title: Social relations and depressive symptomatology: self-efficacy as a mediator.
abstract: This study investigates general and social self-efficacy as possible mediators of the relationship between quantity and quality of social relations and depressive symptomatology. Mediation models were examined using a regionally representative sample of middle-aged (35-59) and older adults (60+). Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for age, race, sex, education, health, and family composition, revealed partial mediation for several social relations predictor variables. Whereas general self-efficacy acted as a partial mediator for only middle-aged adults, social self-efficacy was a partial mediator between social relations and depressive symptomatology only among older adults. Findings suggest that self-efficacy may function as a mechanism through which social relations influence depressive symptoms, and that the importance of this mechanism as domain-specific or domain-general may vary with age.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2321, USA.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Fiori
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McIlvane
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Antonucci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors