在我國老化人口的趨勢下,社會照顧成本的議題受到重視,為減緩可能的社會照顧成本,各界致力於尋求各種方式以降低衝擊,而老人心理健康為一可能的介入途徑。社會支持可減緩壓力對個人的影響、增加生活的適應能力、維持運動習慣,以及照顧服務等,對生理或心理的維護及提昇皆有所幫助。本研究主要探討增強老人的社會支持,是否能提昇心理健康及生理健康狀況,若社會支持助有顯著影響,則其影響過程為何? 本研究以行政院國家科學委員會的2010年「台灣社會變遷基本調查計畫」的結果進行Baron & Kenny (1986)所提出的中介變數的檢定程序,檢視老人生理健康是否為社會支持與心理健康的中介變數。階層迴歸模型及線性結構模型的分析結果顯示,社會支持正向且顯著地影響心理健康及生理健康,而生理健康為社會支持對心理健康的中介變數。社會支持對老人具有實質幫助,除可提昇生理健康狀態外,也可以促進心理健康。
Under the trend of aging population, the issue of caring cost for the elderly catches the attention in Taiwan. The government and researches try to find the solution to alleviate the impact of aging population. The psychological health could be the one of the solutions. According to the related studies, social support could alleviate the impact of stress, improve the adaptation capability, maintain the exercise routines and provide the caring services. This study investigates that whether social support enhance the condition of physical and psychological health. The data base of 2010 Taiwan Social Change Survey was adopted to test the mediating effect proposed by Baron & Kenny (1986). The empirical results revealed that social support significantly and positively affected the physical and psychological health, respectively. Furthermore, the physical health is the mediating variable in the relationship between psychological health and social support. Social support is vital and effective part to enhance the physical and psychology health for Taiwanese elderly.