Activities of Daily Living, Depression, and Social Support Among Elderly Turkish People

The authors examined the effects of activities of daily living (ADL) and perceived social support on the level of depression among elderly Turkish people. Participants were 102 adults older than the age of 60 years. The authors hypothesized that (a) lower levels of ADL would predict a higher level of depression, (b) a higher level of perceived social support would predict a lower level of depression, and (c) perceived social support would moderate the relation between ADL and depression. Although hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not yield a significant effect for an ADL-perceived social support interaction, ADL and perceived social support significantly predicted depression among elderly people. Thus, perceived social support did not moderate the relation between ADL and depression among elderly people; however, higher ADL functioning and higher perceived social support predicted lower depression. The nonsignificant effect of an ADL-perceived social support interaction on the level of depression among elderly people was incongruent with the stress-buffering model (S. Cohen & T. A. Willis, 1985). The authors discuss the strengths, limitations, and possible implications of the findings.