%0 Journal Article
%T Comparing the Support-Efficacy Model among Centenarians Living in Private Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, and Nursing Homes
%A G. Kevin Randall
%A Peter Martin
%A Maurice MacDonald
%A Jennifer Margrett
%A Alex J. Bishop
%A Leonard W. Poon
%J Journal of Aging Research
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.4061/2011/280727
%X We investigated the influence of social relations on health outcomes in very late life by examining the support-efficacy convoy model among older adults who resided in three different residential environments (centenarians in private homes, ; centenarians in assisted living facilities, ; centenarians in nursing homes, ). For each group, path analytic models were employed to test our hypotheses; analyses controlled for sex, mental status, education, perceived economic sufficiency, and activities of daily living. The hypothesized relationships among the models' variables were unique to each of the three groups; three different models fit the data depending upon residential environment. The direct and indirect effects of social relations assessments were positive for the mental and physical health of very old adults, suggesting that participants welcomed the support. However, residential status moderated the associations between the assessments of social relations, self-efficacy, and both outcomes, physical and mental health. 1. Introduction For older adults, the important relationship between social resources and physical and mental health outcomes is well established [1¨C5]. However, as the proportion of oldest-old adults in the USA increases, particularly centenarians, and more research attention is given to their study [6, 7], theoretically driven investigations of resources necessary for adaptation to changes associated with advanced age are required [8, 9]. Levitt [10] reviewed work focusing on social development across the life span and recommended the social convoy model as a general or unifying model. In addition, Seeman and Crimmins [11] conducted a review focusing on the effects of the social environment on health and aging from the perspective of both epidemiology and demography. Based on their extensive literature review, including the early work of Antonucci and Jackson [12], they posited a biopsychosocial model of health and aging that included the influence of structural and functional assessments of social relationships on physical and mental health outcomes through psychological characteristics such as self-efficacy. Recently, Antonucci et al. outlined suggested modifications of the original convoy model of social support based on two decades of empirical and theoretical studies (see Figure 1; [13]). Their social support-efficacy model posits a specific mediator, self-efficacy, through which social relations influence health outcomes. In addition, Antonucci et al., as well as Seeman and Crimmins [11], emphasized that situational or
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2011/280727/