Independent associations of apathy and depressive symptoms with perceived social support in healthy older adults

Abstract

Objective Apathy symptoms are common in healthy older adults and may manifest independently of depressive symptoms. Perceived social support is considered a protective factor against adverse health outcomes in aging. We investigated the differential associations of apathy and depressive symptoms with perceived social support in older adults. Method The sample (n = 295) included community dwelling healthy older adults. Apathy was assessed with the Apathy Evaluation Scale, depression with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and perceived social support with the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. Results Fully adjusted multiple linear regression revealed that, when jointly modeled as predictors, both apathy (standardized β= −0.214 p<.05) and depressive symptoms (standardized β= −0.157 p<.05) had significant negative associations with perceived social support. Discussion We provide the first evidence that apathy and depressive symptoms have independent associations with perceived social support in older adults.