Improvement of social support in empty-nest elderly: results from an intervention study based on the Self-Mutual-Group model

Abstract

Background China has the world’s largest elderly population and an increasing number of empty-nest elderly. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Self-Mutual-Group model on social support of the empty-nest elderly, thus providing reference for improving their quality of life. Methods A intervention study was conducted between October 2016 and May 2017 at six communities in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. A total of 350 empty-nest elderly aged 60–88 years were randomly assigned in the intervention group (n = 167) with a 7-month SMG-based intervention or to a control group (n = 183) with no intervention. The social support of the participating elderly (n = 350) was assessed by the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) at the baseline and 7 months later, respectively. Results A 7-month follow-up showed an increasing mean scores of SSRS, objective support, subjective support and support utilization of the intervention group, and reached statistical significance (P < 0.05). Conclusions The Self-Mutual-Group model was considered to be a positive intervention and was effective in increasing social support among the empty-nest elderly. Furthermore, future research should extend the intervention period and introduce multi-point measurement to better evaluate the intervention process and outcomes. Trial registration Study on the ‘SMG’ Health Management Model Based on Community Organization Theory among empty-nest elderly (ChiCTR1800015884).

The association between health-promoting-lifestyles, and socioeconomic, family relationships, social support, health-related quality of life among older adults in china: a cross sectional study

“… Social support The Social Support Rating Scale was used to measure the social support of the participants. It consists of 10 items with a total score ranging from 12 to 66; a higher score indicates a higher level of social support [ 19 ]. The Cronbach’s α of this scale was 0.94.…”

Seeking medical services among rural empty-nest elderly in China: a qualitative study

“…Our research findings also indicate that, the emotional insecurity could due mainly to the absence of the companionship of their adult children, which was not touched on by previous studies. Influenced by Confucian culture, Chinese elderly people have a close emotional connection with their children, namely, they tend to have a high degree of emotional dependence on their children [ 62 , 63 ]. Thus, children’s homeleaving in Chinese culture could be seen as a breakup of family ties, which may cause considerable anxiety for their own elderly parents [ 64 , 65 ].…”

“…This has not been reported in previous studies. Since the social networks of rural empty-nest elderly consists mainly of blood relatives, neighbors and village doctors, they could reach out to a very small number of people when help is needed [ 73 ]. It is clear that the existing social network is not favorable for them to seek medical services.…”

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“…The government should pay more attention to community social support-health promotion programs (broad coverage of health services, sense of coherence, maintaining healthy lifestyles and extensive social communication). [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] Only when these social policies are based on family functions and demands can they provide effective help to members of society, particularly regarding the family's responsibilities in raising children and supporting the elderly. 62 Modern family acts like the Greek god Proteus: change the status to cope with the crisis and the straits by creating psychosocial ways of adaption.…”