Does the Source of Support Matter for Different Health Outcomes? (original) (raw)
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The health-related functions of social support
Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1981
Social support research has been hampered by a lack of clarity both in the definitions of social support and in the conceptualization of its effects on health outcomes. The present study compared social network size and three types of perceived social support—tangible, emotional, and informational —in relation to stressful life events, psychological symptoms and morale, and physical health status in a sample of 100 persons 45–64 years old. Social network size was empirically separable from, though correlated with, perceived social support and had a weaker overall relationship to outcomes than did support. Low tangible support and emotional support, in addition to certain life events, were independently related to depression and negative morale; informational support was associated with positive morale. Neither social support nor stressful life events were associated with physical health. It was concluded that social support research would benefit from attention to the multidimensionality of support and greater specificity in hypotheses about the relationship between types of support and adaptational outcomes.
The Influence of Providing and Receiving Social Support on Older Adults' Well-being
Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 2022
Introduction: Social support is a leading contributing factor for older adults' well-being. The present study aimed to compare the impact of two-way (providing and receiving) social support on the well-being of Iranian older adults. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 1280 community-dwelling older adults in Tehran, Iran, 2020. The researcher used the clustered sampling method and the 2-way Social Support Scale (SSS) to collect samples and measure social support, respectively. The well-being was measured by the self-reported World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Bivariate and hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to compare the effects of social support aspects on well-being. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0. A significance level of p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 70.90 (SD=8.07), and about 70% of the sample was married. The mean scores of taking and providi...
Psychological Science, 2003
This study examines the relative contributions of giving versus receiving support to longevity in a sample of older married adults. Baseline indicators of giving and receiving support were used to predict mortality status over a 5-year period in the Changing Lives of Older Couples sample. Results from logistic regression analyses indicated that mortality was significantly reduced for individuals who reported providing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors, and individuals who reported providing emotional support to their spouse. Receiving support had no effect on mortality once giving support was taken into consideration. This pattern of findings was obtained after controlling for demographic, personality, health, mental health, and marital-relationship variables. These results have implications for understanding how social contact influences health and longevity.
Aging and Social Support Aging and Social Support
Social support is a powerful predictor of living a healthy and long life. Large, well-controlled prospective studies show that social support has an impact on older adults' health independently of potentially confounded factors such as socioeconomic status, health risk behaviors, use of health services, and personality. This entry discusses social support and then how it is related to aging.
BMC Public Health, 2012
Background: Cross-sectional studies have reported associations between social support and health, but prospective evidence is less conclusive. This study aims to investigate the associations of positive and negative experiences of social support with current and future lifestyle factors, biological risk factors, self-perceived health and mental health over a 10-year period. Methods: Data were from 4,724 Dutch men and women aged 26-65 years who participated in the second ) study round of the Doetinchem Cohort Study. Social support was measured at round two using the Social Experiences Checklist. Health was assessed by several indicators such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, overweight, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, self-perceived health and mental health. Tertiles of positive and negative experiences of social support were analysed in association with repeated measurements of prevalence and incidence of several health indicators using generalised estimating equations (GEE). Results: Positive and negative experiences of social support were associated with prevalence and incidence of poor mental health. For the lowest tertile of positive support, odds ratios were 2.74 (95% CI 2.32-3.23) for prevalent poor mental health and 1.86 (95% CI 1.39-2.49) for incident poor mental health. For the highest tertile of negatively experienced support, odds ratios for prevalent and incident poor mental health were 3.28 (95% CI 2.78-3.87) and 1.60 (95% CI 1.21-2.12), respectively. Low levels of positive experiences of social support were also associated with low current intake of fruits and vegetables, but not with future intake. Negative experiences of social support were additionally associated with current smoking, physical inactivity, overweight and poor self-perceived health. Furthermore, high levels of negative experiences of social support were associated with future excessive alcohol consumption (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.10-1.84), physical inactivity (95% CI 1.28; 1.03-1.58) and poor self-perceived health (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.01-1.82).
What Type of Social Support Influences Self-Reported Physical and Mental Health Among Older Women?
Journal of Aging and Health, 2014
Objective: We examined which types of social support were associated with older women's self-report of physical and mental health and whether the effects of social support were moderated by race/ethnicity. Method: Women completed a health behavior survey that included the Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form-12 (MOS SF-12). Single race/ethnic group regressions examined whether different types of social support were related to health. We also examined Pratt's relative importance measures. Results: Emotional support had the strongest effect on both physical and mental health, explaining the highest amount of variation, except among African Americans. Race/ethnicity moderated the association of informational support for Asian women's reports of their mental health.
Journal of Ageing and Longevity
This study examined the extent to which dimensions of social connectedness and perceived social support have distinct associations with the physical and mental health of older adults. This study utilized data from the Utah Fertility, Longevity, and Aging (FLAG) study. Participants included 259 older adults, aged 60 or older (mean age: 67.75 ± 4.8). Connectedness (networks and satisfaction with networks) was measured with the Duke Social Support Index. Social support (affective, confidant, instrumental) was measured with the Duke–UNC Functional Support Scale. Physical and mental health were measured with the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The results showed significant differences in the mean physical and mental health scores between participants with high scores on satisfaction with networks, affective, confidant, and instrumental support, and those with low scores on these dimensions. After controlling for covariates, affective support significantly predicted physical health, wh...
Social Support and Mortality in an Elderly Community POPULATION1
American Journal of Epidemiology, 1982
Social support and mortality in an elderly community population. Am J Epidemiol 1982;115:684-94. A community sample made In the fall of 1972 In Durham County, North Carolina, and that consisted of 331 persons 65 years of age and older was assessed for adequacy of social support along three parameters: roles and available attachments, perceived social support, and frequency of social interaction. This approach to the assessment of social support complements previous approaches to the measurement of social support which have not compared the various components of the construct. Mortality status, the outcome variable, was determined 30 months after the initial assessment The crude relative risks of mortality were 1.96 for Impaired roles and available attachments, 3.86 for Impaired perceived social support, and 2.72 for Impaired frequency of social interaction. Ten potential confounding variables-age, sex, race, economic status, physical health status, self-care capacity, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning, stressful life events, and cigarette smoking-were controlled using binary linear regression analysis. The estimates of relative mortality risk were 2.04, 3.40, and 1.88, respectively, for Impaired roles and available attachments, impaired perceived social support, and Impaired frequency of social Interaction when the control variables were included in a regression model. Therefore, these three parameters of soclai support significantly predicted 30-month mortality In both crude and controlled analyses in a community sample of older adults.