aged 65+ |
Cluster analysis: Quick Cluster procedure (K-means) |
• Network-size index • Index of the relative (proportional) shares of the following components of the network size index - children, siblings, friends, parents, and spouse • Living arranangement (household composition) • Index of the frequency of seeing and telephoning each of children, siblings, friends, and parents |
1) small: friendship-poor and socially isolated 2) small: child-focused 3) small: extended-family and friend-focused 4) medium: balanced 5) large: balanced 6) very large: balanced |
Litwin (1997)2424 Litwin H. Support network type and health service utilization. Res Aging 1997; 19:274-299. |
Israel |
4,214 Israelite elders, aged 60+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Married • Number of proximate children • Frequency of sibling contact • Frequency of friend contact • Having a helpful neighbor • Frequency of synagogue attendance |
1) diversified support network 2) friends-and-neighbour-based support network 3) narrow family-focused network 4) attenuated network 5) religious family-focused network 6) traditional extended family network |
Litwin (2001)2626 H. Social network type and morale in old age. Gerontologist 2001; 41(4):516-24. |
Israel |
2,079 elderly Jews in Israel aged 60+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Current marital status • Number of adult children residing in the elder’s vicinity • Frequency of contact on the part of the elder with his or her adult children • Frequency of contact with friends • Frequency of contact with neighbors • Frequency of attendance at a synagogue • Frequency of attendance at a social club |
1) diverse network 2) friends network 3) neighbours network 4) family network 5) restricted network |
Fiori et al. (2006)3131 Fiori KL, Antonucci TC, Cortina KS. Social Network Typologies and Mental Health Among Older Adults. J Gerontol 2006; 61B(1):25-32. |
USA |
1,669 adults aged 60+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Married • Number of children • Contact with children • Religious services attendance • Contact with friends • Meetings attendance |
1) nonfamily-restricted 2) nonfriends 3) family 4) diverse 5) friends |
Fiori et al. (2007)3232 Fiori KL, Smith J, Antonucci TC. Social network types among older adults: a multidimensional approach. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2007; 62(6):322-330. |
Berlin, Germany |
516 older adults aged 70+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Married • Total network size • Proportion in Berlin • Frequency of contacts: family • Frequency of contacts: friends • Number of activities • Proportion: close others • Instrumental support • Emotional support • Satisfaction with family or friends |
1) diverse-supported 2) family focused 3) friend focused-supported 4) friend focused-unsupported 5) restricted-nonfriends-unsatisfied 6) restricted-nonfamily-unsupported |
Cheng et al. (2009)3333 Cheng S-T, Lee CKL, Chan ACM, Leung EMF, Lee J-J. Social network types and subjective well-being in chinese older adults. J Gerontol Psychol Sci 2009; 64B(6):713-722. |
China |
1,005 older adults aged 59+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Total network size • Frequency of contact with immediate kin • Support exchange with immediate kin • Frequency of contact with distant kin • Support exchange with distant kin • Frequency of contact with non-kin • Support exchange with non-kin • Engagement in social activity |
1) diverse 2) friend focused 3) restricted 4) family focused 5) distant family |
Doubova et al. (2010)3535 Doubova SV, Pérez-Cuevas R, Espinosa-Alarcón P, Flores-Hernández S. Social network types and functional dependency in older adults in Mexico. BMC Public Health 2010; 10:104. |
México |
4,190 older adults aged 60+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Total number of family members • Having a life partner • Having children • Having friends • Belonging to a community group • Frequency of contact with family and friends |
1) diverse with community participation 2) diverse without community participation 3) widowed 4) nonfriends-restricted 5) nonfamily-restricted |
Litwin and Shiovitz-Ezra (2011)2727 Litwin H, Shiovitz-Ezra S. Social network type and subjective well-being in a national sample of older Americans. Gerontologist 2011; 51:379-388. |
USA |
1,462 elderly Americans aged 60+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Current marital status • Number of children • Number of close relatives • Number of friends • Frequency of getting together with neighbors • Frequency of attendance at religious services • Frequency of attendance at organized group meetings |
1) diverse network 2) friend network 3) congregant network 4) family network 5) restricted network |
Cabral et al. (2013)3636 Cabral MV, Ferreira PM, Silva PA, Jerónimo P, Marques T. Processos de envelhecimento em Portugal - Usos do tempo, redes sociais e condições de vida. Lisboa: Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos; 2013. |
Portugal |
999 participants aged 50+ |
Descriptive and categorical. |
• Size • Composition |
1) small predominantly familial network 2) small predominantly nonfamily network 3) big predominantly familial network 4) big predominantly nonfamily network |
Burholt and Dobbs (2014)3737 Burholt V, Dobbs C. A support network typology for application in older populations with a preponderance of multigenerational households. Ageing Soc 2014; 34:1142-1169. |
UK, India and Bangladesh |
590 participants aged 55+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Network size • Proportion of the network classified by gender, age, kin and non-kin • Proximity (living in the participant’s household or not) • Formal help |
1) multigenerational households: older integrated networks 2) multigenerational households: younger family networks 3) family and friends integrated networks 4) non-kin restricted networks |
Park et al. (2014)3838 Park S, Smith J, Dunkle RE. Social network types and well-being among South Korean older adults. Aging Mental Health 2014; 18(1):72-80. |
South Korea |
4,251 South Korean seniors aged 65+ |
Cluster analysis: two-step cluster. |
• Marital status • Social activities • Family size • Physical proximity to children • Frequency of contact with children • Frequency of contact with friends • Support from children and family |
1) restricted type 2) couple-focused type 3) friend type 4) diverse type |
Park et al. (2015)3939 Park NS, Jang Y, Lee BS, Ko JE, Haley WE, Chiriboga DA. An Empirical Typology of Social Networks and Its Association With Physical and Mental Health: A Study With Older Korean Immigrants. J Gerontol Series B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2015; 70(1):67-76. |
USA |
1,092 older Korean immigrants in Florida and New York aged 60+ |
Latent class analysis |
• Marital status • Living arrangement • Number of close family members • Frequency of contact with close family members • Number of close friends • Frequency of contact with close friends • Participation in religious meetings • Participation in organized meetings |
1) diverse 2) unmarried/diverse 3) married/co-residence 4) family focused 5) unmarried/restricted 6) restricted |
Li and Zhang (2015)3434 Li T, Zhang Y. Social network types and the health of older adults: Exploring reciprocal associations. Soc Sci Med 2015; 30(130):59-68. |
China |
4,190 older Chinese aged 64+ |
Cluster analysis: K-means. |
• Current marital status • Number of close children • Frequency of playing cards and/or mahjong • Frequency of attending organized social activities • Support from family • Support from friends/neighbors |
1) diverse 2) friend 3) family 4) restricted |