Social Support and Social Strain Sources as Predictors of Multimorbidity Changes in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Abstract

Objectives

This study examines whether social strain and support from various sources are associated with accumulation of chronic conditions in older adults.

Methods

Growth mixture modeling was used to investigate which network sources of support and strain were related to morbidity accumulation over 12 years among 5,321 individuals over age 50 in the Health and Retirement Study.

Results

Higher overall social support—comfort provided by others—was associated with a greater likelihood of belonging to the low morbidity trajectory class versus the high and increasing morbidity classes, but overall social strain—tense or conflictual interactions—was not. The source of support/strain mattered, and support from children was a more consistent predictor of trajectory classes than support from other sources.

Discussion

The importance of social support, particularly from children, suggests that psychosocial interventions could be developed and tailored to the children of older adults to promote healthier aging.