Perceived Neighborhood Quality, Daily Discrimination, and Life Course Trajectories of Social Integration: Evidence of Buffering Effects?

• In Event: 3560 - Social Integration and Aging

Abstract

Social integration is an important determinant of mental and physical health throughout adulthood, yet effective integration in one’s social community may depend in part upon feeling safe and secure within one’s physical community, or neighborhood. Moreover, high-quality neighborhoods may act as a social resource offering a form of social support, potentially “buffering” against the harmful influences of external stressors such as discrimination that might otherwise erode adults’ sense of worth and belonging. The present study analyzed 6,016 observations of 3,102 individuals drawn from the three waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS, 1995-2014) in order to examine associations between perceived neighborhood quality, daily discrimination, and social integration over the course of two decades. Results indicated that (1) perceived neighborhood quality influenced trajectories of social integration throughout mid- and later life, though its influence was slightly attenuated at older ages. Moreover, (2) daily discrimination was harmful for social integration across the age range, yet (3) its influence was significantly buffered by perceived neighborhood quality. These findings underscore the importance of physical place for social well-being and successful aging, and highlight perceptions of neighborhood quality as a social resource adults may call upon to improve their own well-being and protect themselves against external stressors. This may be of particular importance among older adults, for whom neighborhood context and social integration are crucial determinants of health and well-being.

Author

• Jeffrey E. Stokes, University of Massachusetts Boston