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Symposium

Behavioral and Social Sciences

Daily Experiences of Social Connection: Real-World Assessment Strategies to Understand Mechanisms

Saturday, November 16, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
Location: Room 210
CE: 1.5

Social connection is multifaceted construct that encompasses structural, functional, and subjective (quality) dimensions of relationships, all of which are associated prospectively with health, functioning, well-being, and longevity. Despite clear evidence linking social connection to health in later life, there are no clear evidence-based interventions and available community programs are under-utilized. One barrier to effectively intervening is the inability to tailor programs to person-specific contributors to disconnection. This symposium will describe findings from studies of social connection in later life that use innovative methods to examine person-specific and proximal causes, contributors, and consequences of social connection, including passive sensing via smartphones, analysis of social behavior (including speech patterns), and ecological momentary assessment. These methods allow for frequent measurement of indices of social connection in real-time (reducing recall bias) and in real-world contexts. Dr. Lee will present on the assessment of loneliness and social isolation among older adults using unstructured speech data in comparison to research surveys. Ms. Zhou will present on associations between sleep, social encounters, and momentary loneliness in older adults' everyday life. Ms. VanBogart will present on associations between momentary loneliness and indices of stress (diurnal cortisol). Dr. Bower will present on momentary experiences of belonging in a sample of older adults with subjective cognitive decline. Dr. Van Orden will describe procedures and design considerations for EMA and passive sensing indices of social connection as outcomes in clinical trials to promote social connection. Dr. Donovan will facilitate a discussion to integrate findings and identify opportunities for future research.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify at least three novel methodologies to assess social connection in real-world contexts
  • Identify at least three biopsychosocial indices of health shown to be associated with momentary loneliness or belonging.
  • Describe at least three ways that assessing social connection via EMA or other innovative methodologies can increase understanding of the role of social connection in health in later life

Presentations:

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Assessing Change in Social Connection: Design Considerations for Clinical Trials With Older Adults

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Kimberly A. Van Orden, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Rochester Medical Center

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Momentary Assessment of Social Disconnection in Older Adults at Heightened Risk for Suicide

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Emily S. Bower, PhD (she/her/hers) – Pacific University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Dynamics of Daily Loneliness and Diurnal Cortisol

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Karina Van Bogart, PhD (she/her/hers) – Northwestern University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    The Language of Loneliness: Analyzing Unstructured Speech to Detect Loneliness and Social Isolation

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ellen E. Lee, MD (she/her/hers) – University of California San Diego

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Daily Sleep, Social Encounters, and Momentary Loneliness in Late Life

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Zexi Zhou, M.A. – The University of Texas Austin