The impact of social support and sense of coherence on health-related quality of life among nursing home residents—A questionnaire survey in Bergen, Norway

Received 3 January 2008; received in revised form 9 July 2008; accepted 10 July 2008.

Abstract

Background and objectives

Few studies have examined the association between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among nursing home residents and whether the sense of coherence (SOC) modifies the effect of social support on health-related quality of life. The main aims of this study were to determine the relationship between social support and HRQOL and to investigate whether the SOC modifies the effect of social support on HRQOL.

Design

A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design.

Settings

All 30 nursing homes in Bergen in western Norway.

Participants

Two hundred and twenty-seven mentally intact long-term nursing home residents 65 years and older.

Methods

Data were obtained through face-to-face interviews using the SF-36 Health Survey, Social Provisions Scale and Sense of Coherence Scale. Possible relationships between the Social Provisions Scale and the eight SF-36 subdimensions were analysed using multiple linear regression while controlling for age, sex, marital status, education and comorbid illness. Interactions between the Sense of Coherence Scale and Social Provisions Scale were investigated.

Results

Attachment affected the mental health subdimension (p=0.001), opportunity for nurturance affected social functioning (p=0.003) and reassurance of worth affected vitality (p=0.001) after adjustment for demographic variables and comorbid illness. After the analysis included the sense of coherence, nurturance still significantly affected social functioning and reassurance of worth still significantly affected vitality. No interaction with sense of coherence was found, and sense of coherence significantly affected all SF-36 subdimensions.

Conclusions

The opportunity to provide nurturance for others appears to be important for social functioning, and sense of competence and sense of self-esteem appear to be important for vitality. Further, the residents’ relationships with significant others comprise an important component of mental health. Finally, independent of the level of sense of coherence, social support is an important resource for better health-related quality of life. Clinical nurses should recognize that social support is associated with health-related quality of life and pay attention to the importance of social support for the residents in daily practice.

Keywords: Social support, Older people, Well-being, Residential care, Health-related quality of life, Sense of coherence, Nursing home

a Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bergen University College, Haugeveien 28, N-5005 Bergen, Norway

b Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, N-5018 Bergen, Norway

c Section for Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, N-5018 Bergen, Norway

d Centre for Clinical Research, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway

e Section for Geriatric Medicine, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, N-5018 Bergen, Norway

f NKS Olaviken Hospital for Old Age Psychiatry, N-5306 Erdal, Norway

Corresponding author at: Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bergen University College, Haugeveien 28, N-5005 Bergen, Norway. Tel.: +47 55 585589; fax: +47 55 585556.

1 Tel.: +47 55 58 61 88; fax: +47 55 58 61 30.

2 Tel.: +47 55 97 55 34; fax: +47 55 97 60 88.

3 Tel.: +47 55 58 55 56; fax: +47 55 90 00 11.

4 Tel.: +47 55 31 23 11; fax: +47 55 58 61 30.

5 Tel.: +47 56 15 10 00; fax: +47 56 15 10 01.

PII: S0020-7489(08)00181-8

doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.07.005

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