It's all in how you view it: Pessimism, social relations, and life satisfaction in older adults with osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objectives-Current treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) continue to leave those burdened by the condition with pain and disability which affects physical and psychological well-being. The present study examines other psychosocial factors, such as dispositional personality and social relationships, in order to investigate their influence on the well-being of 160 older adults with OA (80% women).Method-Older adults were recruited for self-reported knee or hip OA. Participants completed selfreport measures of optimism and pessimism, social support, social strain, and life satisfaction using the computer program MediaLab. Measures were taken twice 9-12 months apart.Results-Results showed that, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, pessimism was related to lower social support and higher social strain. In addition, pessimism was mediated by social support in its relationship to life satisfaction.Discussion-Our models support the combined roles of pessimism and social support influencing life satisfaction over time. Future interventions may want to concentrate on improving the social relationships of people with OA to enhance psychological well-being.

Sense of coherence and pain experience in older age

“…As Lee and Owens (2002) concede, male stereotypes seem to deter men to engage in health-related subjects, which seem to be especially true for older generations of men. However, in contrast to findings of other researchers (Evers et al, 2003;Ferreira and Sherman, 2007;Luger et al, 2009;Motl et al, 2009;Chan et al, 2012), social support turned out to be unrelated with pain, at least on a bivariate level. On a bivariate level, we found that the number of chronic conditions, psychological resources, and sense of coherence were associated with pain.…”

Assessment of Social Support and Its Association to Depression, Self-Perceived Health and Chronic Diseases in Elderly Individuals Residing in an Area of Poverty and Social Vulnerability in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil

“…SS may reduce stress and mitigate the negative effects of the disease, including depression, resulting in greater satisfaction with life and better ability to cope with osteoarthritis. Luger et al used the MOS and demonstrated that SS was related to well-being in patients with osteoarthritis [58]. They also suggested the increase in social relationships as part of the therapeutic strategy.…”

Social Support as Mediator of the Stress Buffering Effect of Optimism: The Importance of Differentiating the Recipients’ and Providers’ Perspective

“…Fontaine & Seal, 1997; Hulbert & Morrison, 2006; Segerstrom, 2007). Importantly, there is substantial evidence that both quantitative and qualitative aspects of social support partly mediate the relationship between optimism and positive health outcomes (Abend & Williamson, 2002; Brissette et al, 2002; Dougall, Hyman, Hayward, McFeeley, & Baum, 2001; Luger, Cotter, & Sherman, 2009; Shen, McCreary, & Myers, 2004; Trunzo & Pinto, 2003; Wimberly, Carver, & Antoni, 2008).…”