Table Of ContentSourcebook of Living Arrangements and
Social Networks of Older Adults
in the Netherlands
Questionnaire and Data Documentation
of the NESTOR-program,
Main Study 1992 and
Network Study 1992-1995
Theo van Tilburg
Pearl Dykstra
Aart C. Liefbroer
Marjolein Broese van Groenou
Sourcebook of living arrangements and social
networks of older adults in the Netherlands
Questionnaire and data documentation of the NESTOR-
program, Main Study 1992 and Network Study 1992-1995
Theo van Tilburg
Pearl Dykstra
Aart C. Liefbroer
Marjolein Broese van Groenou
Departments of Netherlands
Sociology & Social Gerontology Interdisciplinary
and Demographic
Social Research Methodology, Institute,
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Hague
2 Living arrangements and social networks
Acknowledgements
The data were collected in the context of the research program "Living arrangements and social
networks of older adults". This research program is conducted at the departments of Sociology &
Social Gerontology and Social Research Methodology of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam,
and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute in The Hague. The research is
supported by a program grant from the Netherlands Program for Research on Ageing
(NESTOR), funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences and the Ministry of
Health, Welfare, and Sports. The Network Study was made possible by a fellowship from the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (K.N.A.W.), awarded to the first author.
Copyrights
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the management of the NESTOR-LSN-
program.
Address
dr. T.G. van Tilburg
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Social Gerontology, Faculty of Social Sciences
De Boelelaan 1081c
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
e-mail
Living arrangements and social networks 3
Table of contents
Preface 5
Summary of the research program 7
Part A: Main Study (1992)
Sample and data collection 15
Overview of the questionnaire of the face-to-face interview 30
Introduction to the structure of the data files 34
Overview of data files 43
Questionnaire and variables 49
Appendices
Example of a programmed questionnaire 246
List of variables 255
List of SPSS data files 270
Part G, H, I: Network Study (1992-1995)
Introduction 273
Sample and data collection 277
Overview of data files 284
Questionnaire and variables 290
Appendices
Example of a programmed questionnaire 337
List of variables 348
List of SPSS data files 353
References 354
4 Living arrangements and social networks
Living arrangements and social networks 5
Preface
This sourcebook contains the documentation of the data of the Main Study and of the Network
Study of the NESTOR-program Living arrangements and social networks of older adults, as it
stands March 12, 2003. Errata will be listed in the forthcoming documentations of the data of
the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.
A large number of people have made great efforts during the process of collecting the data of
the Main Study. Kees Knipscheer, Jenny Gierveld, Theo van Tilburg, Pearl Dykstra, Aat Lief-
broer, Marjolein Broese van Groenou and Edith de Leeuw were responsible for the content of
(sections of) the questionnaire. Theo van Tilburg and Aat Liefbroer programmed the
questionnaire. Marius de Pijper was very helpful with the programming of the questionnaire and
of the management program on the computers. During the interviewing, Edith de Leeuw
(Amsterdam), Fleur Thomése (Wormerland and Waterland), Aat Liefbroer (Zwolle and
surroundings), and Pearl Dykstra (Oss and surroundings) supervised the interviewers, coordinated
by Marjolein Broese van Groenou. Mik van der Klundert and Inke Wisse, assisted by Yolande
Brands, Jan Poppelaars, Cornelie Peeck, Pien van der Kooi and Jutte Koekebakker, managed the
contacts with respondents and interviewers. The interviewers were M. Abeling, M.F. Baar, A.H.
Barf-Smid, J.M.P. Bijnen-Willems, M.N.A. Blanc, S.C.G. Blijendaal, H.E.T. Bloemenkamp, J.D.
de Boer, A. de Boer, G. Brakel-Schotkamp, E. Breebaart, T.C. Buddingh, H.G.A. Bulk, A.W.
Craje, A. Dalvoorde, C. Danje ter Horst, W. Deenik, A.J. van Dijk-Zwart, M.E. Feddema, S. de
Gans, R. de Gruyter, H.M. de Haan-Remkes, M.J.H. Hagedoorn-Viskaal, J.C. Haveman, I.J.W.
van Heeswijk, J. Hofland, F.K. Hoogendorp-van Aalderen, J.H.C.V. Jilesen, M.G. de Jonge-den
Hartog, J.B.M. de Jonge-Winkelman, Y.W. van Klingeren, D. Knoop, L.M. Koldewee, H.A. de
Koning, B.P.L.M. van der Kroft, F.F. Lamkamp, J. Langendijk-Oliemeulen, J. de Leeuwe, C.
Leeuwin, B. Maes, J.M.G. Majoor-van den Bergh, G. Makkinga, N.A. Manhave, E.M. Manuel,
M.R. Mastenbroek-Guichelaar, A.P. van der Meiden-Mooij, E. Meulenbroek, A.H. Michielse,
W.F.M van Mourik, R. van der Mueren, W.H. Muns-Winkelaar, I. Nyklicek, H.K. Paassen, F.
Pearson, E. Pijfers, P.J.A. Pijpers, M.S. Pinas, M.G.G. Rebel-de Gier, P. Rensen, E.C. van Riel,
E.G. van Roest, A.W.A.M. de Ruijter-van Zuijlen, H.A. Schaap, A. Schaapman-Harsevoord, J.M.
van Schadewijk-Eykemans, M.J. Smit-Molenaar, D. Snijders-Schreurs, A.F. Staarman, P.E.A.M.
Steeman, A.A.M. van der Steen, A.M. Sterk-Schat, J.L. Swagerman-Beekman, G.H.
Timmerman-van Elburg, G. Uffels-de Olde, J.M. Velthoven, A.R.J. Visser-Albers, M. Vonk, K.
de Vos, J.H.M. Walboomers, J.A. van Wees, P.H.R.M. Westebring, J.M.V. Wierdsma, J.C.
Wijnen-Naaktgeboren, M.A. Wijnschenk, J.A.C. Zijlstra, and E.M. Zonjee. The data were stored
by Theo van Tilburg and Aat Liefbroer.
Theo van Tilburg and Jan Poppelaars managed the data collection for the Network Study. They
were assisted by Conny Veltman.
The editors Amsterdam / The Hague, March 12, 2003
6 Living arrangements and social networks
Living arrangements and social networks 7
Summary of the research program
The research program "Living arrangements and social networks of older adults" (Leefvormen en
sociale netwerken van ouderen) (Knipscheer et al., 1990) has been developed on request of the
Netherlands Program for Research on Aging (Nederlands Stimuleringsprogramma Ouderen-
onderzoek; NESTOR) steering committee. The aim of this committee, which was installed by the
Ministry of Welfare, Health and Cultural Affairs and by the Ministry of Education and Science,
is to develop a national plan for research on aging, and to supervise and guide the execution of
this plan. The aim of NESTOR is to strengthen the position of aging research in the Netherlands
by stressing the improvement of the scientific infrastructure and the stimulation of international
collaboration. "Living arrangements and social networks of older adults" is one of the topics
selected by the NESTOR steering committee as part of their national plan for research on aging.
Previous research carried out at three scientific institutes, namely, the Department of Sociology
and Social Gerontology at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Department of Social
Research Methodology at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, and the Netherlands
Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) in The Hague, provided the expertise required for
the topic.
Objective
The objectives of the program are the following. First, it aims to provide insight into the
determinants of living arrangements of older adults, their kin and non-kin networks. Second, it
aims to provide insight into the outcomes of living arrangements of older adults, and their kin
and non-kin networks in terms of the availability of the social support essential for daily
functioning, for coping with problems associated with life events, and for maintaining well-
being. The third objective is to use these insights to separate the assumptions essential to the
constructing of models predicting future trends in living arrangements and networks from the
assumptions which are not.
The perspective adopted in the research program is one which emphasizes the autonomy of
older adults, i.e. their ability to manage on their own. However, contrary to many of the studies
into the conditions underlying their ability to manage alone, which tend to emphasize individual
characteristics, such as the level of cognitive performance or health status, this program centers
on characteristics of the social matrix in which older adults are embedded. In other words, the
focus is on the importance of the personal relationships for daily functioning, for coping with
life events and for maintaining well-being. More specifically the focus is on living arrangements
of older adults and their social networks.
The desire to move beyond an exclusive focus on individual characteristics is not the only
reason for focusing on relationships of older persons. Another consideration is that it is
particularly in personal relationships that the impact of broader changes in society is reflected.
The economic, demographic and cultural changes of recent decades have led to changes in
relationships available to people and/or in the conditions providing opportunities for social
interaction. It is unclear what the implications are for the individual older adult. How do older
persons deal with the changing conditions of personal relationships and how will they deal with
these changes in the future? It should be pointed out that relationships of older adults are also
subject to changes associated with the aging process itself. For this reason, the (possible)
implications of changes in personal relationships which are associated with changes in society
must be considered in relation with life course changes in personal relationships.
8 Living arrangements and social networks Summary
Research questions
The first question is: what are the determinants of living arrangements of older adults, their kin
and non-kin networks? Living arrangements refer to housing, household composition and
residential environment. Housing relates to the situation of an older adult living in a private
household or in an institution of some kind. Household composition concerns the matter of the
older adult living alone, or sharing the household. If the latter is the case, data are gathered
about the household members, whether they are a marital partner, a non-marital partner of the
same or of the opposite sex, family members (e.g. adult children, elderly parents, siblings etc.)
and/or non-family related individuals. The question of residential environment refers to the
location such as close to adult children and/or other family members, or whether the person lives
in a area with a relatively high or relatively low sub-population of older adults, and whether the
person is a relative newcomer or a long term resident. It is likely that housing, household
composition and residential environment lay down the restrictions and opportunities which an
older person has for establishing and maintaining the relationships which decide their social
networks. The proposed research program aims to provide insight into the manner in which this
occurs.
The second question is: what are the outcomes of having a specific living arrangement, kin
and non-kin network in terms of the support received, and consequently in terms of daily
functioning, coping with life events and maintaining well-being? People who are surrounded by
other people, who have others available to assist them now and then with practical services, to
give positive feedback or to show their affective concern, generally experience a higher level of
well-being than those who lack such ties with others. It is put forward that the support provided
by social network members helps to protect older persons from experiencing negative outcomes,
helps them in their efforts to improve their situation, and helps them respond to adverse events.
The support is considered adequate if it meets older persons’s needs for well-being and makes it
possible for them to arrange their own lives. Several theoretical models can be used to examine
the adequacy of support. One is the model of ecological congruence which emphasizes a lock-
and-key fit between the demands for particular types of support and the supply of support.
Another acknowledge that analyses of the adequacy of support should not only take into account
the actual provision of support but also whether or not the support matches the expectation of
the individual. Cognitive process approach stressing personal perceptions and evaluations,
provide a fruitful framework for such analyses.
The third question is: how can insights into the determinants and outcomes of living
arrangements of older adults, their kin and non-kin networks be applied in the construction of
more realistic models of future trends in living arrangements and networks? The usefulness of
future prognoses depends upon the validity of the assumptions upon which they are founded.
Knowledge obtained through the proposed research program can be used in the construction of
more realistic models, more realistic in the sense of a broader awareness of the validity of the
assumptions upon which they are based. It is proposed that there are two ways in which this aim
can be achieved. The first is through the analysis of trends in living arrangements, kin and non-
kin networks. Knowledge about trends in living arrangements and networks can provide an
indication of the extent to which predictions about future cohorts of older adults can be based
upon characteristics of past and present cohorts. The second is through the analysis of inter-
individual variability. More particularly, research into the conditions determining the relations
between well-being on the one hand and living arrangements or network characteristics on the
other is proposed. Such knowledge can provide insight into the question as to whether
differences in living arrangements or in networks among older adults can be glossed over or
should be taken into account.
Summary Living arrangements and social networks 9
Data collection
The aim of collecting data for the Main Study was twofold. First of all, the aim was to provide
1
descriptive information about the living arrangements and social networks of older adults (the
Main Study). A large-scale survey based on a representative sample was expected to provide
such information. Secondly, the Main Study provided the information necessary to carry out the
two subsidiary studies. Respondents who experienced the transition to widowhood will be
followed longitudinally. The widowhood study is still ongoing and therefore not documented in
this sourcebook. A second study is the Network Study, which is described in detail in the part
GHI of this sourcebook. Identification of the respondents to be followed in the Network Study
took place on the basis of data collected during the Main Study. Furthermore, during the Main
Study, additional information has been collected on selected groups of respondents. Research
questions to be addressed in specific projects motivate the selection of these groups.
The Main Study consisted of face-to-face interviews conducted among 4494 older adults in
1992. The response rate was 61.7%. A stratified sample of older adults has been taken from the
population registers of eleven municipalities, in three regions of the Netherlands. The sample
was stratified according to sex and year of birth. By not introducing additional stratification
criteria, it remains possible to generalize the findings in a relatively simple way to the
population of the selected regions and municipalities.
The selected years of birth were 1903 through 1937, so that the respondents vary in age
from 54 to 89. The mean age of the respondents is 72.8 (SD= 10.0). By including these cohorts
in the sample, data are available about people who grew up and reached maturity before and
during the Depression and during or after the Second World War. These differences are likely to
be reflected in the history of the composition of their households (e.g. membership of three-
generation households, co-residence with parents as newly-weds due to housing shortage) or in
the timing and the likelihood of marriage and the birth of children. In addition, data are available
on older adults who, at the time of the interview, find themselves in different age-related
circumstances. A large proportion of the youngest respondents face the transition from
employment to retirement, and from having a family with children to having an "empty nest". A
considerable number of the oldest respondents may be facing the transition from health and
independent functioning to physical ailments and restricted independent functioning. They may
be facing possible admission into a home for older persons. Furthermore, there is, with
increasing age, an increasing chance of widowhood (with its associated changes in the
composition of the household, and changes in the social network) and the increasing chance of
death of social network members.
Collaboration in data collection with other research programs
In the framework of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), the respondents of the
NESTOR-LSN-survey born after 1908 are being followed up until the year 2000 to observe
changes in their physical, emotional, cognitive and social functioning. At the Dipartimento di
Statistica e Matematica Applicata all’Economia, Universitá degli Studi di Pisa, Italia, data were
collected on living arrangements and social networks of older adults living in North-Western
Tuscany, Italy, in collaboration with the NESTOR-LSN-program. Therefore, this documentation
will pay attention to the links between the data of the NESTOR-LSN Main Study on the one
hand, and the LASA-data and the data of Tuscans on the other hand.
1
Since 1971, there was no census in the Netherlands.
