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Perceived social support among depressed elderly, middle-aged, and young-adult samples: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses

Perceived social support among depressed elderly, middle-aged, and young-adult samples: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses
Perceived social support among depressed elderly, middle-aged, and young-adult samples: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses
Background: a number of studies have concluded that the perceived quality of support is more strongly associated with mental health than with the actual structure of personal networks. This study examined clinical, historical, and phenomenological variables associated cross-sectionally and longitudinally with perceived social support.

Methods: participants included elderly, middle-aged, and young-adult depressed samples derived from the Duke Clinical Research Center for the Study of Depression in Late Life.

Results: cross-sectional multivariate analyses revealed that perceived social support was: (1) for the elderly associated with pessimistic thinking, being divorced, having strange ideas, the degree of social interaction, and instrumental support; (2) for middle-age associated with dysthymia, divorce, pessimistic thoughts, social interaction, and instrumental support; and (3) among young adults with instrumental support only. Longitudinal multivariate analyses indicated that only perceived social support at Time 1 predicted perceived social support 1 year later among elderly and middle-aged subjects, whereas only instrumental support predicted perceived social support 1 year later among the young-adult sample.

Limitations: the small number of subjects among the young-adult sample limit conclusions regarding this group. In addition, only patients provided data. Future studies should consider using multiple informants to enhance the accuracy of reported social support.

Conclusions: our findings indicate that in addition to whatever else they do for depressed patients, clinicians must endeavor to address relationship or social support difficulties, especially in the elderly
perceived social support, elderly, middle-age, young adult, depression
0165-0327
159-170
Lynch, Thomas R.
29e90123-0aef-46c8-b320-1617fb48bb20
Mendelson, Tamar
5a1cf0cb-40c2-48dd-b1a2-9c785f9ec2d4
Robins, Clive J.
5fcd3fd0-adbf-4859-a7c1-c01138ec0101
Krishnan, K.Ranga R.
ca354896-d3a7-45a4-a5a4-080f599d220f
George, Linda K
b5af2cd3-322e-4019-b3b0-aeec7f8a42fd
Johnson, Courtney S.
9f95ed38-a809-4450-96d4-ef6d6fdd0257
Blazer, Dan G.
c52653df-803c-4936-a93e-a7c118c96859
Lynch, Thomas R.
29e90123-0aef-46c8-b320-1617fb48bb20
Mendelson, Tamar
5a1cf0cb-40c2-48dd-b1a2-9c785f9ec2d4
Robins, Clive J.
5fcd3fd0-adbf-4859-a7c1-c01138ec0101
Krishnan, K.Ranga R.
ca354896-d3a7-45a4-a5a4-080f599d220f
George, Linda K
b5af2cd3-322e-4019-b3b0-aeec7f8a42fd
Johnson, Courtney S.
9f95ed38-a809-4450-96d4-ef6d6fdd0257
Blazer, Dan G.
c52653df-803c-4936-a93e-a7c118c96859

Lynch, Thomas R., Mendelson, Tamar, Robins, Clive J., Krishnan, K.Ranga R., George, Linda K, Johnson, Courtney S. and Blazer, Dan G. (1999) Perceived social support among depressed elderly, middle-aged, and young-adult samples: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Journal of Affective Disorders, 55 (2-3), 159-170. (doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(99)00017-8). (PMID:10628885)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: a number of studies have concluded that the perceived quality of support is more strongly associated with mental health than with the actual structure of personal networks. This study examined clinical, historical, and phenomenological variables associated cross-sectionally and longitudinally with perceived social support.

Methods: participants included elderly, middle-aged, and young-adult depressed samples derived from the Duke Clinical Research Center for the Study of Depression in Late Life.

Results: cross-sectional multivariate analyses revealed that perceived social support was: (1) for the elderly associated with pessimistic thinking, being divorced, having strange ideas, the degree of social interaction, and instrumental support; (2) for middle-age associated with dysthymia, divorce, pessimistic thoughts, social interaction, and instrumental support; and (3) among young adults with instrumental support only. Longitudinal multivariate analyses indicated that only perceived social support at Time 1 predicted perceived social support 1 year later among elderly and middle-aged subjects, whereas only instrumental support predicted perceived social support 1 year later among the young-adult sample.

Limitations: the small number of subjects among the young-adult sample limit conclusions regarding this group. In addition, only patients provided data. Future studies should consider using multiple informants to enhance the accuracy of reported social support.

Conclusions: our findings indicate that in addition to whatever else they do for depressed patients, clinicians must endeavor to address relationship or social support difficulties, especially in the elderly

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More information

Published date: October 1999
Keywords: perceived social support, elderly, middle-age, young adult, depression

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 194041
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/194041
ISSN: 0165-0327
PURE UUID: b24ff364-01b0-4dbe-acb3-0f5044b4ed1b
ORCID for Thomas R. Lynch: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1270-6097

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Date deposited: 22 Jul 2011 13:26
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:32

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Contributors

Author: Thomas R. Lynch ORCID iD
Author: Tamar Mendelson
Author: Clive J. Robins
Author: K.Ranga R. Krishnan
Author: Linda K George
Author: Courtney S. Johnson
Author: Dan G. Blazer

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