Social Support and Depressive Symptoms among Trauma-Impacted Older Adults

Abstract

Purpose: The present study investigates the association between social support and depressive symptomatology among older adults who have been impacted by trauma. Previous studies have not sufficiently explored this topic to date. Method: The current study analyzed public-use data from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (N = 4,195), focusing specifically on community-dwelling older adults (> 50). They had at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Results: This study found that higher levels of social support were significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms after controlling for life satisfaction, age, gender, race, ethnicity, and education.. Discussion and Conclusion:The recent emergence of traumainformed research has consistently emphasized the importance of social interaction for mental health. The current study shows that social support can reduce depressive symptoms of those who have experienced trauma.

Stressful Life Events and Chinese Older People Depression: Moderating Role of Social Support

“…Stress diminishes when events occurred at a more distant point in time. In contrast, lifetime traumatic events have been shown to have long-term impacts on physical and mental health (14,49,50). Indeed, events occurring earlier are still associated with late-life depression (20).…”

Association between self-reported oral health and life satisfaction among China's migrant elderly following children: The mediating effect of social support

“…Social support is associated with health ( 10 , 28 ). Inadequate social support has been associated with poor health outcomes and illnesses such as depression ( 34 ). The lack of social support has also been associated with poor dental health, such as low dental function and anterior open bite ( 35 ).…”