Social support and mortality in an elderly community population

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Social support is a critical factor in the health and well-being of older adults.
• Previous research has measured social support but often without comparing its distinct components.
• Understanding the specific aspects of social support is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between three key parameters of social support and mortality risk in older adults.
• To determine if impaired social support predicts 30-month mortality.
• To examine the predictive power of roles and available attachments, perceived social support, and frequency of social interaction on mortality.

Main Methods:

• A community sample of 331 adults aged 65 and older in Durham County, North Carolina, was assessed in 1972.
• Social support was measured across three dimensions: roles/attachments, perceived support, and interaction frequency.
• Mortality status was tracked for 30 months, with analyses including crude relative risks and adjusted relative risks controlling for ten confounding variables.

Main Results:

• Crude analyses showed significantly higher mortality risks for impaired perceived social support (RR=3.86), impaired frequency of social interaction (RR=2.72), and impaired roles/attachments (RR=1.96).
• After controlling for confounding variables (age, sex, race, health status, etc.), impaired perceived social support (RR=3.40) and impaired roles/attachments (RR=2.04) remained significant predictors of mortality.
• Impaired frequency of social interaction showed a reduced but still notable risk (RR=1.88) in the controlled model.

Conclusions:

• All three assessed parameters of social support—roles and available attachments, perceived social support, and frequency of social interaction—significantly predicted 30-month mortality in older adults.
• Perceived social support emerged as the strongest predictor of mortality in both crude and adjusted analyses.
• These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive social support for longevity in the elderly population.