The Association Between Social Support and the Quality of Life of Older Adults in China: The Mediating Effect of Loneliness.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Quality of life, social support, and loneliness are common problems among older adults in China , but the relationships among these issues have not been clearly identified. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to determine the relationships among Quality of life, social support, and loneliness. METHODS: A total of 560 older adults were randomly selected , the social support rating scale (SSRS), University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale, and Short-Form 12 (SF-12) were employed to measure their degree of social support, level of loneliness, and quality of life. RESULTS: The average physical component summary (PCS) score was 49.97±16.33, and the average mental component summary (MCS) score was 47.26±11.49. Loneliness plays a partial mediating role between social support and quality of life. CONCLUSION: Loneliness and a lack of social support will affect the quality of life of the older adults. Thus, we need to urgently strengthen the care and support for the older adults and alleviate the loneliness of the older adults in the community.