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Social support in elderly patients with bipolar disorder
John L Beyer1, Maragatha Kuchibhatla, Chris Looney
1Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Durham, NC 27710, USA. beyer001@mc.duke.edu
Bipolar Disorders
|March 27, 2003
Summary
Bipolar disorder patients, both young and old, report lower social support than controls. Age of illness onset did not impact social support perceptions in this study.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Gerontology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Social support's role in bipolar disorder (BD) is unclear, especially in older adults.
- Impaired social support is linked to treatment resistance and hospitalization in younger/middle-aged BD patients.
- Limited research exists on social support in elderly individuals with BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess social support in older adults with BD compared to controls and younger BD patients.
- To investigate the influence of illness onset age on social support in BD.
- To examine demographic and social support factors related to BD.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated social support using the Duke Social Support Index in 29 older BD patients (≥50 years) and 56 younger BD patients.
- Compared BD patient groups to non-psychiatric peer controls.
- Utilized logistic regression to analyze demographic, social support, and age of onset variables.
Main Results:
- Both older and younger BD patients perceived inadequate social support compared to controls (OR=14.98, OR=9.05).
- Younger BD patients reported fewer social interactions than younger controls (OR=4.63).
- No significant differences in social support were found between early-onset and late-onset BD patients.
Conclusions:
- Older and younger individuals with BD experience diminished social support perception compared to controls.
- Age of illness onset does not appear to affect social support levels in BD.
- Younger BD patients exhibit reduced social interactions relative to their peers.