Frailty, social support, and subjective well-being in older Mexican adults

The present study analyzed whether social support is a mediator of the relationship between frailty and subjective well-being in older adults. A non-probability sample of 1949 older adults (67.9% women and 32.1% men) with a mean age of 68.5 years (DE=5.58) was selected. The Subjective Well-Being Scale EBS-8 was used; in addition, a scale to assess social support designed specifically for this study was administered, a questionnaire that allows older adults to be classified into clinical levels of frailty was also used, and a sociodemographic questionnaire was employed. The results showed significant correlation coefficients between subjective well-being and frailty and between subjective well-being and social support; in addition, a significant indirect effect of frailty on subjective well-being through social support was found, confirming the relevance of social support in older adults.