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Measuring social support among older adults.
1Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch.
International Journal of Aging & Human Development
|January 1, 1990
Summary
This study introduces a new measure for natural supportive behaviors in older adults. This tool helps understand how social support impacts health by assessing distinct support dimensions and individual needs.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Social support is crucial for older adults' health.
- Existing measures of social support have limitations.
- Understanding natural supportive behaviors is key to assessing social support's impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce a novel measure of natural supportive behaviors for older adults.
- Improve upon existing social support measures by addressing confounding factors and individual needs.
- Assess four distinct dimensions of social support: informational, tangible, emotional, and integration.
Main Methods:
- Developed a new scale for natural supportive behaviors.
- Collected data from a random community survey of 351 older adults.
- Analyzed psychometric properties and factor structure of the scale.
Main Results:
- The new scale demonstrates basic psychometric properties and a clear factor structure.
- The dimensions of social support effectively buffered the negative effects of bereavement on depressive symptoms.
- The measure successfully differentiates between perceived support and received support.
Conclusions:
- The new measure of natural supportive behaviors is a valuable tool for research on stress, social support, and health in older adults.
- This scale allows for a nuanced understanding of individual support needs and dimensions.
- Findings support the buffering hypothesis of social support in mitigating the impact of stressful life events like bereavement.