ABSTRACT. Objectives. Global social support measures have been shown to be related to several health outcomes, but little is known about the effects of different social ties and their support on the risk for decline in physical functioning among older people without as compared to those with chronic diseases. This study examines whether different types of social ties and support differentially mitigate the negative effects of chronic diseases on decline in physical functioning. Methods. Using data from two cycles of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (N = 2357), logistic regression analyses adjusted for baseline functioning, age, gender, and incidence of chronic diseases were conducted to assess the effect of different social ties for subgroups with different numbers of chronic diseases. Information about presence of different social ties included partner status and numbers of daughters, sons, other family members and non-kin relationships. Social support included instrumental and emotional support and the experience of loneliness. Decline in physical functioning was determined by substantial change after three years on a 6-item self-report scale. Results. Having a partner had a protective effect on decline in physical functioning in people without chronic diseases at baseline, but this was not found for those with chronic diseases. Total network size had an adverse effect in older people without chronic diseases, but a positive effect when chronic diseases were present. This was mainly due to a positive effect for the number of daughters and non-kin relationships. Discussion. Our results provide evidence that different types of social relationships and the support they provide differentially influence the risk for decline in physical functioning in older people with or without a chronic disease.
