Social support and physical disability in older people after hospitalization: a prospective study.

This prospective study examines the effects of social support on physical disability in older people. Hospital monitoring identified longitudinal study participants who were admitted for hip fracture (n = 84), stroke (n = 79), or myocardial infarction (n = 106). Interviews before the illness and at 6 weeks and 6 months after admission assessed social support and physical disability; medical records indicated illness severity and comorbidity. The number of emotional support providers and the adequacy of task support were higher after hospitalization. Medical factors and premorbid emotional support predicted disability at 6 weeks; not needing support was associated with less disability than needing and receiving adequate support. Task support adequacy at 6 weeks predicted less disability at 6 months. The results reveal a dynamic relationship between social support and recovery.