Erin York Cornwell

Associate Professor, Sociology Link

Faculty Affiliate, Center for Aging and Policy Studies

CAPS Biography:

My work relates to both of CAPS signature themes of family and intergenerational supports and health and well-being, as well as cross-cutting themes of place and specific populations. For example, my published work has examined how the spatial proximity of family members and friends, and the characteristics of the social contexts in which they are embedded (e.g., residential neighborhoods, households), affects relationship quality and support. My research connects specific aspects of social networks and community connectedness to health-relevant outcomes including disease management, the provision of help during medical emergencies, depression, anxiety, and self-reported health. Much of this work draws on data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). 

In a more recent line of research, I extend my work on place in later life to examine the dynamic interrelationships between older adults’ activity spaces (including individuals’ residential and extra-residential neighborhoods), social networks, and health and well-being. With funding from NIA as a Co-I (1R01AG050605-01A1), I have collaborated on the development of innovative approaches for smartphone-based assessment of daily mobility and exposure to social environments, along with respondents’ real-time reports of local neighborhood conditions, social activities, and symptoms. Using these data, I examine how exposures to extra-residential social environments are socially structured – contributing to disparities in access to resources and exposures across socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups. I also show that exposure to environmental stressors such as disorders is associated with momentary spikes in physiological symptoms of distress. I argue that exposures to social environments within and outside of the residential neighborhood are an underexplored source of disparities in health and well-being in later life.