Mediated relationships between coping style and social support on the quality of life of disabled older adults

This study aimed to explore the relationship between coping styles, social support and quality of life among disabled older adults and to examine the mediating role of coping styles in the relationship between social support and quality of life.

Using a purposive sampling method, three investigators conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey of eligible participants in the geriatric department of a tertiary care hospital in one of the largest cities in southern China between August 2021 and March 2022. A total of 187 questionnaires were collected, of which 176 were valid, with an effective response rate of 94.1%.

Social support and positive coping were positively related to disabled older adults' quality of life, while negative coping was negatively related to both social support and disabled older adults' quality of life. According to the mediating effect analysis after covariate adjustment, positive coping completely mediated the relationship between social support and older adults' quality of life (p < 0.01), with the mediating effect size accounting for 76.9% of the total effect. Negative coping had some mediating effect on the relationship between social support and older adults' quality of life (p < 0.01), with the mediating effect size accounting for 13.0% of the total effect.

The quality of life of disabled older adults is low, which is closely related to their social support and coping styles. Therefore, it is important to recognize and emphasize the key role that social support systems play in improving the quality of life of this population, broaden their access to social support and guide them to adopt positive coping styles.