1. Daily Contact and Mental Health among the Elderly Yang-chih Fu Academia Sinica, Taiwan Conference on “Chinese Healthy Aging and Socioeconomics: International Perspectives” August 20-21, 2004 Duke University

2. Physical fitness Social conditions: - socioeconomics: wealth, status, prestige - social network/ interpersonal contact Determinants of mental health

3. Personal networks of the elderly persons decrease due to: Friends of the same cohort passed away Having retired from work Overall fertility rate decreases, resulting in fewer family/relatives Physical disabilities

4. Gender difference Women may be generally more social than men, but more men work, a major source that helps expand personal networks. Status/achievements are important in men’s psychological well-being, while social contacts/relationships seem more critical to women.

5. Measuring networks of the elderly persons Add up separate items of social support or frequency of interaction from/with: adult children, friends, neighbors (nonkin) Name generator – core network

6. Alternative measures of personal networks Position generator (Nan Lin) – to reveal weak ties and accessibility to hierarchical resources Daily contact – various ties, strong or weak

7. On average, about how many people do you make contact with in a typical day (on the one-on-one basis, including all those who you say hello, chat, talk, or discuss matters with, whether you do it face- to-face, by telephone, by mail, or on the internet, and whether you personally know the person or not) ?

8. Please give your estimate and select one from the following categories that best matches your estimate. (1) 0-4 persons, (2) 5-9, (3) 10-19, (4) 20-49, (5) 50-99, (6) over 100.

9. Table 1 Distributions of the Single-item Measure: Range of Daily Contacts A. Taiwan (1993-2002) B. Shianghai, Wuhan, Nanjin (1998), Hong Kong (2000)

10. Range of contacts Year of survey 1993 a 19971999a1999b2000a b 2000b2000c2001a2001b2002a2002b c 0-415.78.75.76.49.010.87.38.510.210.37.8 5-915.519.914.812.115.618.118.914.012.517.917.7 10-1923.727.822.328.128.230.528.425.723.726.027.3 20-4924.323.827.928.130.323.027.530.130.724.925.4 50-999.611.114.99.69.59.610.112.411.910.210.8 100+11.48.914.415.87.38.27.99.311.010.811.2 Total100.2 100.0100.199.9100.2100.1100.0 100.1100.2 Mean3.313.353.753.703.383.263.383.523.553.393.47 S.D.1.531.381.41 1.311.371.311.361.421.441.40 Skewness0.140.22-0.040.07 0.240.19-0.01-0.060.160.17 N1,2042,8255965958081,9301,2201,2961,1661,1791,801

11. Range of contacts Total ShanghaiWuhanNanjing 3 cities Hong Kong Taiwan 97-02a 0-48.69.38.5 8.813.08.9 5-917.516.918.8 17.716.816.9 10-1930.829.223.0 28.429.927.2 20-4923.127.423.7 24.324.626.4 50-9912.09.012.7 11.48.010.9 100+8.08.213.3 9.47.79.6 Total100.0 99.9 Mean3.363.343.53 3.403.213.42 S.D.1.351.341.48 1.38 Skewness0.190.170.10 0.170.210.13 N1,012503496 2,0111,02714,620

12. Table 2. Network Measures by the Range of Daily Contacts: Name Generator and Position Generator (Taiwan, 1997) Range of contacts Name generator a Position generator Total AffectiveInstru- mental Combine d Extensity/ Size High c LowRange N% 0-42.72.63.5 4.265.233.731.5 2458.7 5-93.23.14.2 5.167.031.535.5 56119.9 10-193.53.34.7 6.268.330.238.1 78427.8 20-493.53.34.7 7.771.428.043.4 67123.8 50-993.83.75.2 8.172.428.643.8 31411.1 100+3.63.54.9 8.373.027.845.2 2508.9 Total/ Means3.43.34.6 6.669.529.839.7 2,825100.2

13. Data Shianghai, Wuhan, Nanjin 1998 (survey on urban communities) Hong Kong 2000 (Hong Kong Social Trend Survey) Taiwan 1993-2002 (Taiwan Social Change Survey, Taiwan Social Trend Survey)

14. Summary of findings