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Published on: December 18, 2013
Relationship of Perceived Social Support with Mental Health in Older Caregivers
Laura Muñoz-Bermejo1, José Carmelo Adsuar2, Salvador Postigo-Mota3
1Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH), University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
Background:
Elderly caregivers present increased physical and mental health problems. These factors can lead to a lack of autonomy and a need for social support. This study aims to analyse the relationships between perceived social support and mental health status in elderly caregivers aged 65 and older.
Methods:
a cross-sectional study based on data from the Spanish National Health Survey (ENSE-17) carried out on 7023 people. The study population was restricted to 431 caregivers aged ≥65 years. A study of the correlation between the mental health state and the perceived social support was carried out. Both variables were related to the sex of the caregiver.
Results:
Perceived social support by older caregivers is significantly related to mental health (p = 0.001), and stress (p < 0.001). Also, there is a significant relationship between perceived social support and mental well-being (p = 0.001), self-esteem (p = 0.005) and stress (p = 0.001) in older women caregivers.
Conclusions:
Older caregivers have adequate mental well-being and perceive high social support. Perceived social support can contribute to improving the mental well-being of older caregivers.
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