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Abstract
BackgroundWe examined the association between a decline in effectance and social participation (SP) from the perspective of the number and the type of SP in a prospective cohort study.MethodsIncluded in this analysis were community-dwelling elderly aged ≥65 without dependency on the basic activities of daily living and reporting a perfect baseline effectance score (n = 4,588; mean age 72.8±5.7). SP was categorized into 5 types: neighborhood associations, hobby groups, local event groups, senior citizen clubs, and volunteer groups. Effectance was evaluated using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. Using logistic regression analysis, odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) for a decline in effectance were calculated. Age, family, BMI, pensions, medical history, medications, alcohol, smoking, cognitive function, depression, social support, ADL, and IADL were used as covariates.ResultsDuring the 3-year follow-up, 17.8% of eligible participants reported a decline in effectance. After adjustment for covariates, participation in various groups was associated with the preservation of effectance for both genders. Regarding the type of SP, among females, participation in neighborhood associations (OR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.48–0.81), hobby groups (0.58, 0.43–0.77), local event groups (0.63, 0.47–0.86), and volunteer groups (0.53, 0.35–0.82) was inversely associated with a decline in effectance. Among males, the beneficial effect was more likely limited to hobby groups (0.59, 0.43–0.81) and volunteer groups (0.57, 0.39–0.83).ConclusionsOur results suggest that participation in a variety of social groups is effective for maintenance of older people’s effectance, while the beneficial effect of each type of SP on effectance is stronger for females than for males. Recommending community-dwelling elderly to participate in social groups appropriate for their gender may be effective for successful aging.
Highlights
The World Health Organization has proposed autonomy in functional capacity as a proxy of health for the elderly [1]
Our results suggest that participation in a variety of social groups is effective for maintenance of older people’s effectance, while the beneficial effect of each type of social participation (SP) on PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone
Social Participation and Effectance Decline effectance is stronger for females than for males
Summary
The World Health Organization has proposed autonomy in functional capacity as a proxy of health for the elderly [1]. Lawton developed a hierarchical model of competence comprising seven sublevels: life maintenance, functional health, perception and cognition, physical self-maintenance (corresponding to activities of daily living; ADL), instrumental self-maintenance (corresponding to instrumental activities of daily living; IADL), effectance, and social role [2]. The TMIG-IC was designed to measure three higher-level functional capacities. Higher-level competence, which indicates a higher-level functional capacity above basic ADL, corresponds to the 5th, 6th, and 7th sublevels of Lawton’s hierarchical model. Among the three sublevels of higher-level functional capacity, effectance represents the motivation behind human needs to create tension, explore, and vary the environmental psychological field, such as having an interest in health-related information through the mass media [2]. Since maintaining the ability of effectance can prevent future deterioration in cognitive function and IADL, it is imperative to identify the modifiable protective factors for effectance in elderly adults.
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