Social support sources among older women with heart failure: continuity versus loss over time

The extent to which older women with heart failure experienced continuity or loss of their support sources and the relationship between support source loss, perceived enacted support, and psychological well-being were examined in this study. In-home interviews were conducted with 57 older women who completed two interview 18 months apart following a hospital admission for heart failure. Both the emotional and tangible support sources were quite stable, indicating that the predominant pattern is continuity for older women with heart failure. Loss of tangible support sources was related to a perception of receiving less tangible support and less positive affect. Implications for future research and nursing practice are discussed.