Association between social support from adult children and successful aging among older adults in Jinan, China: A cross sectional study

OBJECTIVE: To explore the current status of successful aging (SA) and its associations with support provided by adult children among older adults in Jinan, China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled older adults (age > 60 years) of 10 communities across Jinan between January 2021 and December 2022. Data were collected using successful aging inventory (SAI), the accepting support scale (SSA) and bringing support scale (SSB). Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were employed. RESULTS: A total of 197 older adults were included. The average SAI scores were 51.39 ± 0.552. Both SSA and SSB scores were significantly positively correlated with SA scores (all p < 0.01, r = 0.507 and 0.359, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the dimensions of accepting emotional support (p = 0.001), accepting material support (p = 0.001) and bringing service support (p = 0.028) were independently associated with SA score. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults had moderate degrees of SA in Jinan. Accepting emotional support, accepting material support and bringing service support were significantly associated with SA. The results of the study may provide a reference for parents and children to develop care plans, new ideas for policy makers and caregivers to conduct geriatric care education and health maintenance.