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The unique and valuable support provided by mentoring and befriending
- Author:
- MULVIHILL Joe
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 15(1), March 2011, pp.34-37.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
With the UKs ageing population, and in conjunction with an overburdened NHS, this article argues the case for more mentoring and befriending projects to be set up to support older people with various levels of needs. The many benefits include reducing social isolation and helping with form filling. The article first presents an introduction to mentoring and befriending, along with some case study examples of projects in action. Then follows a discussion of some of the ways befriending can be used to support older people from a new report by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation. Finally, some implications for practice are outlined. Overall, the article concluded that befriending is an effective intervention in social care planning and should be adopted into packages of care and support for older people.
Reaping caregiver feelings of gain: the roles of socio-emotional support and mastery
- Authors:
- SHIRAI Yumi Shirai, KOERNER Susan Silverberg, KENYON DenYelle Baete
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(1), January 2009, pp.106-117.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Existing studies indicate that the presence of social support increases the likelihood of caregivers experiencing feelings of gain from caregiving; however, researchers have not yet investigated the mechanism through which social support is linked to caregiver feelings of gain. Informed by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the present study investigated whether a sense of caregiving mastery serves as a key mechanism. Sixty-three family caregivers of dependent elders completed surveys to assess caregiver feelings of gain, socio-emotional support (from family, friends, spouse/partner) and mastery. To evaluate the hypothesized mediation model, a series of structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were conducted with the maximum likelihood method by Lisrel 8.8. Socio-emotional support from family members was found to be an important resource for caregiver feelings of gain. SEM analyses further revealed that the mechanisms by which socio-emotional support influences caregiver feelings of gain vary depending on its source (i.e. family members, friends, and partners). As hypothesized, caregiving mastery played a mediating role for non-partner family socio-emotional support whereas it did not for partner socio-emotional support. Based on availability or absence of specific sources of support, caregiver intervention programs should be individually tailored to enhance their potential impact.
Social support and depression as risk factors for loss of physical function in late life
- Authors:
- HAYS J.C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 1(3), August 1997, pp.209-220.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Poor physical functioning in older people is a robust predictor of not only medical service use and institutionalisation but also mortality. This article assess whether depressive symptoms and low social support would predict deficits in three domains of physical function among community-dwelling older adults in North Carolina over one year. Results found that instrumental support and subjective social support protected elders against declines, and subjective social support buffered the detrimental effect of depression on risk of physical decline. Suggests that significant risk of functional impairment could be reduced among older people if coincidental depressive symptoms could be alleviated and/or deficits in their social environment remedied.
Multidimensional assessment of the elderly client
- Author:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Families in Society, 73(7), 1992, pp.395-406.
- Publisher:
- The Alliance for Children and Families
Covers physical health, mental health, social support, physical environment, functioning, coping styles and formal service usage, Discussion includes helpful assessment tests, relevant interviewing skills and co-operation with other professionals.
‘The own’ and ‘the wise’ as social support for older people living with HIV in the United Kingdom
- Authors:
- ROSENFELD Dana, ANDERSON Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 40(1), 2020, pp.188-204.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
As the HIV population ages, how the ageing and HIV experiences intersect to shape the lives of older people living with HIV (PLWH) becomes an increasingly pressing question. This multi-method study investigated social support, mental health and quality of life among 100 older PLWH in the United Kingdom. Drawing on data from three focus groups and 74 life-history interviews with older (aged 50+) White men who have sex with men (MSM), and Black African and White heterosexual men and women, living with HIV, the study explores participants’ distinctions between, evaluations of and access to sources of social support. Participants distinguished between support from the HIV-negative (Goffman's ‘the own’) and experientially based support from other PLWH (Goffman's ‘the wise’), and viewed the former, while valuable, as needing to be supplemented by the latter. Furthermore, access to experientially based support varied across participant groups, whose communities had different histories with HIV/AIDS and thus different degrees of knowledge about HIV and avenues for connecting to other PLWH. Thus, social support among older PLWH cannot be neatly divided into ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ domains, or fully appreciated by applying traditional social support measures, including, in the context of health conditions, ‘peer support’ created through formal service organisations. Rather, older PLWH's own distinctions and evaluations better illuminate the complexities of social support in the context of ageing with HIV. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social network types and mental health among LGBT older adults
- Authors:
- KIM Hyun-Jun, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 57(Suppl 1), 2017, pp.S84-S94.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Purpose of the Study: This study was designed to identify social network types among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults and examine the relationship between social network type and mental health. Design and Methods: We analyzed the 2014 survey data of LGBT adults aged 50 and older (N = 2,450) from Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study. Latent profile analyses were conducted to identify clusters of social network ties based on 11 indicators. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the association between social network types and mental health. Results: We found five social network types. Ordered from greatest to least access to family, friend, and other non-family network ties, they were diverse, diverse/no children, immediate family-focused, friend-centered/restricted, and fully restricted. The friend-centered/restricted (33%) and diverse/no children network types (31%) were the most prevalent. Among individuals with the friend-centered/restricted type, access to social networks was limited to friends, and across both types children were not present. The least prevalent type was the fully restricted network type (6%). Social network type was significantly associated with mental health, after controlling for background characteristics and total social network size; those with the fully restricted type showed the poorest mental health. Implications: Unique social network types (diverse/no children and friend-centered/restricted) emerge among LGBT older adults. Moreover, individuals with fully restricted social networks are at particular risk due to heightened health needs and limited social resources. This study highlights the importance of understanding heterogeneous social relations and developing tailored interventions to promote social connectedness and mental health in LGBT older adults. (Publisher abstract)
Perceived social support and mental health states in a clinic-based sample of older HIV positive adults
- Authors:
- KAPADIA Farzana, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of HIV/AIDS and Social Services, 15(4), 2016, pp.417-427.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Despite a high prevalence of mental health problems in older, HIV+ adults (aged ≥ 50), few studies have examined the relationship between perceived social support and mental health burdens in this group. In a clinic-based sample of 100 adults, 23% and 29% met criteria for one and more than one mental health burden, respectively. In multivariable binary logistic models, perceived receipt of positive and emotional social support as well as overall support was inversely associated with the presence of mental health burdens. There is a need for additional investigation of how social support can help mitigate mental health burdens among HIV+ older adults. (Publisher abstract)
Social ties and psychological well-being in late life: the mediating role of relationship satisfaction
- Author:
- FULLER-IGLESIAS Heather R.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(12), 2015, pp.1103-1112.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objective: The current paper examines whether quantitative aspects of social support (i.e., support network characteristics) indirectly influence psychological well-being via older adults' qualitative perceptions of support (i.e., satisfaction with social relationships). Methods: A sample of 416 adults aged ≥60 was drawn from the Social Integration and Aging Study, a community-based survey conducted in a small US (Midwestern) city. The survey assessed social networks, social support, and physical and mental health among older adults. Results: Bootstrapping was used to examine mediation models. Greater support network size predicted lower perceived stress, fewer depressive symptoms, and better life satisfaction, yet this association was fully mediated by relationship satisfaction. For support network composition, greater proportion kin was associated with lower stress and better life satisfaction, though not depressive symptoms, however, relationship satisfaction did not mediate this link. Discussion: Findings highlight the complex interplay of support network characteristics and satisfaction, and suggest the greater import of support satisfaction for older adults' psychological well-being. (Publisher abstract)
The relation between social network site usage and loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling older adults
- Authors:
- AARTS S., PEEK S.T.M., WOUTERS E.J.M.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(9), 2015, pp.942-949.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: This study aimed to examine whether and how social network sites usage is related to loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling older adults. Method: The study population included community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and over residing in the Netherlands (n = 626). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses, adjusted for potentially important confounders, were conducted in order to investigate the relation between social network sites usage and (emotional and social) loneliness and mental health. Results: More than half of the individuals (56.2%) reported to use social network sites at least several times per week. Social network sites usage appeared unrelated to loneliness in general, and to emotional and social loneliness in particular. Social network sites usage also appeared unrelated to mental health. Several significant associations between related factors and the outcomes at hand were detected. Conclusion: In this sample, which was representative for the Dutch population, social network sites usage was unrelated to loneliness and/or mental health. The results indicate that a simple association between social network site usage and loneliness and mental health as such, cannot automatically be assumed in community-dwelling older adults. (Edited publisher abstract)
What prevents old people living alone from feeling lonely? Findings from the KORA-Age-study
- Authors:
- ZEBHAUSER A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(9), 2015, pp.773-780.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Living alone in later life is an important risk factor of loneliness for elderly people unless they have resources to compensate for that. The aim of this investigation was to identify these resources. Method: Data were drawn from the population-based KORA-Age-study (KOoperativen Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg) conducted in the Region of Augsburg, Germany in 2008/2009 with 1079 elderly men and women (64–94 years). Loneliness was measured by the short version of the UCLA-Loneliness-Scale in a face-to-face interview. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify associations between loneliness and potential protecting resources. Results: A total of 346 (32%) subjects reported to be living alone, among them 70% (n = 241) expressed no feelings of loneliness. Participants with a stable social network had a fourfold higher chance and with the absence of depression a threefold higher chance of not feeling lonely. Physical or mental resources were not correlated with lower levels of loneliness. Conclusion: Absence of depression and a functioning social network are the most important protecting resources against loneliness for elderly people living alone, while income, level of education and age-related limitations have no impact. These findings should be considered when supporting the elderly in successful ageing. (Edited publisher abstract)