Intergenerational Support and Social Networks as Associated Factors of Late-Life Depression: Unpacking the Mediating Underlying Pathways of Aging Attitudes.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the underlying pathways through which intergenerational support, social networks, and attitudes toward aging relate to variations in depressive status in older adults.

METHODS

A stratified cluster sampling method was used. A total of 1157 older adults from 5 communities in Hengyang City were surveyed using the Intergenerational Support Scale, Lubben Social Network Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Attitudes Toward Aging Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Different types of intergenerational support and social networks were found to have significant positive correlations with attitudes toward aging, with correlation coefficients ranging from r=0.115 to 0.181 (P<0.01). Upward intergenerational support was positively associated with depression (r=0.264, P<0.01), while downward intergenerational support, two-way emotional support, family networks, and friend networks were all negatively correlated with depression, with r values spanning from -0.355 to -0.198 (P<0.01). Attitudes toward aging were identified as a partial mediator in the relationships between two-way emotional support, family networks, and depression. The estimated mediating effect size was 0.017 (95% CI: 0.005-0.039) for the two-way emotional support pathway, and -0.031 (95% CI: -0.069 to -0.011) for the family network pathway.

CONCLUSION

Two-way emotional support and family network can not only directly reduce depressive symptoms in older adults but also mitigate depressive symptoms indirectly by fostering more positive attitudes toward aging.