[Stress and social support in relation to psychological distress in community-residing elderly persons in Montreal].
Our aim was to quantify the degree of association that selected psycho-social and health variables have with psychological distress in the elderly. In order to estimate the level of association, data previously obtained from the "Enquêre Santé Québec" (1987) were entered into a multiple regression analysis with psychological distress as the dependent variable. The independent variables retained were: age, sex, language, physical health, functional health, health status perception, social integration, perceived social support and stress. The scores contained in the data bank were from a representative sample of subjects (n = 361, age = 72.7 +/- 6.3) living in the Montreal area. The results of the regression analysis indicated that psychological distress is significantly related (adjusted R2 = 0.256; p = .000) to the following variables: the interaction "stress events X perceived social support", physical health, functional health and sex. The results of the present study consequently support previous reports relating psychological distress to physical health, social support, stress and sex with a predominant effect on women. Finally, the results give further support to the "buffering effect" of social support on stress.
Villeneuve
L
L
Département de Santé Communautaire, Hôpital Sainte-Justine, Montréal, Québec.
Lebel
P
P
Lambert
J
J
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011792:Quebec; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological
Importance du stress et du support social comme variables associées à la détresse psychologique dans une population âgée de la région de Montréal.