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The importance of social support in the associations between psychological distress and somatic health problems and socio-economic factors among older adults living at home: a cross sectional study.

ABSTRACT: Little is known of the importance of social support in the associations between psychological distress and somatic health problems and socio-economic factors among older adults living at home. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the associations of social support, somatic health problems and socio-economic factors with psychological distress. We also examined changes in the association of somatic health problems and socio-economic factors with psychological distress after adjusting for social support.A random sample of 4,000 persons aged 65 years or more living at home in Oslo was drawn. Questionnaires were sent by post, and the total response was 2,387 (64%). Psychological distress was assessed using Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-10) and social support with the Oslo-3 Social Support Scale (OSS-3). A principal component analysis (PCA) included all items of social support and psychological distress. Partial correlations were used, while associations were studied by logistic regression.After adjusting for socio-demographics and somatic health problems, we reported a statistically significant association between psychological distress and social support: "Number of close friends", OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.47-0.80; "Concern and interest", OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.55-0.84. A strong association between lack of social support and psychological distress, irrespective of variables adjusted for, indicated a direct effect. The associations between psychological distress and physical impairments were somewhat reduced when adjusted for social support, particularly for hearing, whereas the associations between somatic diagnoses and psychological distress were more or less eliminated. Income was found to be an independent determinant for psychological distress.Lack of social support and somatic health problems were associated with psychological distress in elders. Social support acted as a mediator, implying that the negative effect of somatic health problems, especially hearing, on psychological distress was mediated by low social support. We hypothesize that physical impairments reduced social support, thereby increasing psychological distress to a greater extent than the selected diagnoses. The combination of poor social support, poor somatic health and economic problems may represent a vulnerable situation with respect to the mental health of older persons. Free interventions that highlight social support should be considered in mental health promotion.

SUBMITTER: Boen H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3464708 | biostudies-other | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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The importance of social support in the associations between psychological distress and somatic health problems and socio-economic factors among older adults living at home: a cross sectional study.

Bøen Hege H Dalgard Odd Steffen OS Bjertness Espen E

BMC geriatrics 20120608

<h4>Background</h4>Little is known of the importance of social support in the associations between psychological distress and somatic health problems and socio-economic factors among older adults living at home. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the associations of social support, somatic health problems and socio-economic factors with psychological distress. We also examined changes in the association of somatic health problems and socio-economic factors with psychological ...[more]

PMID: 22682023

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Project description:BackgroundDepression and anxiety result in psychological distress, which can further affect mental status and quality of life in stroke patients. Exploring the associations between positive psychological variables and symptoms of psychological distress following stroke is of great significance for further psychological interventions.MethodsA total of 710 stroke patients from the five largest cities in Liaoning Province in China were enrolled into the present study in July 2014. All patients independently completed the questionnaires with respect to psychological distress and positive psychological variables. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, respectively. Positive psychological variables were evaluated using Perceived Social Support Scale, Adult Hope Scale (AHS), General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale and Resilience Scale-14 (RS-14). Activities of Daily Living (ADL) was measured using Barthel Index. Factors associated with psychological variables and depressive and anxiety symptoms were identified using t-test, ANOVA, correlation and hierarchical linear regression analysis.ResultsDepressive and anxiety symptoms were present in 600 of 710 (84.51%) and 537 of 710 (75.63%) stroke patients enrolled, respectively. Social support (β = - 0.111, p < 0.001) and hope (β = - 0.120, p < 0.001) were negatively associated with both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Resilience (β = - 0.179, p < 0.001) was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy (β = - 0.135, p < 0.001) was negatively associated with anxiety symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that ADL accounted for 10.0 and 6.0% of the variance of depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Social support, resilience, self-efficacy and hope as a whole accounted for 7.5 and 5.3% of the variance of depressive and anxiety symptoms.ConclusionsThe high frequency of depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese stroke survivors should receive attentions from all stakeholders. Findings suggested that intervention strategies on ADL, social support, hope, resilience and self-efficacy could be developed to improve psychosocial outcomes for stroke survivors.

Dataset Information

The importance of social support in the associations between psychological distress and somatic health problems and socio-economic factors among older adults living at home: a cross sectional study.

Publications

The importance of social support in the associations between psychological distress and somatic health problems and socio-economic factors among older adults living at home: a cross sectional study.

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