Previous studies have shown that family networks evolve over time. Nonetheless, little research has linked family expansion or shrinking to the levels of available family-based social capital in older adults’ family networks. To address this research gap, this paper explores the following question: to what extent are changes in family composition and family-related life events associated with current levels of family-based social capital in later years? We use the two waves of the longitudinal CIGEV-LIVES Vivre-Leben-Vivere study, a large survey addressing the family and health conditions of older people in Switzerland. We combine data on life events occurring during old age and family configurations. We find that family networks are indeed highly dynamic, with distinct patterns of losses and gains observed among respondents. Adding and omitting significant family members has distinct significant effects on social capital, while family-related life events only have marginal effects.

先前的研究表明，家庭网络会随着时间的推移而发展。尽管如此，很少有研究将家庭扩张或缩小与老年人家庭网络中可用的基于家庭的社会资本水平联系起来。为了解决这一研究空白，本文探讨了以下问题：家庭构成和家庭相关生活事件的变化在多大程度上与晚年以家庭为基础的社会资本的当前水平相关？我们使用 CIGEV-LIVES Vivre-Leben-Vivere 纵向研究的两波，这是一项针对瑞士老年人家庭和健康状况的大型调查。我们结合了老年期间发生的生活事件和家庭配置的数据。我们发现家庭网络确实是高度动态的，在受访者中观察到不同的损失和收益模式。