changes in depressive symptoms among older adults with multiple chronic conditions role of positive and negative social .抑郁症状的变化与多种慢性疾病在老年人积极和消极社会支持的作用.pdf

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Changes in Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions: Role of Positive and Negative Social Support SangNam Ahn 1,2, *, Seonghoon Kim 3 and Hongmei Zhang 4 1 Division of Health Systems Management and Policy, School of Public Health, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA 2 Department of Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Texas AM University, College Station, TX 77843, USA 3 School of Economics, Singapore Management University, Singapore 178903, Singapore; seonghoonkim@.sg 4 Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA; hzhang6@ * Correspondence: sahn@; Tel.: +1-901-678-5688 Academic Editors: Marcia G. Ory and Matthew Lee Smith Received: 19 September 2016; Accepted: 19 December 2016; Published: 26 December 2016 Abstract: Depression severely affects older adults in the United States. As part of the social environment, significant social support was suggested to ameliorate depression among older adults. We investigate how varying forms of social support moderate depressive symptomatology among older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Data were analyzed using a sample of 11,400 adults, aged 65 years or older, from the 2006–2012 Health and Retirement Study. The current study investigated the moderating effects of positive or negative social support from spouse, children, other family, and friends on the association between MCC and depression. A linear mixed model with repeated measures was used to estimate the effect of MCC on depression and its interactions with positive and negative social support in explaining depression among older adults. Varying forms of so