Depressive mood mediates the influence of social support on health-related quality of life in elderly, multimorbid patients.
BACKGROUND
It is not well established how psychosocial factors like social support and depression affect health-related quality of life in multimorbid and elderly patients. We investigated whether depressive mood mediates the influence of social support on health-related quality of life.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data of 3,189 multimorbid patients from the baseline assessment of the German MultiCare cohort study were used. Mediation was tested using the approach described by Baron and Kenny based on multiple linear regression, and controlling for socioeconomic variables and burden of multimorbidity.


RESULTS
Mediation analyses confirmed that depressive mood mediates the influence of social support on health-related quality of life (Sobel's p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression showed that the influence of depressive mood (β = -0.341, p < 0.01) on health-related quality of life is greater than the influence of multimorbidity (β = -0.234, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Social support influences health-related quality of life, but this association is strongly mediated by depressive mood. Depression should be taken into consideration in research on multimorbidity, and clinicians should be aware of its importance when caring for multimorbid patients.


BACKGROUND
ISRCTN89818205.
Felix S
FS
Wicke
Corina
C
Güthlin
Karola
K
Mergenthal
Jochen
J
Gensichen
Christin
C
Löffler
Horst
H
Bickel
Wolfgang
W
Maier
Steffi G
SG
Riedel-Heller
Siegfried
S
Weyerer
Birgitt
B
Wiese
Hans-Helmut
HH
König
Gerhard
G
Schön
Heike
H
Hansen
Hendrik
H
van den Bussche
Martin
M
Scherer
Institute of General Practice, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. dahlhaus@allgemeinmedizin.uni-frankfurt.de.
Anne
A
Dahlhaus
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005858:Germany; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires