title: Social engagement in older residents of assisted living facilities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As a core component of successful aging, social engagement is widely known to play an important role in promoting the health and well-being of older populations. Given the unique nature of assisted living facility (ALF) settings, the present study made a distinction between social engagement within and outside the facility and explored how these two types of social engagement would interact with functional disability in predicting depressive symptoms of older residents in ALFs. We hypothesized that the positive impact of social engagement within the facility would be greater among residents with higher levels of functional disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from 150 ALF residents in Florida (Mage = 82.8, SD = 9.41), the direct and moderating effects of functional disability and the two types of social engagement on depressive symptoms were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Supporting the hypothesis, the interaction between functional disability and social engagement within the facility was found to be significant. The finding demonstrates the particular importance of social engagement within the facility for those with reduced physical function. For them, the limited but available opportunities for social activities and interpersonal contacts within the facility seem to bring substantial psychological benefits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings call attention to efforts to promote social activities and interpersonal contacts within ALFs.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Work , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Nan Sook
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Delilah Dylan
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Molinari
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
keywords: assisted living facilities; depressive symptoms; functional disability; social engagement