Church-based social support, functional disability, and change in personal control over time

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology of Religion
• Psychology of Aging

Background:

• Functional disability is a significant challenge for older adults, potentially impacting their sense of personal control.
• Social support is recognized as a crucial factor in mitigating the negative effects of health challenges in later life.
• The specific role of different types of social support (spiritual, emotional, secular) in maintaining personal control among older adults requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if church-based and secular social support buffers the impact of functional disability on changes in personal control over time in older adults.
• To differentiate the effects of spiritual support versus emotional support within church-based networks.
• To compare the influence of church-based social support with secular social support.

Main Methods:

• Utilized longitudinal survey data from Wave 2 and Wave 3 of a nationwide sample of 583 older adults.
• Employed statistical analyses to assess the moderating role of social support measures on the relationship between functional disability and personal control.
• Measured functional disability, personal control, church-based social support (spiritual and emotional), and secular social support.

Main Results:

• Spiritual support from fellow church members significantly offset the negative effects of functional disability on changes in personal control.
• Emotional support from church members did not demonstrate a similar buffering effect.
• Emotional support from secular social network members also did not mitigate the impact of functional disability on personal control.

Conclusions:

• Spiritual support, specifically from within church communities, plays a vital role in preserving a sense of personal control for older adults experiencing functional disability.
• Emotional support, whether from religious or secular sources, does not appear to provide the same protective benefit against the effects of functional disability on personal control.
• Findings highlight the unique contribution of spiritual social support in aging and disability research.