The influence of social relations on mortality in later life: a study on elderly Danish twins.
OBJECTIVE
We examined whether the presence of a spouse and the frequency of interaction with children, relatives, and friends significantly influence the risk of dying in late life. We assessed these effects separately by gender, controlling for self-reported health. In addition, we examined whether interaction with the co-twin has a different impact on mortality for identical and fraternal twins.


METHODS
The data set consists of 2,147 Danish twins aged 75 years and older, who were followed prospectively from 1995 to 2001. We modeled the effect of social ties on mortality by using event history analysis.


RESULTS
Survival is extended by having a spouse and close ties with friends and the co-twin. However, contact frequency with friends and the co-twin is significant, respectively, only for women and identical twins.


CONCLUSIONS
Investigating social relations sheds light on the life span of individuals older than 75 years of age. We stress the importance of social relations beyond the presence of the spouse for survival even at very old ages.
Rasulo
Domenica
D
Department of Demographic Sciences, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy. domenica.rasulo@uniroma1.it
Christensen
Kaare
K
Tomassini
Cecilia
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014427:Twins; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic