Individual measures of social support may have limited impact on physiological parameters among elderly Kuwaitis

Social support can buffer physiological stress responses, reducing morbidity and mortality risk, but research has occurred primarily in western populations. We examined whether social support was associated with physiological biomarkers in a non-western sample.

We predicted evidence of increased physiological dysregulation in those with less social support among elderly Kuwaitis (≥60 years, n = 253). Measures of social support included marital status (married/unmarried), religiosity (low/high), whether adult children lived at home (yes/no), and perceived social support (low/medium/high). Using linear regression, we tested relationships between each social support measure and 17 biomarkers: cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), epinephrine, norepinephrine, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), waist-hip ratio (WHR), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), TC/HDL, LDL/HDL, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), C-reactive protein (CRP), and resting heart rate (RHR). We analyzed two models for each, one with the independent variable only and a second including age, smoking, and education as covariates.

Married participants had lower norepinephrine, but higher TC/HDL and LDL/HDL. Higher religiosity was negatively associated with TC (men only) but higher LDL, TC/HDL, and LDL/HDL. Participants with low self-reported social support had higher DBP and HbA1c than those reporting medium or high levels.

Relatively few biomarkers associated significantly with individual social support measures in a way that suggests improved health for those with more support. As such, some measures of social support may not be universally beneficial across cultures. Additionally, the high degree of respect for and integration of elders in Kuwait society may collectively buffer against negative effects. Cross-cultural comparisons are critical to better understand how social support influences morbidity and mortality across populations.