Volunteering is Associated with Delayed Mortality in Older People: Analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Aging
Abstract
The Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA) assessed the health and social functioning of a representative sample of 7527 American community-dwelling older people (> 70 years). We tested the hypothesis that frequent volunteering is associated with less mortality risk when the effects of socio-demographics, medical status, physical activity and social integration are controlled. We used Cox proportional hazards analyses to assess the unadjusted and adjusted associations between frequency of volunteering and time-to-death (96-month follow-up). Death occurred in 38.3 percent of the sample. After adjusting for covariates, frequent volunteers had significantly reduced mortality compared to non-volunteers. This association was greatest for those who frequently visited with friends or attended religious services.
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Of the nine best studies on R/S and sense of control, four (44%) reported significant positive relationships, three (33%) reported significant negative relationships, and two reported mixed results.
“Of the nine best studies, four reported significant positive relationships (44%) [101–104] and three report significant negative relationships (33%) [105–107], whereas the two remaining studies reported complex or mixed results (significant positive and negative associations, depending on R/S characteristic).”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [106]
Considering the 63 methodologically most rigorous studies (quality ratings of 8 or higher), 47 (75%) found R/S predicting greater longevity (two at trend level).
“Considering the 63 methodologically most rigorous studies (quality ratings of 8 or higher), 47 (75%) found R/S predicting greater longevity (two at trend level) [548–566], whereas three (5%) reported shorter longevity [567–569].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [549]
Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio 0.78; 95% CI 0.66, 0.90).
“Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.90).”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [38]
The remaining studies found statistically significant but contradictory associations between at least one measure of volunteering and mortality.
“The remainder found statistically significant associations between at least one measure of volunteering status or intensity (e.g. frequency, hours spent, number of organisations supported) and mortality [26,38,47,50]. Interpretation was difficult, however, as studies reported statistically significant, but contradictory associations.”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [38]
Meta-analysis of five studies identified a 22% reduction (CI: 10% to 34%) in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers.
“Meta-analysis of five studies [9,26,38,49,50] identified a 22% reduction (CI: 10% to 34%) in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers.”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [38]
Social integration mediated the relationship between survival and volunteering status.
“Social integration also mediated the relationship between survival and volunteering status [38,50].”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [38]
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References 26 · Cited by 243
- Authors
- Harris, A. H. S., & Thoresen, C. E.
- Affiliations
- Veterans Health Administration (US)
- Stanford University (US)
- ORCID
- Harris, Alex H. S.
- Venue
- Journal of Health Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2005-12
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 739-752
- ISSN
- 1359-1053 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7277
- OpenAlex
- W2019171640
- Cited by
- 243
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 20.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- volunteering, mortality, older adults, community-dwelling older adults, social integration, religious service attendance, physical activity, sociodemographic factors, Longitudinal Study of Aging
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mortality, Risk, Social Support, Time Factors, United States, Volunteers, Proportional Hazards Models
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