THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM NETWORKS ON THE QUALITY OF LIVES OF ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS IN AMUWO-ODOFIN COMMUNITY OF LAGOS STATE
Abstract
This study explores the social support networks accessible to elderly individuals in the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria, and their influence on their well-being. As global aging populations expand, understanding the role of social connections in enhancing the quality of life for elderly residents becomes increasingly crucial. Employing a cross-sectional survey design and simple random sampling, the study selected 387 elderly participants from Amuwo-Odofin, using questionnaires for data collection. The results reveal a high level of family support networks among respondents (mean = 1.73, SD = 0.44). Conversely, community-based support networks showed limited impact on well-being (mean = 1.60, SD = 0.48). Quantitative surveys assessed the types and extent of social support received from family, friends, neighbors, and community organizations, alongside perceived quality of life across physical health, mental well-being, and social engagement. Findings highlight the importance of robust social support networks in enhancing the quality of life for elderly individuals in Amuwo-Odofin. Strong interpersonal connections, marked by reciprocity, emotional closeness, and practical assistance, emerged as significant contributors to well-being. However, the study identifies areas for improvement, such as reducing social isolation, expanding access to support services, and promoting community engagement among older adults. This research underscores the critical role of social support networks in fostering the well-being of elderly residents in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos State. By understanding and leveraging existing support structures, policymakers, community organizations, and healthcare professionals can collaborate to develop tailored interventions that address the diverse needs of older adults and enhance their overall quality of life.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Alnazly, E., Khraisat, O. M., Al-Bashaireh, A. M., & Bryant, C. L. (2021). Anxiety, depression, stress, fear, and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic among Jordanian healthcare workers. PLoS ONE, 16(2), e0247679. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247679
Alsubaie, M. M., Stain, H. J., Webster, L. A. D., & Wadman, R. (2019). The role of sources of social support on depression and quality of life for university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 24(4), 484–496. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1568887
Alwajud-Adewusi, M. B. (2020). Analysis of support systems of elderly persons in Lagos State, Nigeria. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth, 12(1), 9–19. http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/cjfy/article/view/42861
Awick, E. A., Ehlers, D. K., Aguiñaga, S., Daugherty, A. M., Kramer, A. F., & McAuley, E. (2017). Effects of a randomized exercise trial on physical activity, psychological distress, and quality of life in older adults. General Hospital Psychiatry, 49, 44–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.06.005
Balsamo, M., Cataldi, F., Carlucci, L., & Fairfield, B. (2018). Assessment of anxiety in older adults: A review of self-report measures. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 13, 573–593. https://doi.org/10.2147/cia.s114100
Beckner, V., Howard, I., Vella, L., & Mohr, D. C. (2010). Telephone-administered psychotherapy for depression in MS patients: Moderating role of social support. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 33(1), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-009-9254-2
Beedie, A., & Kennedy, P. (2002). Quality of social support predicts hopelessness and depression post spinal cord injury. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 9(3), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016328911857
Bekiros, S., Jahanshahi, H., & Munoz-Pacheco, J. M. (2022). A new buffering theory of social support and psychological stress. PLoS ONE, 17(11), e0275364. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275364
Berkman, L. F. (2000). Social support, social networks, social cohesion, and health. Social Work in Health Care, 31(2), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1300/J010v31n02_01
Brown, A., Smith, B., & Johnson, C. (2017). The impact of social support networks on the quality of life of elderly individuals. Journal of Gerontology, 42(3), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/42.3.145
Bunt, S., Steverink, N., Olthof, J., van der Schans, C. P., & Hobbelen, J. S. M. (2017). Social frailty in older adults: A scoping review. European Journal of Ageing, 14(3), 323–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-017-0414-7
C.W. Norazman, S.N. Adznam, & R. Jamaluddin. (2020). Malnutrition as a key predictor of physical frailty among Malaysian older adults. Nutrients, 12(8), 2263. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082263
Chen, L., Alston, M., & Guo, W. (2019). The influence of social support on loneliness and depression among older elderly people in China: Coping styles as mediators. Journal of Community Psychology, 47(5), 1235–1245. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22185
Shen, T., Li, D., Hu, Z., Li, J., & Wei, X. (2022). The impact of social support on the quality of life among older adults in China: An empirical study based on the 2020 CFPS. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 914707. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.914707
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310
Davidson, E. J., Taylor, C. T., Ayers, C. R., Quach, N. E., Tu, X. M., & Lee, E. E. (2022). The relationship between loneliness and positive affect in older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(6), 678–685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2021.11.002
Deng, D. S., & Tang, J. L. (2021). Life satisfaction of the elderly and its influencing factors: Based on CHARLS 2018 data. Theory Monthly, 12, 116–124. https://doi.org/10.14180/j.cnki.1004-0544.2021.12.013
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2020). World population ageing 2020 highlights. United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/files/documents/2020/Sep/un_pop_2020_pf_ageing_10_key_messages.pdf
Domènech-Abella, J., Mundó, J., Haro, J. M., & Rubio-Valera, M. (2019). Anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social network in the elderly: Longitudinal associations from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Journal of Affective Disorders, 246, 82–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.086
Donovan, N. J., Locascio, J. J., Marshall, G. A., Gatchel, J. R., Hanseeuw, B., Rentz, D. M., Johnson, K. A., & Sperling, R. A. (2018). Longitudinal association of amyloid beta and anxious-depressive symptoms in cognitively normal older adults. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(6), 530–537. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17040442
E., PhD. (2023, September 18). The different types of social support. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/types-of-social-support-3144960
Hoogendijk, E. O., Afilalo, J., Ensrud, K. E., Kowal, P., Onder, G., & Fried, L. P. (2019). Frailty: Implications for clinical practice and public health. Lancet, 394(10206), 1365–1375. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31773-0
Ebimgbo, S. O., & Okoye, U. O. (2021). Aging in Nigeria. In Science across cultures (pp. 13–26). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76501-9_2
Ebrahimi, B., Hosseini, M., & Vahid Rashedi. (2018, December 30). The relationship between social support and death anxiety among the elderly. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330005015_The_Relationship_between_Social_Support_and_Death_Anxiety_among_the_Elderly
Frisch, M. B., Cornell, J., Villanueva, M., & Retzlaff, P. J. (1992). Clinical validation of the Quality of Life Inventory: A measure of life satisfaction for use in treatment planning and outcome assessment. Psychological Assessment, 4(1), 92–101. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.4.1.92
Frisch, M. B. (1994). Test manual and treatment guide for the QOLI (Quality of Life Inventory). Pearson Assessments.
Grainger, S. A., Crawford, J. D., Riches, J. C., Kochan, N. A., Chander, R. J., Mather, K. A., Sachdev, P. S., & Henry, J. D. (2022). Aging is associated with multidirectional changes in social cognition: Findings from an adult life-span sample ranging from 18 to 101 years. Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac110
Haber, M. G., Cohen, J. L., Lucas, T., & Baltes, B. B. (2007). The relationship between self-reported received and perceived social support: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39(1–2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9110-8
Hayes, G. S., McLennan, S. N., Henry, J. D., Phillips, L. H., Terrett, G., Rendell, P. G., Pelly, R. M., & Labuschagne, I. (2020). Task characteristics influence facial emotion recognition age-effects: A meta-analytic review. Psychology and Aging, 35(2), 295–315. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000441
Henry, J. D., von Hippel, W., Molenberghs, P., Lee, T., & Sachdev, P. S. (2016). Clinical assessment of social cognitive function in neurological disorders. Nature Reviews Neurology, 12(1), 28–39. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2015.229
Hong, T. R., Cheng, W. H., Cheng, L. J., Lau, Y., & Lau, S. T. (2023). Global prevalence of social isolation among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 107, 104904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2022.104904
Ifdil, I., Fadli, R. P., Suranata, K., Zola, N., & Ardi, Z. (2020). Online mental health services in Indonesia during the COVID-19 outbreak. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 51, 102153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102153
Kim, J., & Lee, J. E. (2018). Social support and health-related quality of life among elderly individuals living alone in South Korea: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Nursing Research, 26(4), 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000275
Li, J., Zhao, D., Dong, B., Yu, D., Ren, Q., Chen, Q., Qin, P., Bi, Y., & Sun, Y. (2018). Frailty index and its associations with self-neglect, social support, and sociodemographic characteristics among older adults in rural China. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 18(7), 987–996. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.13412
Jones, D., & Williams, E. (2019). Negative effects of social support from friends on the well-being of elderly individuals. Social Psychology Quarterly, 28(4), 321–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/019027250020280403
Anantapong, K., Wiwattanaworaset, P., & Sriplung, H. (2020). Association between social support and frailty among older people with depressive disorders. Clinical Gerontologist, 43(4), 400–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2020.1751434
Aronson, L. (2020). Healthy aging across the stages of old age. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 36(3), 549–558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2020.03.007
Bailly, L., d'Arripe-Longueville, F., Fabre, R., Emile, M., Valbousquet, J., Ferré, N., Colson, S., & Pradier, C. (2018). Impact of improved urban environment and coaching on physical condition and quality of life in elderly women: A controlled study. European Journal of Public Health, 28(2), 253–258. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckx186
Chu, W. M., Ho, H. E., Yeh, C. J., Tsan, Y. T., Lee, S. H., & Lee, M. C. (2021). Late-career unemployment and risk of frailty among older adults in Taiwan: An 8-year population-based cohort study. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 21(4), 353–358. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.14020
Coughlan, D., Glynn, L., & Kennelly, B. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland: An overview of the health service and economic policy response. Health Policy and Technology, 9(4), 419–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlpt.2020.08.021
Freak-Poli, R., Ryan, J., Neumann, J. T., Tonkin, A., Reid, C. M., Woods, R. L., Nelson, M. R., Stocks, N. P., Berk, M., McNeil, J. J., & Owen, A. J. (2019). Social isolation, social support, and loneliness as predictors of cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 26(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487318816660
Huang, J., Wang, Y., Zhang, H., & Ding, M. (2020). The impact of social support on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Adolescence, 67, 514–518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.001
Kovalenko, O., & Spivak, L. M. (2018). Psychological well-being of elderly people: The social factors. ResearchGate; Siauliai University. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329781029_PSYCHOLOGICAL_WELL-BEING_OF_ELDERLY_PEOPLE_THE_SOCIAL_FACTORS
Labrague, L. J. (2021). Psychological resilience, coping behaviours and social support among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of quantitative studies. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(6), 1893–1905. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13336
Lee, S., & Cheong, C. H. (2018). Effect of the physical environment on the health-related quality of life of the low-income Korean elderly population. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 47(12), 1865–1873. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v47i12.2270
Liu, Y., Meng, H., Tu, N., & Liu, D. (2021). The relationship between health literacy, social support, depression, and frailty among community-dwelling older patients with hypertension and diabetes in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 748619. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.748619
Ma, L., Sun, F., & Tang, Z. (2018). Social frailty is associated with physical functioning, cognition, and depression, and predicts mortality. Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 22(8), 989–995. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-018-1054-0
Matud, M. P., García, M. C., & Fortes, D. (2019). Relevance of gender and social support in self-rated health and life satisfaction in elderly Spanish people. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(12), 2266. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122266
McKay, K. T., Talipski, L. A., Grainger, S. A., Alister, M., & Henry, J. D. (2022). How does ageing affect social attention? A test of competing theories using multi-level meta-analysis. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 77(8), 1454–1463. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac052
Mehta, M., Louissaint, J., Parikh, N. S., Long, M. T., & Tapper, E. B. (2021). Cognitive function, sarcopenia, and inflammation are strongly associated with frailty: A Framingham cohort study. The American Journal of Medicine, 134(12), 1530-1538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.06.010
Mohd, T., Yunus, F. M., Hairi, F. M., Naqiah Hairi, N., & Choo, W. Y. (2019). Social support and depression among community dwelling older adults in Asia: A systematic review. BMJ Open, 9(7), e026667. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026667
Oyinlola, O. (2016). Effect of social support systems on the psychosocial well-being of the elderly in old people's homes in Ibadan. Research Gate; OMICS Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310388658_Effect_of_Social_Support_Systems_on_the_Psychosocial_Well-Being_of_the_Elderly_in_Old_People_s_Homes_in_Ibadan
Padmanabhanunni, A., Pretorius, T. B., & Isaacs, S. A. (2023). We are not islands: The role of social support in the relationship between perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and psychological distress. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3179. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043179
Petrescu-Prahova, M., Osterhage, K., Taylor, J. O., Painter, I., Choi, Y., & Turner, A. M. (2020). Older adult health-related support networks: Implications for the design of digital communication tools. Innovative Aging, 4(3), igaa020. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa020
Qi, M., Zhou, S.-J., Guo, Z.-C., Zhang, L.-G., Min, H.-J., Li, X.-M., & Chen, J.-X. (2020). The effect of social support on mental health in Chinese adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(5), 514–518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.001
Richmond, C. M., Ross, N. A., & Egeland, G. M. (2007). Social support and thriving health: A new approach to understanding the health of Indigenous Canadians. American Journal of Public Health, 97(10), 1827–1833. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.091042
Rintala, D. H., Young, M. E., Hart, K. A., Clearman, R. R., & Fuhrer, M. J. (1992). Social support and the well-being of persons with spinal cord injury living in the community. Rehabilitation Psychology, 37(3), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0079106
Role of perceived social support on depression and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2020). Psychiatry Research, 293, 113452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113452
Schaefer, C., Coyne, J. C., & Lazarus, R. S. (1981). The health-related functions of social support. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(4), 381–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00848730
Schulder, T., Rudenstine, S., Bhatt, K. J., McNeal, K., Ettman, C. K., & Galea, S. (2022). A multilevel approach to social support as a determinant of mental health during COVID-19. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22832
Saucedo, P. (2023). How integrated community care enhances the well-being of seniors. Integrated Care Communities. Retrieved from https://icarecommunities.com/how-integrated-community-care-enhances-the-well-being-of-seniors-2/priority_high
Shmuel, S., Lund, J. L., Alvarez, C., Hsu, C. D., Palta, P., Kucharska-Newton, A., Jordan, J. M., Nelson, A. E., & Golightly, Y. M. (2019). Polypharmacy and incident frailty in a longitudinal community-based cohort study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(12), 2482–2489. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16052
Song, E., & Yoo, H. J. (2020). Impact of social support and social trust on public viral risk response: A COVID-19 survey study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6589. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186589
Sun, Q., Wang, Y., Lü, N., & Lyu, S. (2022). Intergenerational support and depressive symptoms among older adults in rural China: The moderating roles of age, living alone, and chronic diseases. BMC Geriatrics, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02738-1
Unsar, S., Erol, O., & Sut, N. (2009). Social support and quality of life in older adults. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 20(S12), S12. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0953-6205(09)60031-5
Wang, L., Yang, L., Di, X., & Dai, X. (2020). Family support, multidimensional health, and living satisfaction among the elderly: A case from Shaanxi Province, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8434. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228434
Yamada, M., & Arai, H. (2018). Social frailty predicts incident disability and mortality among community-dwelling Japanese older adults. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 19(12), 1099–1103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2018.09.013
Yon, Y. Y., Mikton, C. R., Gassoumis, Z. D., & Wilber, K. H. (2017). Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Global Health, 5(2), e147–e156. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30006-2
Zhang, C., & Han, H. (2022). Urban-rural differences: The impact of social support on the use of multiple healthcare services for older people. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 851616. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.851616
Zhao, G., Li, X., Fang, X., Zhao, J., Hong, Y., Lin, X., & Stanton, B. (2011). Functions and sources of perceived social support among children affected by HIV/AIDS in China. AIDS Care, 23(6), 671–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2010.507752
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
ISSN: 3026-9474 (Online)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.