Does gender matter to promote mental health through community engagement among older adults?
Aging Ment Health
; 26(1): 186-195, 2022 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33280429
ABSTRACT
Objectives:
Community engagement is critical for healthy aging. However, how gender plays a role in mental health promotion of late life is less understood. The study objectives were to examine the association between community engagement and mental health and the effect of gender on this association in older adults.Methods:
A door-to-door interviewer-administered survey was conducted with 497 older adults in a public housing town in Singapore. The survey used measures of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Community Integration Measure (CIM), FRAIL Index, Lubben Social Network, and community participation. Multiple regressions were conducted for psychological distress and social dysfunction, assessed by GHQ-12. After testing the main effects, the moderating effects of gender were explored in the regression models.Results:
None of the demographic characteristics, except gender, was associated with psychological distress; men reported poorer mental health than women. In regressions, female, community attachment (assessed by CIM), and participation were associated with decreased psychological distress; social networks and community participation were associated with decreased social dysfunction. Interaction effects of gender and community participation were found in psychological distress, not social dysfunction. The reduction of psychological distress by community engagement was higher among males than females.Conclusions:
The findings suggest that, besides the importance of community engagement on mental health among older adults, greater efforts should be placed on the development of gender-tailored community interventions for older adults to maximize its benefits.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Saúde Mental
/
Angústia Psicológica
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Aging Ment Health
Assunto da revista:
GERIATRIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Singapura