Lahti Anna-Maria, Mikkola Tuija, Tirkkonen Anna, Eriksson Johan G, von Bonsdorff Mikaela
Gerontology Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, PO box 35, 40014, Finland.
Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, Helsinki, 00250, Finland.
Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025 May 28;37(1):173. doi: 10.1007/s40520-025-03077-6.
Although links between social factors, psychological characteristics and functioning have been established, interactions between social vulnerability and psychological characteristics impacting later-life functioning remain unclear. We investigated whether social vulnerability is associated with physical and emotional functioning and with the change in functioning over 5 years. Further, we studied whether optimism and self-efficacy moderate these associations.
Physical and emotional functioning were measured in 2015 and 2020 using the SF-36 Health Survey in participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study data (n = 1153, mean age 74y). Social vulnerability comprised several self-reported and register-based social indicators. We used linear mixed models to analyse the associations between social vulnerability and physical and emotional functioning, the change in functioning, and the moderating effects of optimism and self-efficacy.
Social vulnerability was inversely associated with the level of physical (β =-2.71, p < 0.001) and emotional functioning (β =-2.55, p < 0.001), as well as with the changes in physical functioning over the 5-year follow-up (β =-1.09, p = 0.003), but not with the decline in emotional functioning. Optimism and self-efficacy served as moderators by buffering the negative association of social vulnerability on emotional functioning, but not physical functioning. Optimism or self-efficacy did not moderate the change in physical or emotional functioning.
By impacting social vulnerability we may be able to promote functioning in older age. Social and psychological characteristics need to be acknowledged when planning effective health interventions and services for older adults.
尽管社会因素、心理特征与功能之间的联系已经确立，但社会脆弱性与影响晚年功能的心理特征之间的相互作用仍不明确。我们调查了社会脆弱性是否与身体和情感功能以及5年内功能的变化有关。此外，我们研究了乐观主义和自我效能感是否会调节这些关联。
使用SF-36健康调查对赫尔辛基出生队列研究数据中的参与者（n = 1153，平均年龄74岁）在2015年和2020年的身体和情感功能进行测量。社会脆弱性包括几个自我报告和基于登记的社会指标。我们使用线性混合模型来分析社会脆弱性与身体和情感功能、功能变化以及乐观主义和自我效能感的调节作用之间的关联。
社会脆弱性与身体功能水平（β = -2.71，p < 0.001）和情感功能水平（β = -2.55，p < 0.001）呈负相关，并且与5年随访期间身体功能的变化（β = -1.09，p = 0.003）呈负相关，但与情感功能的下降无关。乐观主义和自我效能感通过缓冲社会脆弱性对情感功能的负面关联起到调节作用，但对身体功能不起作用。乐观主义或自我效能感并未调节身体或情感功能的变化。
通过影响社会脆弱性，我们或许能够促进老年人的功能。在为老年人规划有效的健康干预措施和服务时，需要考虑社会和心理特征。
