SOCIAL SUPPORT AND DEPRESSION RELATED TO OLDER ADULTS’ HYPERTENSION CONTROL IN RURAL CHINA

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to investigate association between social support and hypertension (HTN) control in rural China older adults, and to what extent depression mediates this relationship. The authors hypothesized that depression severity mediated the relationship between social support and HTN control. Methods Data for the analyses were obtained from baseline data from a randomized controlled clinical trial of a collaborative depression care management intervention conducted in rural villages of China, with older adults with comorbid depression and HTN. Data included baseline assessments of 2,351 subjects aged 60 years and older, whose blood pressure and depression severity were measured using a calibrated manual sphygmomanometer and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), respectively. Social support was measured using the 20-item Medical Outcomes Study–Social Support Survey. Results Uncontrolled HTN was associated with older age (t[df = 2349] = 3.16; p Conclusion These findings imply that social support impacts HTN control directly and indirectly through depression. Intervention approaches such as primary care-based collaborative care models should address social support to achieve greater outcomes for depression and HTN management.