Authors
Rose Laing, Laura Alfrey, Ting Xia, Calvert Tisdale, Keith D Hill, Aislinn Lalor, Tina Lam, Louisa Picco, Suzanne Nielsen
Published in
Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society. Pages 7334648261497794. Oct 26, 2026. Epub Oct 26, 2026.
Abstract
Background and objectivesOlder Australian adults commonly engage in formal and informal volunteering. We examine how volunteering relates to social support, a combined measure of an individual's quantity of social interactions, and satisfaction with the quality of social relationships.MethodsData were analysed from 932 adults aged 50-70 years, surveyed between September 2023 and July 2024 (54.4% male).ResultsFormal volunteering at < 5, 5-10, and 10+ hours/week was associated with higher social support (β = 0.54; β = 1.21; β = 1.61), as was providing <5 hours/week of informal childcare (β = 1.02). Social interaction increased across all levels of formal volunteering (β = 0.35; β = 1.01; β = 1.22), and providing <5 hours/week of care to children (β = 0.49). Social satisfaction showed no significant associations. Offering informal care to adults was not associated with any changes in social support.ConclusionFormal volunteering appears to enhance social interaction, but not satisfaction, which may have implications for social prescribing practices.
PMID:
42928960
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Oct 2026.
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