Oncology Department, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, Sichuan, China.
Nephrology Department, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, Sichuan, China.
Front Public Health. 2024 Feb 21;12:1351953. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1351953. eCollection 2024.
To investigate the connection between social support (SS) and successful aging (SA) in older adults residing in nursing homes, examining the mediating role of meaning in life (MIL). Additionally, this study aims to assess whether frailty moderates the mediation model.
A cross-sectional survey approach was employed to recruit older adults from six nursing homes in Sichuan Province between August 2022 and December 2022. Questionnaires, including the General Information Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), and Successful Aging Inventory (SAI), were administered. Data obtained from the completed questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS and its macro program PROCESS.
SS emerged as a noteworthy positive predictor of SA in older adults of nursing homes. MIL was identified as a partial mediator in the link between SS and SA. Furthermore, frailty attenuated the positive predictive impact of MIL on SA and moderated the latter part of the mediation model, wherein SS influences SA through MIL. The influence of MIL on SA was more pronounced in older adults with lower frailty levels in nursing homes, while it was diminished in those with higher levels of frailty.
Apart from ensuring the availability of essential medical resources in long-term care for older adults, workers in nursing homes should also recognize the significance of "spiritual aging" to cultivate a sense of MIL among older adults. Simultaneously, attention must be directed toward screening for frailty indicators in older adults. Psychological care and physical exercise programs should be intensified for older adults with a high level of frailty, aiming to decelerate the progression of frailty in nursing home residents. This approach leverages the mediating role of MIL and the moderating influence of frailty, ultimately enhancing SA and promoting healthy aging in older adults within nursing home settings.
探讨养老院老年人社会支持（SS）与成功老龄化（SA）的关系，检验生活意义（MIL）的中介作用。此外，本研究旨在评估脆弱性是否调节中介模型。
采用横断面调查方法，于 2022 年 8 月至 2022 年 12 月在四川省六家养老院招募老年人。使用一般信息问卷、社会支持评定量表（SSRS）、生活意义问卷（MLQ）、蒂尔堡脆弱性指标（TFI）和成功老龄化量表（SAI）对老年人进行问卷调查。使用 SPSS 和其宏程序 PROCESS 对完成的问卷数据进行分析。
SS 是养老院老年人 SA 的显著正向预测因素。MIL 被确定为 SS 和 SA 之间关系的部分中介。此外，脆弱性削弱了 MIL 对 SA 的正向预测影响，并调节了中介模型的后一部分，即 SS 通过 MIL 影响 SA。在养老院中，MIL 对 SA 的影响在脆弱程度较低的老年人中更为明显，而在脆弱程度较高的老年人中则减弱。
除了确保养老院老年人长期护理中基本医疗资源的供应外，养老院工作人员还应认识到“精神老龄化”的重要性，培养老年人的 MIL 感。同时，必须关注老年人脆弱性指标的筛查。应加强对脆弱程度较高的老年人进行心理护理和身体锻炼计划，以减缓养老院居民脆弱性的发展。这种方法利用了 MIL 的中介作用和脆弱性的调节作用，最终提高了养老院老年人的 SA 并促进了他们的健康老龄化。
