Walking as a Mediator of the Relationship of Social Support With Vitality and Psychological Distress in Older Adults

Abstract

This study examined the mediating effect of walking on the relationship of social support with vitality and psychological distress. Data from a sample of 2,859 older adults were used. The older adults completed the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey vitality scale, the Global Health Questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and a social support attributes questionnaire. All social support variables were positively associated with vitality and negatively associated with psychological distress. Walking mediated the associations of appreciation for (3%) and frequency of (8%) social contacts, participation in group activities (19%), closeness from family and friends (8%), and concern from people around (6%) with vitality. Walking also mediated 33% of the association between participation in group activities and psychological distress. The main findings of this study suggest that participation in group activities, as part of social support, in later life is beneficial to improve older adults' vitality and reduces psychological distress, with walking being a strong mediator of these relationships.

Social Support and Physical Activity in Older Adults: Identifying Predictors Using Data From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

“…Further, the nature of social interactions can also influence physical activity (e.g., reason for interaction, type of support seeking). The positive association between social participation and physical activity is consistent with the literature on the general population of older adults (Benedetti et al, 2011;Carrapatoso et al, 2018), though this association was strongest for those not living alone. Older adults not living alone might participate more frequently in community-related activities than those living alone because of the presence of household members.…”

“…Frequency of contact with social network members appears to have a stronger association with physical activity when people connect in-person compared to on the telephone (Bertera, 2003), which might be the case for online communication too, since in-person contact is thought to provide opportunities for people to be active together. Older adults who interact with others through social activities outside the home are more active (Benedetti, Schwingel, & De Lucena Torres, 2011;Carrapatoso, Cardon, Van Dyck, Carvalho, & Gheysen, 2018).…”

Enhancing social support and subjective vitality among older adults through leisure education

“…The results were consistent with the findings of Carrapatoso et al (2018) and Searle et al (1995). Although the sample size of our study was small, the sample size in previous leisure education studies (Chang, 2014;Searle et al, 1995) was not significantly larger.…”

“…Social support has been observed to be positively correlated with subjective vitality among older adults (Carrapatoso et al, 2018). When social support increases, subjective vitality also increases.…”

“…For promoting subjective vitality, older adults pursue activities that satisfy social support need (Carrapatoso et al, 2018). Increasing social support satisfaction is an effective method for enhancing subjective vitality.…”