Depression in older adults is associated with decreased physical, cognitive, and social functioning, which in turn, are associated with increased mortality. Research has found that robust social networks can protect against depression, yet it is unclear whether the relationship between social ties and depression is reciprocal. Moreover, links between network connections at different social layers are not well understood. This study uses a representative sample with panel data collected between 2005 and 2016 to identify the influence of social network composition on subsequent depression and explore how various layers of human relationships (e.g., community vs. interpersonal level) influence one another. Results demonstrate multiple links between social connection and depression, and that the evolution of social networks in older adults is complex, with distinct mechanisms leading to positive and negative outcomes. Specifically, community involvement showed consistent benefits in reducing depression. In contrast, intimate partnerships appear to increase susceptibility to depression among older adults through exposure to the severe outcomes of partner loss. In addition, intimate partnerships reduce future interpersonal connections, whereas community involvement increases future interpersonal connections for older adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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老年人的多层次社会动态和抑郁：一项为期10年的交叉滞后分析。

老年人的抑郁症与身体，认知和社会功能的下降有关，而这又与死亡率的上升有关。研究发现，健全的社交网络可以预防抑郁，但尚不清楚社会纽带与抑郁之间的关系是否是对等的。此外，人们对不同社交层的网络连接之间的链接了解不多。这项研究使用具有代表性的样本以及2005年至2016年间收集的面板数据来确定社交网络组成对随后抑郁症的影响，并探讨人际关系的各个层面（例如社区与人际关系）如何相互影响。结果表明，社交联系与抑郁症之间存在多种联系，并且老年人社交网络的发展非常复杂，具有导致积极和消极结果的独特机制。具体而言，社区参与在减少抑郁症方面显示出一致的益处。相反，亲密的伙伴关系似乎通过暴露于伴侣丧失的严重后果而增加了老年人的抑郁症易感性。此外，亲密伙伴关系减少了未来的人际关系，而社区参与则增加了老年人的未来人际关系。（PsycInfo数据库记录（c）2020 APA，保留所有权利）。此外，亲密伙伴关系减少了未来的人际关系，而社区参与则增加了老年人的未来人际关系。（PsycInfo数据库记录（c）2020 APA，保留所有权利）。此外，亲密伙伴关系减少了未来的人际关系，而社区参与则增加了老年人的未来人际关系。（PsycInfo数据库记录（c）2020 APA，保留所有权利）。