The Relations of Social Support and Perceived Stress to Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults

Quality of life is of great consequence with an aging population. Prior research has shown that social support and stress can have significant impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), particularly for older adults with chronic illness. The current study advanced the literature by addressing the relations of functional social support and perceived stress to HRQoL in relatively healthy older adults. Participants were 137 community-dwelling, adults with no major, self-reported chronic illness (Mean age = 55 years, 53% male; 84% White). It was hypothesized that both lower levels of self-reported social support and higher levels of self-reported perceived stress would be associated with lower ratings of self-reported mental and physical HRQoL (after accounting for relevant covariates). Stress buffering effects were also explored. Results revealed that there were no significant relations of social support, perceived stress, or their interaction to physical HRQoL. However, lower social support scores and higher perceived stress scores predicted significantly lower ratings of mental HRQoL (p's < .05). There was no significant interaction of perceived stress and overall social support for mental HRQoL. In regards to the four social support subscales: there were no significant findings for belonging support; higher tangible support was associated with significantly better mental HRQoL (p < .05); and the deleterious relations of stress on mental HRQoL were significantly attenuated by appraisal support and self-esteem support (p's < .05). Overall, results indicate that various aspects of social support display important direct and stress-buffering relationships to mental HRQoL. Mechanistic and intervention research is needed to further elucidate these issues through additional longitudinal and experimental designs with a diverse population of older adults. Interventions focused on social relationships and stress management may offer a promising way to enhance quality of life in older adults