Department of Sociology, Duke University, Box 90088, Durham, NC 27708-0088, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2010 May;65B(3):351-7. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbp113. Epub 2009 Dec 22.
OBJECTIVES. This study examines the separate effects of several dimensions of giving and receiving social support on the well-being of older adults, with hypotheses guided by identity theory.
Data derive from the Social Networks in Adult Life survey, a national probability sample of older adults (N = 689). Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine the impact of total support, size of support network, number of types of support, and types of alter support relationships-both given and received-on well-being.
Providing support to others is beneficial to older adults' well-being, as illustrated in the relatively strong, positive associations of total support given, the number of types of support given, and support given to friends and children on well-being. Receiving support was less important to well-being except when received from a spouse or sibling.
Evidence from this analysis provides support for hypotheses predicted by identity theory, highlights the importance of examining giving and receiving support net of the other, and suggests that it is often better for the well-being of older adults to give than to receive.
目的。本研究通过身份理论的假设，检验了给予和接受社会支持的几个维度对老年人福祉的单独影响。
数据来自成年生活社会网络调查，这是一项针对老年人的全国概率抽样调查（N=689）。采用普通最小二乘法回归分析，检验了总支持、支持网络规模、支持类型数量以及给予和接受的支持关系类型对幸福感的影响。
向他人提供支持对老年人的幸福感有益，这体现在给予的总支持、给予的支持类型数量以及给予朋友和孩子的支持与幸福感之间相对较强且积极的关联上。接受支持对幸福感的重要性较小，但从配偶或兄弟姐妹那里接受支持除外。
本分析的证据支持身份理论预测的假设，强调了在不考虑其他因素的情况下，分别检验给予和接受支持的重要性，并表明对于老年人的幸福感来说，给予通常比接受更好。
