Receiving social support from diverse helpers: associations with quality of life

More older adults now live in non-family-based households, even as the provision of support to older adults within the domestic setting becomes more salient. This study examines the determinants of having non-immediate family or non-coresident helpers in older adults' received social support ne...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ang, Shannon, Suen, Johan
Other Authors: School of Social Sciences
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170346
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:More older adults now live in non-family-based households, even as the provision of support to older adults within the domestic setting becomes more salient. This study examines the determinants of having non-immediate family or non-coresident helpers in older adults' received social support networks, and its associations with quality of life. Data were from a nationally representative study of Singaporeans aged 60 and above (N = 2248) who did not live alone. Findings show that those who received help solely from persons other than their spouse or child report a lower quality of life compared to other kinds of networks. However, those who had more non-coresident helpers than co-resident helpers experienced a higher quality of life compared to those who relied mainly on co-resident helpers. We suggest that policymakers should consider supporting a wider range of informal social support arrangements and providers, as networks of received social support become increasingly diverse.