Social Network Size and Hope as Predictors of Life Satisfaction in the Elderly

This paper investigates the dynamics of relationship between the constructs of social network and Snyder's concept of hope in relation with life satisfaction in the Indian elderly. Based on a sample of 84 elderly, categorized on the basis of their retirement status into retired (N=40) and post retired (N=44), empirical findings are discussed. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that both social network size and hope combined significantly predict life satisfaction in greater degree compared to the network size alone, although the individual contribution of network size exceeds the predictive power of hope. The study also indicates significantly positive and greater association of life satisfaction with network size compared to perceived satisfaction obtained from social support in the post retired years. The limitations and suggestions for future research are given along with the implications for the Indian elderly.