Paper
Monday, November 5, 2007
517
Self-Assessment of Family Support among Older Adults
Elizabeth Kay Tanner, PhD, RN, School of Nursing and Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| Learning Objective #1: 1. Differentiate the concepts of social support, social isolation, loneliness and depression.
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| Learning Objective #2: 2. Explain the relevance and psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Family Support Scale. |
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Social support, social isolation and loneliness are important concerns among an aging population. Social support, often measuring social contacts in quantitative terms, includes instrumental and informational support, as well as affective support and perceptions of adequacy and is linked to negative health outcomes. Loneliness, an incongruence between an actual social network and desire for social contacts, is associated with depression (Cacioppo, 2000). Thus, it is important to understand the relationship between the related concepts of social support, social isolation, loneliness and depression in this high-risk older population. Precise instruments to differentiate these concepts are needed. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument for measuring perceptions of family support in older adults with chronic diseases and functional limitations living in the community. Associations between co-morbidity, functional limitations, self-assessed family support, social contacts/isolation, loneliness and depression were analyzed. Psychometric properties of the instrument are discussed. Methods: A 13-item instrument, the Perceptions of Family Support Satisfaction Scale (FSSS) was developed and administered to 467 community-dwelling adults ≥ 60. Results: Factor analysis indicated that a two-factor solution accounted for 53.8% of the variance in the FSSS items. Men and women did not differ on scores, and social isolation was not correlated significantly. High levels of internal consistency were observed in the instrument. Moderate inverse correlations were found between perceived family support, depression and loneliness. Discussion: The FSSS, a brief instrument, is simple to administer and yields reliable scores of perceived family support. An instrument for determining satisfaction with available support is important as the number of older adults with disabilities living in the community rises. Interpreting the meaning of this association and discussing the transdisciplinary public health implications is imperative so that interventions may be developed to facilitate fulfillment of expectations among disabled older adults and concomitant prognostic outcomes.