Social Support, Social Strain, and Self-Perceptions of Aging

The current study examined changes and variation in self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and how these perceptions vary according to sources of support and strain from spouses, children, family, and friends. We used random intercept cross-lagged panel models to model within-person changes in SPA and support/strain over twelve years (2008-2020) among 22,160 older adults from the Health and Retirement Study. There was a bidirectional, positive association between spousal support and SPA. More positive SPA was associated with lower spousal strain, though spousal strain did not affect SPA. Surprisingly, higher strain from other family members and friends was associated with more positive SPA; support from these sources did not affect SPA. Lastly, child support and strain were unrelated to SPA. These findings highlight the complex interactions between social relationships and aging perceptions. Future studies should explore cognitive, psychological, or physiological mechanisms and outcomes underlying each relational contributor of SPA.