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Physical Mobility and Social Integration: Their Relationship to the Well-Being of Older Canadians*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Mary T. Fox  and
Barbara A. Gooding
Mary T. Fox
Affiliation:
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Barbara A. Gooding
Affiliation:
Washington DC, USA
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Abstract

This study examined the relationship between physical mobility, social integration and well-being in a subsample of 754 unmarried older community dwellers selected from Statistics Canada's 1985 General Social Survey. Also examined was the relationship of mobility; social integration with children, siblings, other relatives, and close friends; and social satisfaction with friend and family relations in predicting well-being. A cross-sectional design was used. Age, gender, marital status and living arrangements were included in the multiple regression analysis. Although no significant interactions were found between mobility and social integration, the results lend support to the importance of mobility and the quality, as opposed to the quantity, of social relationships to well-being. Mobility, satisfaction with friendships, being older and satisfaction with family relations were identified as the variables most strongly related to well-being. Research and practice implications are discussed.

Résumé

Cette étude a exploré le rapport entre la mobilité, l'intégrations sociaux et le bien-être utilisant un sous-ensemble de 754 personnes âgés et non-marriés, demeurant dans la communauté, a été choisi d'une base de donnés d'Enquête Sociale Générale 1985 de Statistique Canada. Aussi, cette étude a regardé les relations de la mobilité l'intégration sociale avec leurs enfants, leurs frères et soeurs, autres membres de famille, et amis proches; et la satisfaction sociale des rapports avec la famille et amis au bien-être. Un design correlational «cross-sectional» a été choisi. L'âge, le sexe, l'état civil et le domicile sont inclus dans une analyse de régression. Aucune interaction significative a été identifée entre l'intégration sociale et la mobilité mais les résultats appuient l'importance de la mobilité et la qualité, par opposition à la quantité des rapports sociaux au bien-être de la personne âgée. Mobilité, satisfaction envers l'amitié, être plus âgée et satisfaction avec les relations de famille étaient identifiés comme les meilleurs variables. Les implications de recherches et pour la pratique sont discutées.

Keywords

HealthWell-BeingMobilitySocialElderlyCanadianSantébien-êtremobilitésocial(e)aîné(e)s Canadien(ne)
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , Hiver/Winter 1998 , pp. 372 - 383
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1998

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