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Social Integration, Self-Rated Health . . . and Genes?
1McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Journal of Aging and Health
|March 2, 2019
Summary
Genetic factors influence community integration in later life, particularly sociability and education. However, these genetic roots do not appear to confound the health benefits of social integration.
Area of Science:
- Social Epidemiology
- Behavioral Genetics
- Gerontology
Background:
- Social integration in later life is linked to health outcomes.
- The genetic underpinnings of social integration and its health associations are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic basis of social integration in older adults.
- To determine if genetic factors confound the relationship between social integration and health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010).
- Assessed two dimensions of social integration: stakeholder network and community integration.
- Employed polygenic scores for extraversion and educational attainment as genetic measures.
Main Results:
- No genetic associations were found for stakeholder network integration.
- Extraversion polygenic scores were linked to community integration across racial groups.
- Educational attainment polygenic scores were associated with community integration in Whites.
- While educational attainment influenced self-rated health, it did not confound the integration-health link.
Conclusions:
- Genetically rooted propensities for sociability and human capital influence later life social integration.
- The health benefits of social integration may be independent of shared genetic influences on integration itself.
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