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

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 beta= -0.214 p<.05) and depressive symptoms (standardized beta= -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.

Automated summary

The study revealed independent negative associations of apathy and depressive symptoms with perceived social support in older adults, indicating the importance of addressing both types of symptoms in maintaining social support for healthy aging.