ETHNIC FRIENDSHIP NETWORKS OF KOREAN-AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS IN SUBSIDIZED SENIOR HOUSING - Vol. 9 - S2 abstract

Sep 29, 2026

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Senior housing communities function as key social environments for older adults, shaping access to peer contact and emotional support. Ethnic-minority older adults often rely on ethnic peers within these communities, yet little work has detailed how ethnic friendship networks form in subsidized senior housing. Using survey data from 342 Korean-American residents in six Greater Los Angeles facilities, the study uses a name-generator approach and Poisson regression to relate individual factors to out-degree and in-degree centrality. Results link centrality to gender, community activities, social engagement, years of residence, chronic medical conditions, and facility-specific contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study context and rationale

Data and setting

Measures and analytic approach

Key findings

Implications for later-life social support

884 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2990 ETHNIC FRIENDSHIP NETWORKS OF KOREAN-AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS IN SUBSIDIZED SENIOR HOUSING Kyungmin Kim1, Juyoung Park2, and Yuri Jang3, 1. Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2. Emory University, Georgia, United States, 3. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States Senior housing communities are an important social environment for older adults, offering opportunities for interactions with peers and a sense of community. Older adults from ethnic minorities often find their ethnic peers within housing communities as a primary source of social and emotional support. This study examined ethnic friendship networks that older immigrants experience in senior housing and related individual characteristics. This study analyzed data from Korean-American older adults who reside in subsidized senior housing in the Greater Los Angeles Area (person N = 342; aged 65–102; facility N = 6). Participants named ethnic friends within their housing facilities up to three, using a name-generator approach of social network analysis. Poisson regression models were estimated to examine participants’ characteristics associated with degree centrality of ethnic friendship network: (a) out-degree (i.e., self-reported friendship with other residents) and (b) in-degree (i.e., nominated friendship from other residents). Out-degree centrality was positively associated with female gender, participation in community activities, social engagement, and years of residence in the facility. In-degree centrality was positively associated with participation in community activities, chronic medical conditions, and social interactions in the facility. We also found that both indicators of degree centrality substantially differed across six housing facilities, suggesting that each facility may serve as unique social and built environments for ethnic friendship networks of residents. Our findings underscore identifying different levels of factors contributing to ethnic friendship in the senior housing community, given the benefits of being part of a friendship network in later life.

FAQs

What was the study’s main focus in subsidized senior housing?

The study examined ethnic friendship networks experienced by older Korean-American immigrants in subsidized senior housing, along with individual characteristics associated with network centrality.

How were ethnic friendships measured?

Participants nominated up to three ethnic friends within their housing facilities using a name-generator approach from social network analysis.

Which participant factors were associated with out-degree centrality?

Out-degree centrality was positively associated with female gender, participation in community activities, social engagement, and years of residence in the facility.

Did friendship network centrality vary across housing facilities?

Yes. Both out-degree and in-degree centrality substantially differed across six facilities, indicating facility-specific social and built environments for ethnic friendship networks.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Jake