School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Jan 31;16(3):410. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16030410.
This study aimed to identify social network types among older adults in rural China, to explore the relationship between social network types and the health of the older adults, and further, to examine the mediating role of social support in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey method was employed to investigate the health of adults aged 60 or older in rural areas of Hubei Province from 5 September 2018 to 15 October 2018; 405 samples were obtained. First, using -means clustering analysis, we found five robust network types: diverse, restricted, family, friends and a specific type-family-restricted. Second, the results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that social network types were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and self-rated health in older adults. Older people with diverse friend networks were significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, whereas those with restricted and family-restricted networks were significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of self-rated health. Finally, the results of multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that social support partially mediated the association of the identified social network types with depressive symptoms and self-rated health. Enriching the social network relationships of older adults and providing them with more social support should be conducive to promoting their mental and physical health.
本研究旨在识别中国农村老年人的社会网络类型，探讨社会网络类型与老年人健康之间的关系，并进一步检验社会支持在这一关系中的中介作用。采用横断面调查方法，于 2018 年 9 月 5 日至 10 月 15 日调查了湖北省农村地区 60 岁及以上成年人的健康状况，共获得 405 个样本。首先，采用 -means 聚类分析，我们发现了五种稳健的网络类型：多样化、限制、家庭、朋友和特定类型-家庭限制。其次，多元线性回归分析结果表明，社会网络类型与老年人的抑郁症状和自评健康显著相关。拥有多样化朋友网络的老年人抑郁症状显著较低，而限制和家庭限制网络的老年人抑郁症状显著较高，自评健康水平显著较低。最后，多元线性回归分析结果证实，社会支持部分中介了所识别的社会网络类型与抑郁症状和自评健康之间的关系。丰富老年人的社会网络关系并为其提供更多的社会支持，有助于促进他们的身心健康。
