Investigation of Age-Associated Cognitive Functional Homophily in Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Confidant Social Networks Using Exponential Random Graph Model

One of the prominent interventions to tackle loneliness and social isolation in older adults is social facilitation. The present study investigated whether similarities in cognitive functions that are sensitive to age play a role in confidant social networks among older adults. We analyzed the data of 252 community-dwelling older adults in Wakuya City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, who responded to a self-administered questionnaire and cognitive health checkups provided by the city in 2017. We performed Exponential Random Graph Model and investigated educational attainment, orientation, word registration, clock drawing, delayed recall, verbal fluency and logical memory homophily while adjusting for density, reciprocity, age, sex living arrangement, presence of disability in instrumental activities of daily living, educational attainment and cognitive impairment status. The probability of a confidant tie with an older adult was significantly reduced by 6% (odds ratio (OR): 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90–0.99) for one score difference in logical memory, and marginally increased by 5% (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.00–1.11) for one score difference in delayed recall. There was no significant association between educational attainment and other age-associated cognitive functional scores. Our findings suggest that similar logical memory functions play a role in strong social network building among community-dwelling older adults in Japan.