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Published on: November 19, 2015
Improvement of social support in empty-nest elderly: results from an intervention study based on the
Chichen Zhang1,2, Huining Zhao1, Ruifang Zhu3
1School of Management, Shanxi Medical University, No. 56, Xinjian South Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Background:
China has the world's largest elderly population and an increasing number of empty-nest elderly. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Self-Mutual-Group model on social support of the empty-nest elderly, thus providing reference for improving their quality of life.
Methods:
A intervention study was conducted between October 2016 and May 2017 at six communities in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. A total of 350 empty-nest elderly aged 60-88 years were randomly assigned in the intervention group (n = 167) with a 7-month SMG-based intervention or to a control group (n = 183) with no intervention. The social support of the participating elderly (n = 350) was assessed by the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) at the baseline and 7 months later, respectively.
Results:
A 7-month follow-up showed an increasing mean scores of SSRS, objective support, subjective support and support utilization of the intervention group, and reached statistical significance (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The Self-Mutual-Group model was considered to be a positive intervention and was effective in increasing social support among the empty-nest elderly. Furthermore, future research should extend the intervention period and introduce multi-point measurement to better evaluate the intervention process and outcomes.
Trial Registration:
Study on the 'SMG' Health Management Model Based on Community Organization Theory among empty-nest elderly (ChiCTR1800015884).
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