Functional Health, Social Support, and Morale of Older Women Living Alone in Appalachia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are relationships among functional health status, social support, and the level of morale of older women living alone. Structured in-home interviews were conducted with 60 women living alone in the central Appalachian area. Significant associations were found between functional health and the level of morale and between social support and morale, although not between functional health and social support. Both functional health and social support were signif~cantp redictors of morale. When age was introduced into the analysis, only age and social support retained si@cance as predictors of morale. These findings suggest that morale in older women living alone is higher when the level of perceived social support is greater, but that morale is threatened by age-associated decline in functional health.