# The influence of social support on active aging in chronic disease patients among older adults: mediating role of coping strategies

## TL;DR

This study shows how social support helps older adults with chronic diseases age actively, partly by encouraging them to adopt effective coping strategies.

## Contribution

The novel finding is that coping strategies partially mediate the relationship between social support and active aging in this population.

## Key findings

- Social support is directly and positively linked to active aging (r = 0.422, p < 0.01).
- Medical coping styles partially mediate the relationship between social support and active aging.
- Confrontation coping style has a significant positive effect on active aging (β = 0.474, p < 0.001).

## Abstract

Active aging is pivotal for addressing population aging. Older adults chronic disease patients face greater active aging challenges, and while social support and coping strategies correlate with it, their mediating mechanism in this population remains underverified. This study investigated the effect of social support on the level of active aging among older adults with chronic diseases and further examined whether coping styles play a mediating role in this relationship.

Between August 2024 and May 2025, patients were surveyed using the Chinese versions of the Active Aging Scale, the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, and the Social Support Questionnaire. In addition, demographic information was collected, and statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate the data. Correlation analyses and mediation effect tests were performed using SPSS 25.0 and Amos 24.0, respectively.

The results showed that social support was significantly and positively associated with both active aging (r = 0.422, p < 0.01) and medical coping styles (r = 0.408, p < 0.01). In addition, medical coping styles were strongly and positively correlated with active aging (r = 0.485, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis further demonstrated that medical coping styles partially mediated the relationship between social support and active aging. Specifically, the direct effect of social support accounted for 71.72% of the total effect, whereas the indirect effect transmitted through coping styles explained the remaining 28.28%. Among the coping dimensions, the confrontation coping style exerted a significant positive influence on active aging (β = 0.474, p < 0.001).

Social support contributes to higher levels of active aging among older adults with chronic diseases through both direct and indirect pathways. In addition to its direct influence, social support indirectly promotes active aging by encouraging patients to adopt a confrontation-oriented coping style. These findings indicate that coping style functions as a key mediating mechanism linking social support to active aging in older adults individuals with chronic conditions.