The Relationship of Living Status, Social Support and Depression Degree in Taiwan Elders.
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Chen, Yi-Chu
Abstract
Background：As global aging, older adults’ depression are getting more attention . WHO (World Health Organization) has included depression,the only mental disease considered as one of the three major diseases in 21th century. Most of the depression-related research in Taiwan using large database are focused on elderly living alone and living with others in communities? Very few of them took older adults’ living types into consideration. Given the change of modern family structure, older adutls’ living arrangements changed. Studies have shown that living arrangemgnt has impact on social support, and social support also have influences on older adults’ depression. Hence, it’s important to full these three factors on the same page and test the causal relationships among these three factors. . Objective：Using a population representative data, Taiwan Longitudinal Study in Aging (TLSA), this study tested the mediating effect of social support between older adults’ living arrangement and depression. This study explored wether the mediating effects of social support on living arrangement and depression would be different in male and female older adults. Method：The study analyzes Taiwan Longitudinal Study in Aging (TLSA) in 2003 and 2007. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the mediation of different types of social support, including emotional social support and instrumental social support, in living arrangement and depression. Inclusion crirerias are age above 65 and have data in both 2003 and 2007. Study sample were 2074 older adults. Results：Emotional social support was a significant mediator of the relationship between older adults’ living arrangement and depression. Compared to older adults living in institution and living alone in communities, older adults living with others in communities have more emotional social support and therefore experienced a decrease depression status.Yet instrumental social support was not found as a mediator in living arrangement and depression. Disscussion：Emotional social support was a mediator in living arrangement and depression in older adults living in community and also living with others. This study suggested everyone offer more emotional social support to older adults. At the meantime, older adults can take the initiative to offer others emotional social support. By doing so, older adults’ might decrease their level of depression as well .
Subjects
living arrangement
social support
depression
mediation
Type
thesis
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