The Association between Social Support and Quality of Life among the Elderly People with Chronic Illnesses in the Rural Community

Abstract

Purpose: In the recent decade, elderly people who live longer tends to have chronic diseases that interfere negatively with the quality of their lives, that is why those elderly are in need of social support in order to improve their quality of life. In apropos, one of the main goals of Healthy People 2020 is to enhance the quality and lengthen the years of healthy life of older people by providing social support. The present study was aimed to examine the association between social support and quality of life among the elderly people with chronic illnesses in the rural community.

Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive design was carried out to describe the social support dimensions and quality of life domains, and a correlational design was conducted to examine the association between social support and quality of life among the elderly people with chronic illnesses in the rural community. Study sample: A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 185 elderly persons who are eligible for inclusion criteria to participate in this research. Research Setting: The data were collected from May, 2017 to August, 2017. This study was conducted in the rural community during home visits where the study sample of the elderly participants was recruited from their homes in Shebin Al-Kom capital city, Menuofiya Governorate, Egypt. Tools: Face to face interview questionnaire was conducted which included four instruments I. Socio-demographic characteristics; II. Interpersonal Social Support Evaluation List (ISEL); III. World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL); and IV. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).

Results: The result of this study indicates that social support was significantly correlated with age, gender, marital status, levels of education, patterns of living arrangement, and types of family. Meanwhile, there is no statistical significant correlation between social support and severity of the co - morbid condition. Correlation coefficient analysis showed that a positive correlation between social support and quality of life where the older participant group who perceived more social support had better quality of life compared to the group who are not perceived social support. Older adult participants who categorized in the current study as young-old group (60-74 yr.), male, married, highly educated, and who are living with their family, particularly elderly who are living with the extended family, they are more experience to perceived social support which contributing positively to have a better quality of life compared to the elderly people who are not perceived social support.

Conclusion and Recommendations: Social support is a contributing factor to enhance quality of life among the older adult participants. Therefore, this study recommended that all the health care providers, particularly the nurses to perform a careful investigation of older adults through review of factors that might be directly affected social support and may have influence on their quality of life. Hence the professional nurse can play an important part in recognizing the elderly adults who may potentially be experiencing loss of social support and need a referral for providing a social support to avoid deterioration of the quality of their lives.