Social Engagement and Partner Support as Associations of Stress Among the Elderly: Implications for Community Nursing Practice
TL;DR
Greater social engagement and stronger spousal support were independently associated with lower stress levels among community-dwelling older adults, which support the integration of psychosocial health promotion, particularly strategies that encourage social participation and strengthen family support, into community nursing practice to promote healthy aging and psychological well-being.
Abstract
Background: Psychological stress is common among older adults because of declining social participation and reduced emotional support. Although social engagement and spousal support are recognized as important psychosocial resources, evidence regarding their combined influence on stress among community-dwelling older adults in rural settings remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining these relationships in a rural Indonesian community. Objectives: To examine the associations of social engagement and spousal support with stress levels among the elderly in Sombano Village, Indonesia, and to determine their combined contribution to stress. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 older adults aged ≥60 years selected using purposive sampling. Social engagement was assessed using the Social Engagement and Activities Questionnaire (SEAQ), perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and spousal support was evaluated using the Spousal Support Scale among participants with a living spouse. Data were analyzed using Spearman's rho correlation and multiple linear regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Social engagement was negatively correlated with stress (rₛ = −0.642, p < 0.001), and spousal support also showed a significant negative correlation with stress (rₛ = −0.587, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that the overall model was statistically significant (F(2,97) = 67.98, p < 0.001), explaining 58.4% of the variance in stress levels (R² = 0.584; adjusted R² = 0.575). Social engagement emerged as the stronger predictor of stress (β = −0.428, 95% CI: −0.66 to −0.19), followed by spousal support (β = −0.337, 95% CI: −0.56 to −0.11). Conclusion: Greater social engagement and stronger spousal support were independently associated with lower stress levels among community-dwelling older adults. These findings support the integration of psychosocial health promotion, particularly strategies that encourage social participation and strengthen family support, into community nursing practice to promote healthy aging and psychological well-being.