Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Participation of the Elders in Europe: The Influence of Individual and Contextual Variables

  • Published:
Ageing International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study analyzes the social participation of older people based on individual and contextual variables. For this purpose the data of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in particular waves 1, 2 and 4 have been used. A four-level model with fixed and random effects was carried out. The model obtained shows the effect of individual variables: a greater participation in more recent waves, in ages between 60-70 years and the effect of variables such as cognitive functioning, years of education and health self-perception. But significant differences were also found in participation in contextual variables and between countries. These results are important for public policy managers, who must take into account not only individual variables, but also contextual variables, which explain the differences in the participation rate of the elderly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam, S., Bonsang, E., Grotz, C., & Perelman, S. (2013). Occupational activity and cognitive reserve: implications in terms of prevention of cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 8, 377–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barro, R. J., & Lee, J. W. (1993). International comparisons of educational attainment. Journal of Monetary Economics, 32(3), 363–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barro, R. J., & Lee, J. W. (2001). International data on educational attainment: updates and implications. Oxford Economic Papers, 53(3), 541–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B. M., & Walker, S.. 2014. lme4: linear mixed-effects models using Eigen and S4. http://arxiv.org/abs/1406.5823.

  • Becker, H. A., & Schroots, J. J. F. (Eds.). 2008. Releasing the potentials of senior scholars and scientists: Emerging productivity in a new ERA. ERGO.

  • Bennett, D. A., Wilson, R. S., Schneider, J. A., Evans, D. A., De Leon, C. M., Arnold, S. E., Barnes, L. L., & Bienias, J. L. (2003). Education modifies the relation of AD pathology to level of cognitive function in older persons. Neurology, 60(12), 1909–1915.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Börsch-Supan, A., & Jürges, H. (Eds.). (2005). The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe – Methodology. Mannheim: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Börsch-Supan, A., Brandt, M., Hunkler, C., Kneip, T., Korbmacher, J., Malter, F., Schaan, B., Stuck, S., & Zuber, S. (2013). Data Resource Profile: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). International Journal of Epidemiology. doi:10.1093/ije/dyt088.

  • Bukov, A., Maas, I., & Lampert, T. (2002). Social Participation in Very Old Age Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Findings From BASE. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(6), 510–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, G. & Gao, Y. (2013). Changes in social participation of older adults in Beijing. Ageing International, 38(1), 15-27.

  • Chiao, C. Y., Lee, S. H., Liao, W. C., Yen, C. H., Lin, Y. J., Li, C. R., et al. (2013). Social participation and life expectancy—the case of older adults in Taiwan from 1996 to 2003. International Journal of Gerontology, 7(2), 97–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowe, M., Andel, R., Pedersen, N. L., Johansson, B., & Gatz, M. (2003). Does participation in leisure activities lead to reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease? A prospective study of Swedish twins. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58(5), 249–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, E. Y. & Henry, W.E. (1961). Growing Old: The process of Disengagement. New York: Basic Books.

  • de Leon, C. F. M. (2005). Social engagement and successful aging. European Journal of Ageing, 2(1), 64–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, M. E., & Prince, M. J. (2005). Mental health. Health, ageing and retirement in Europe–First results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (pp. 108–117). Mannheim: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorfman, L. T., & Kolarik, D. C. (2005). Leisure and the retired professor: Occupation matters. Educational Gerontology, 31(5), 343–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eikemo, T. A., Huisman, M., Bambra, C., & Kunst, A. E. (2008). Health inequalities according to educational level in different welfare regimes: a comparison of 23 European countries. Sociology of Health & Illness, 30(4), 565–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Ballesteros, R., Zamarrón, M. D., Díez-Nicolás, J., López-Bravo, M. D., Molina, M. Á., & Schettini, R. (2011). Productivity in old age. Research on Aging, 33(2), 205–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K. F. (1984). Widowhood and social participation in later life: Isolation or compensation? Research on Aging, 6(4), 451–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fried, L. P., Carlson, M. C., Freedman, M., Frick, K. D., Glass, T. A., Hill, J., McGill, S., Rebok, G. W., Seeman, T., Tielsch, J., Wasik, B. A., & Zeger, S. (2004). A social model for health promotion for an aging population: initial evidence on the Experience Corps model. Journal of Urban Health, 81(1), 64–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelman, A., & Hill, J. (2007). Data Analysis Using Regression and Multilevel/Hierarchical Models. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Havighurst, R. J. (1961). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 1(1), 8–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ichida, Y., Hirai, H., Kondo, K., Kawachi, I., Takeda, T., & Endo, H. (2013). Does social participation improve self-rated health in the older population? A quasi-experimental intervention study. Social Science & Medicine, 94, 83–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., Kang, J. H., Lee, M. A., & Lee, Y. (2007). Volunteering among older people in Korea. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62(1), S69–S73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S., & Feldman, D. C. (2000). Working in retirement: The antecedents of bridge employment and its consequences for quality of life in retirement. Academy of Management Journal, 43(6), 1195–1210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleinbaum, D. (2013). Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Methods. Boston: Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwok, J. Y. C., & Tsang, K. K. M. (2012). Getting old with a good life: research on the everyday life patterns of active older people. Ageing International, 37(3), 300–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laaksonen, M., Talala, K., Martelin, T., Rahkonen, O., Roos, E., Helakorpi, S., Laatikainen, T., & Prättälä, R. (2008). Health behaviours as explanations for educational level differences in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality: a follow-up of 60 000 men and women over 23 years. The European Journal of Public Health, 18(1), 38–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lax, J. R., & Phillips, J. H. (2009). How Should We Estimate Public Opinion in the States? American Journal of Political Science, 53(1), 107–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levasseur, M., Richard, L., Gauvin, L., & Raymond, É. (2010). Inventory and analysis of definitions of social participation found in the aging literature: Proposed taxonomy of social activities. Social Science and Medicine, 71(12), 2141–2149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lövdén, M., Ghisletta, P., & Lindenberger, U. (2005). Social participation attenuates decline in perceptual speed in old and very old age. Psychology and Aging, 20(3), 423–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malter, F., & Börsch-Supan, A. (Eds.). (2013). SHARE Wave 4: Innovations and Methodology. Munich: MEA, Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, H., & Klumb, P. (2005). Social participation and survival at older ages: is the effect driven by activity content or context? European Journal of Ageing, 2(1), 31–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neugarten, B. (1975). The future and the young old. The Gerontologist, 15, 4–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team. (2014). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing http://www.R-project.org/.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramiro, D., Abellán, A., Durán, M. A., Fernández Mayoralas, G., Pérez-Díaz, J., Rodríguez, V. Y., & Rojo, F. (2012). Una vejez Activa en España. Madrid: EDIMSA.

  • Rao, J. (2003). Small area estimation. Hoboken: John Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, G. K. 1991. That BLUP is a good thing: The estimation of random effects. Statistical Science. Institute of Mathematical Statistics, 6(1)15–32. doi: 10.1214/ss/1177011926.

  • Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1997). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 37(4), 433–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryder, N. B. 1965. The cohort as a concept in the study of social change. American Sociological Review, 843-861.

  • Ryff, C. D. (2014). Psychological well-being revisited: Advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83(1), 10–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scarmeas, N., Levy, G., Tang, M., Manly, J., & Stern, Y. (2001). Influence of leisure activity on the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology, 57, 2236–2242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shacham, M., & Brauner, N. (1997). Minimizing the Effects of Collinearity in Polynomial Regression. Industrial and Engeering Chemistry Research American Chemical Society (ACS), 36(10), 4405–4412. doi:10.1021/ie970236k.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, H. W. (2017). Resource and Strategic Mobilization Model (RSM) of Productive Aging: Examining Older Americans’ Participation in Various Productive Activities. Ageing International, 42, 23–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirven, N., & Debrand, T. (2008). Social participation and healthy ageing: An international comparison using SHARE data. Social Science and Medicine, 67(12), 2017–2026.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Utz, R. L., Carr, D., Nesse, R., & Wortman, C. B. (2002). The Effect of Widowhood on Older Adults' Social Participation An Evaluation of Activity, Disengagement, and Continuity Theories. The Gerontologist, 42(4), 522–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M., Henkens, K., & van Solinge, H. (2011). Retirement adjustment: A review of theoretical and empirical advancements. American Psychologist, 66(3), 204–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. 2002. Active ageing. A policy framework. World Health Organization, Department of Health Promotion, Non-communicable Disease Prevention and Surveillance, Geneva, 1–60. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2002/who_nmh_nph_02.8.pdf.

  • Wu, A. M., Tang, C. S., & Yan, E. C. (2005). Post-retirement voluntary work and psychological functioning among older Chinese in Hong Kong. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 20(1), 27–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zunzunegui, M. V., Alvarado, B. E., Del Ser, T., & Otero, A. (2003). Social networks, social integration, and social engagement determine cognitive decline in community-dwelling Spanish older adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58(2), S93–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This paper uses data from SHARE wave 4 release 1.1.1, as of March 28th 2013(DOI: 10.6103/SHARE.w4.111) and SHARE wave 1 and 2 release 2.6.0, as of November 29 2013 (DOI: 10.6103/SHARE.w1.260 and 10.6103/SHARE.w2.260). The SHARE data collection has been primarily funded by the European Commission through the 5th Framework Programme (project QLK6-CT-2001-00360 in the thematic programme Quality of Life), through the 6th Framework Programme (projects SHARE-I3, RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE, CIT5- CT-2005-028857, and SHARELIFE, CIT4-CT-2006-028812) and through the 7th Framework Programme (SHARE-PREP, N° 211909, SHARE-LEAP, N° 227822 and SHARE M4, N° 261982). Additional funding from the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01 AG09740-13S2, P01 AG005842, P01 AG08291, P30 AG12815, R21 AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG BSR06-11 and OGHA 04-064) and the German Ministry of Education and Research as well as from various national sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org for a full list of funding institutions).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Ctra. Pozuelo-Majadahonda Km. 1.800, 28223, Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

    M. Ángeles Molina

  2. C/ Gregorio Benítez 3 1°, 28043, Madrid, Spain

    José L. Cañadas-Reche

  3. Institute for Advanced Social Studies, Spanish National Research Council, IESA (CSIC), C/ Campo Santo de los Mártires, 7, 14004, Córdoba, Spain

    Rafael Serrano-del-Rosal

Authors
  1. M. Ángeles Molina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. José L. Cañadas-Reche
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rafael Serrano-del-Rosal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rafael Serrano-del-Rosal.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethical Treatment of Experimental Subjects (Animal and Human)

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Molina, M.Á., Cañadas-Reche, J.L. & Serrano-del-Rosal, R. Social Participation of the Elders in Europe: The Influence of Individual and Contextual Variables. Ageing Int 43, 190–206 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9300-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9300-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation