Social networks and everyday activity limitations among older native and foreign-origin population in Estonia

Mixed evidence exists about social networks’ effect on older people’s disability outcomes. New emerging family patterns and relationships can have impact on old-age coping. Literature comparing native and foreign populations from the aspect of limitations and social networks among elderly has been rare. This study looks at the limitations in everyday activities of people aged 50 years and older in Estonia. Data for this analysis comes from the fourth wave SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe). We explore the relationship between social networks and disability outcome among foreign and native populations with regression analysis. The indicator of limitations in everyday activities is considered an objective disability status measurement that is also used as the basis for calculating healthy life years. Previously, migrants in Estonia have indicated worse health and disability outcomes than the native population. Our analysis indicates that Estonian foreign-origin older population has higher chance of having zero or large networks than natives. No significant differences occur between limitation levels among migrants in the number of family members one has in the network; less limited natives are more likely to have more family members in their network than severely limited or not limited older natives.