Finding Fortitude: Social Convoys Over the Long Haul

Chair(s)

• 

  Rita Hu, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers)

  Provost's Postdoctoral Fellow
  School of Social Work, Department of Psychology
  University of Chicago
  Chicago, Illinois, United States

Co-Chair(s)

• KA

  Kristine Ajrouch, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers)

  Research Professor
  Sociology
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Discussant(s)

• EW

  Elaine Wethington, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  CHE-Psychology
  Cornell University
  Ithaca, New York, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Rita Hu, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers)

  Provost's Postdoctoral Fellow
  School of Social Work, Department of Psychology
  University of Chicago
  Chicago, Illinois, United States
• MA

  Myriam Al Bcherraoui, MS

  PhD Candidate
  Psychology
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• 

  Toni Antonucci, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers)

  Elizabeth M. Douvan Collegiate Professor of Psychology
  Psychology
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• 

  Noah Webster, PhD, FGSA

  Associate Research Scientist
  Institute for Social Research
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

As populations globally face the opportunities and challenges of aging, social convoys across the lifespan are pivotal in navigating the complexities of later life. This symposium explores the dynamic interplay between social relations and aging, emphasizing the protective and predictive nature of social networks over the lifespan and in different cultural contexts. Becheroui and colleagues explore familial care in Lebanon across age groups, focusing on the balance between cultural expectations and the need for policy support. Antonucci and colleagues examine how socioeconomic status affects changes in health through social relations, particularly the influence of parent-child dynamics among men and women. Hu and colleagues also provide a longitudinal perspective, showing how social network trajectories over nearly three decades influence later-life cognitive health, emphasizing the enduring importance of weaker ties for cognitive health later in life. Webster and colleagues present evidence of how educational attainment within one’s social network at one point in time contributes to cognitive health later in life, pointing to the broader implications of social environments on cognitive well-being. Aimed at fostering a comprehensive understanding of social convoys in the aging process, this symposium invites a cross-disciplinary dialogue to enhance the support for aging individuals worldwide, embodying the symposium's theme of finding fortitude through the power of social relationships.

Presentations:

• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  Decades of Connection: The Impact of Social Network Trajectories on Cognitive Health Across 29 Years
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Rita X. Hu, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers) – University of Chicago
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  Attitudes and Beliefs on Intergenerational Familial Care: Implications for Future Care Policy in Lebanon
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Myriam Al Bcherraoui, MS – University of Michigan
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  The Long Reach of Social Relations: Gender and the SES-Health Link
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Toni C. Antonucci, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers) – University of Michigan
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

  The Effects of Neighborhood, Network, and Individual Education Levels on Cognitive Health
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Noah J. Webster, PhD, FGSA – University of Michigan