Tl. Bisconti et Cs. Bergeman, Perceived social control as a mediator of the relationships among social support, psychological well-being, and perceived health, GERONTOLOGI, 39(1), 1999, pp. 94-103
The purpose of the present study was to delineate the process by which soci
al support facilitates better health outcomes in older adulthood. In order
to best understand the process behind the support-outcome relationship, an
aspect of perceived control specific to the social domain was hypothesized
to mediate the said relationship. Measures of social support included quant
ity of support from family and friends and the perceived satisfaction with
that support. Outcome measures included depression, life satisfaction, and
self-reported perceived physical health. Based on previous research, the hy
pothesized model of control serving as a mediator was tested against two al
ternative hypotheses including an examination of control as a moderator of
the support-outcome relationship as well as support as a mediator of the co
ntrol-outcome relationship. Results indicated that perceived control mediat
es the support-outcome relationship in two independent samples, each compri
sed of approximately 250 adults older than 65, primarily Caucasian and func
tioning independently, illustrating the strong replicative nature of the fi
ndings. This examination begins to illuminate the process by which social s
upport may facilitate well-being in older adulthood by focusing on the inte
rnal structures that may play a crucial role in the utilization of the soci
al support.