THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SOCIAL SUPPORT AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG ELDERS IN RURAL EAST CHINA

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SOCIAL SUPPORT AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG ELDERS IN RURAL EAST CHINA J. Liang, J. Xue, X. Tao, W. Weng, B. Cui, J. Wang, Y. Jiang, S. Chen, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China This study aims to investigate the cognitive function of elders who live in rural areas of East China and studied the relationship between different subtypes of social support and cognitive function. Two hundred and twenty-two elders aged 60 years or more were randomly selected from 9 villages of Jiande County. The assessment package included: General Characteristics Questionnaire, PHQ-9 (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire), DSSI (Duke Social Support Index), and MMSE (Mini-mental State Examination). The analysis methods included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The final sample included 218 participants, and 57 of them may have potential cognitive problems. Results showed that the education level, residential arrangement, and daily activities frequency may have positive relationships with cognitive function(p≤0.05). Age, the depressive symptoms presence, and overall scores of social support were negatively associated with cognitive function(p≤0.05). In the logistic regression, the best fit model indicated that elders reported more perceived social support were more likely to maintain good cognitive function. This study found the social support’s positive effect on buffering the decline of cognitive function in elders of rural East China, especially perceived social support. The positive connection between perceived social support and cognitive function indicates the importance of social support intervention approach in rural China. Further study will explore the protective effect of perceived social support in other areas, such as Midwest China, and the methods to prevent the abnormal cognitive decline in the regards of psychosocial factors for promoting healthy aging in rural China.