The effect of social support on resilience growth among women in the Red Hat Society

Abstract

According to the convoy model of social relations, older adults who maintain positive social relationships, especially older women, thrive and lead happier, healthier lives. Studies have fully examined the role of friendships among Red Hat Society (RHS) members and found a positive influence from these social relations. This study focused on the dynamic nature of social support within the RHS social network, and examined the effect of RHS membership on older women’s resilience growth. Multilevel model analysis was conducted, and the results of the 12-wave monthly study (N = 156, age more than 50 years) conducted from October 2010 to September 2011 demonstrated that receiving increasing social support from RHS friends improved participants’ resilience. The results increased the knowledge of the convoy model of social relations and demonstrate that resilience could be the positive outcome of the social convoy.

Keywords:

• Convoy model of social relations
• social support
• multilevel modeling
• resilience
• Red Hat Society