| Summary: | 碩士 === 中山醫學大學 === 護理研究所 === 102 === Introduction：With improving medical services and extended life span, the older adult population has also increased. Although the older adults can live longer, it does not mean that they will live happier nor will be more satisfied with their quality of life. Therefore, more attention has been placed on the health related issues among older adults in Taiwan. Disability could speedy the process of aging, it could also influence physiological and psychological health as well as the quality of life among older adults. Previous studies confirmed that social support has a protective effect and can buffer damages brought from disabilities to prevent physical and mental illness among older adults. The aim of this study was to explore effects of social support on the change of instrumental activities of daily living function among older adults in Taiwan.
Methods：This study was based on a longitudinal study design. The study data obtained from the data bank of “Survey of Health and Living Status of the Middle Aged and Elderly in Taiwan”, which had been conducted in 1996 and 1999 by the Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health. The study population was 60 years old or more in Taiwan. The independent variable of this study was social support, which consisted of received instrumental social support, received emotional social support, provided instrumental social support, and provided emotional social support. The dependent variable was Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. The controlled variables were demographic characteristics, physical, and mental factors. Data was analyzed by using SPSS/PC 19.0 software package. Descriptive statistics, which included frequency distribution, percentages, means, and standard values of demographic characteristics were examined. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to measure inferential statistics.
Results：The total number of observations was 1,880.The average age of the study population was 68.21years. The results found that Instrumental Activities of Daily Living function was significantly influenced by age, educational levels, chronic diseases, received instrumental social support, and engagement membership for men. In addition, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living function was significantly influenced by age, educational level, and chronic diseases for women. However, no significant difference was found between social support variables and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, which was inconsistent with the results for men.
Conclusions：The results of this study concluded that receiving instrumental social support and engagement in membership have protective effects on Instrumental Activities of Daily Living for elderly. But in females, all social support variables did not present significantly with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. This study results can enhance social support and provide instrumental support for the elderly, in prolonging disability caused by aging, to promote a better quality of life and to achieve successful aging.
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