Social Support/Network and Depressive Symptoms Among Community- Dwelling Older Adults During 5 Years of Follow-Up.

IF 2.3 3区医学 Q3 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Clinical Gerontologist Pub Date : 2026-10-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-07 DOI:10.1080/07317115.2025.2580569

Hrafnhildur Eymundsdóttir, Sigurveig H Sigurðardóttir, Alfons Ramel, Pálmi V Jónsson, Vilmundur Gudnason, Lenore Launer, Milan Chang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: Examine different sources of social support/network depending on depressive symptoms among older adults.

Methods: Data were obtained from two waves of the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility - Reykjavik Study (AGES-Reykjavik): Wave I (2002-2006, N = 5.764) and Wave II (2007-2011, N = 3.316). Seven questions (meet with friends/children feeling close to family/friends telephone children/friends living alone were used as: single question (social support)/social network score (SNS). The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) screened for depressive symptoms, recoded as: low score (GDS score < 6) and high score (GDS score ≥6). Longitudinal linear regression assessed associations between social questions and GDS score at follow-up among low and high depressive symptoms.

Results: Among low depressive symptoms (mean age 77) decrease in depressive symptoms was found for those meeting with children (β: -0.439, p = .007); friends (β: -0.288, p = .002); feeling close to family (β: -0.232, p ≤ .001) and friends (β: -0.217, p = .009). Among high depressive symptoms (mean age 78) decrease in depressive symptoms was when telephoning children (β: -4.679, p = .002); meeting with children (β: -2.725, p = .018).

Conclusions: In older community-dwelling adults regular social support decreases depressive symptoms with most meaningful support arriving from children and friends.

Clinical implications: Incorporating social network assessments into routine geriatric evaluations could help identify individuals at higher risk of developing or sustaining depressive symptoms.

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5年随访期间社区居住老年人的社会支持/网络与抑郁症状

目的：研究老年人抑郁症状的不同社会支持/网络来源。方法：数据来自两波年龄，基因/环境易感性-雷克雅未克研究（ags -Reykjavik）：第一波（2002-2006,N = 5.764）和第二波（2007-2011,N = 3.316）。7个问题（与朋友见面/孩子感觉与家人亲近/朋友电话孩子/独自生活的朋友）被用作：单一问题（社会支持）/社会网络评分（SNS）。老年抑郁量表（GDS）筛选抑郁症状，重新编码为：低评分（GDS评分）结果：在低抑郁症状（平均年龄77岁）中，与儿童会面的人抑郁症状减轻（β: -0.439, p = .007）；朋友（β: -0.288, p = 0.002）；与家人的亲密感(β: -0.232, p≤。001)和朋友（β: -0.217, p = 0.009）。在高抑郁症状组（平均年龄78岁）中，给孩子打电话可以减轻抑郁症状（β: -4.679, p = 0.002）；与儿童会面（β: -2.725, p = 0.018）。结论：在社区居住的老年人中，定期的社会支持可减少抑郁症状，其中最有意义的支持来自儿童和朋友。临床意义：将社会网络评估纳入常规的老年评估可以帮助识别发展或维持抑郁症状的高风险个体。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Gerontologist GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY-PSYCHIATRY

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

25.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinical Gerontologist presents original research, reviews, and clinical comments relevant to the needs of behavioral health professionals and all practitioners who work with older adults. Published in cooperation with Psychologists in Long Term Care, the journal is designed for psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors (family, pastoral, and vocational), and other health professionals who address behavioral health concerns found in later life, including: -adjustments to changing roles- issues related to diversity and aging- family caregiving- spirituality- cognitive and psychosocial assessment- depression, anxiety, and PTSD- Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders- long term care- behavioral medicine in aging- rehabilitation and education for older adults. Each issue provides insightful articles on current topics. Submissions are peer reviewed by content experts and selected for both scholarship and relevance to the practitioner to ensure that the articles are among the best in the field. Authors report original research and conceptual reviews. A unique column in Clinical Gerontologist is “Clinical Comments." This section features brief observations and specific suggestions from practitioners which avoid elaborate research designs or long reference lists. This section is a unique opportunity for you to learn about the valuable clinical work of your peers in a short, concise format.